RBP- the Rum Brunch Punch Serves 4 (more or less, give or take) Haitian-style of course with the BBC! But you can use your favorite rum though it won’t be the same. 1 QT orange juice (100% fresh squeezed, no preservative, unpasteurized absolutely preferred) 1 half court white or gold rum (Barbancourt Five Star preferred) Lots of crushed ice Orange wedges to garnish glasses Fresh mint leaves, for hint and to garnish Mix orange juice, rum and ice; agitate in a cocktail shaker or use a wooden spoon to mix in a “crystal” pitcher- not plastic. Slightly rip a palm full of mint leaves with your clean hands and top glasses for a hint of freshness plus a cool kick. Garnish with fresh orange wedges which of course you can munch on if you use good oranges! Lamb Meat Burgers Prep time: 30 min Cook time: 20 mins Yields 4 servings ½ lb ground sirloin ½ lb ground chuck ½ lb ground lamb (shoulder if you can get it) 2 eggs 1 tblspn ground cumin 1 tspn cayenne pepper 1 small white onion (grated) 1 tblspn Italian breadcrumbs 2 garlic cloves (finely minced) 2 tblspns finely chopped parsley 1 tblspn coarse sea salt 1 tspn freshly cracked black pepper (savory blend preferred) 4 hamburger buns I’ve chosen three cuts of meat for a particular reason. Ground chuck is used because it the easiest and most common way to get good ground beef. It comes from the cow’s neck and shoulder and has the best balance of beefy flavor, tenderness and fat. You want to get the one that is marked 20% fat or 80% lean. Second, I use ground sirloin mainly for its tenderness and third, while I normally use brisket for its deep beefy flavor, I’m going with lamb to bring out that gamy Caribbean taste that we’re all so accustomed to with goat (I looked but couldn’t find any ground goat). Lamb, while more popular in Middle Eastern dishes will give us a similar flavor. By the way, you want to avoid any package that says “ground hamburger”. It usually consists of leftover trimmings from various cuts, and it’s difficult to determine its fat content. Pre-heat your grill to a temperature of about 500 degrees. Combine all of the ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Do so about an hour before cooking, that way you let the flavors distribute evenly. Be sure to bring the mixture to room temperature before cooking and always use your hands to incorporate. Also be sure to grate the onion and finely mince the garlic so that you’re not getting large bits in every bite. The idea here is to not over work the meat, mix the meat gently and for as little time as possible. The art of forming a patty: You should be able to form four ½ inch thick patties by first rolling them into meatball shapes and tossing them between your hands until it starts to form a disk. Press the disk between your hands to make the patty and use the heel of your hand to seal any loose edges. Place them onto the grill, DON’T TOUCH THEM! Seriously, you don’t want to move them around or poke them. You want them to develop a good char and sear in all of the juices so leave them alone. Now I like my burgers medium rare so I flip them after about 5 minutes. I don’t know, over the years I’ve grown to enjoy a nice juicy burger and unless you fill the patties with a heaping tablespoon of butter before you grill them, the juiciness is hard to achieve when cooked well done. Because I’m using ground lamb, instead of an internal temperature of 140 degrees, I use my instant read thermometer and look for 145 degrees. Throw your buns on the grill for a few minutes and you’re good to go. Add some red onion slices, vine tomatoes and a little Dijon mustard ketchup and mayo and I guarantee you this will be the most phenomenal burger you’ve ever had. Add your favorite cheese but keep it simple. P.S. freshly squeezed orange juice with no preservatives is a perishable food item; keep refrigerated and use sooner rather than later. If you buy the fresh juice please follow instructions on container. The same goes for grapefruit juice. Consume responsibly and adhere to all laws related to alcohol. Jerk Chicken Wings Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 40 mins Yields 6 servings Something to munch on? Some of you said you didn’t have a chance to see Pierre’s Caribbean cookout recipes; perhaps you weren’t looking to cookout much with so many rainy days lately. Hopefully July will bring lots of sunny days to encourage eat-outs! Here you go! Thanks, Pierre! Mwaaaaa J 2 tblspns organic chicken bouillon base ¼ cup orange juice ¼ cup limejuice ¼ cup apple cider vinegar ¼ cup (honey) ¼ cup soy sauce ¼ cup brown sugar 2 tspns fennel seed 2 tspns cayenne pepper 2 tspns allspice 2 tspns dried thyme 1 tspn ground ginger 4 garlic cloves, chopped 4 green onions, chopped In a food processor or blender, blend together all of the ingredients except the chicken until a smooth consistency develops. Reserve a small amount of the mixture (about a cup). Place the chicken in a large zip-lock bag and pour the remaining marinade over them and massage the marinade to make sure every piece is completely coated. Seal and refrigerate for up to 6 hours. Preheat your grill to about 350 degrees. Place the chicken onto the grill and grill for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile in a saucepan, bring the reserved marinade to a boil and then let it simmer so that it thickens and reduces by about a third, roughly ten minutes. After twenty minutes on the grill remove the chicken brush on the thickened marinade to every piece and then increase the heat to about 400 degrees and place the chicken back onto the grill and cook for another twenty minutes or until cooked through. Thank you for your messages! Keep in touch at: Twitter.com/ruthsrecipes and on facebook.com/ruth.auguste