And the winner is...

Last week we had a 'Name the Fruit' quiz. The prize was 1-dozen freshly baked, Jamaican plantain tarts. Today, we are happy to announce the winner ....

Mrs. Hinds-Smith, School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Univ. of Technology

She correctly provided the name of the fruit...it's called a Mountain Cherry!

Yes, grown right here in Jamaica. Visit the fruit vendors at Loshusan's Barbican Centre or along South Avenue in Kingston and you will find these little gems. [Note: They will be out of season in the next 2weeks.] Mountain Cherries can be found in the hills of St. Mary. You will be amazed at the types of exotic fruit that are found in JA that often sit idle, unattended or people just do not know what they are. I could not help but to chuckle when a fruit vendor said to me "Miss, mi nuh know ah wah but yessideh mi see people ah buy it so mi decide fi pick and sell." The simple pleasure of food discovery and our colorful story-telling manner coupled with quick-thinking business spirit makes me fall in love with Jamaica over and over again.

Have you spotted a unique fruit in Jamaica recently? Tell us your story and send a picture (if possible) to info@myelitegrocer.com

As a little send-off treat for my friend Stephy who will be attending Tuft's School of Dental Medicine in Boston we settled on Tamarind Restaurant, a new spot offering Indian cuisine in Kingston. Although the food and the service were good it was a chance meeting with fellow Foodies - the ever charming JuicyChef, Jacqui Sinclair and Dale Pilgrim-Wade, HR professional and Blogger of Transition Sunshine, that made our day extra special. From our group chat, we quickly realized that we had a lot in common and will be meeting up again real soon! Upon Dale's suggestion, I attended a live cooking demonstration with Virginia Burke, author of EAT CARIBBEAN and WALKERSWOOD CARIBBEAN KITCHEN. The event was held at Bookland in New Kingston and from pictures below you will see why I was happy I attended. [Thanks Dale!!!]

One may think of Caribbean cooking with various unique and flavorful spices as intimidating but with Virginia, it was made easy. With her warm and personable style, everyone in the audience embraced Virginia's kitchen tales and cooking tips. I found myself reminiscing about my childhood adventures in the kitchen. My thoughts meandered around God-awful kiddie creations that were nevertheless eaten by my parents (bless their hearts & tummies). Fragrant smells of pimento, coconut oil and garlic 'calypso-danced' around Bookland and broke my mini 'day-dreaming' spell just in time to snap pictures and sample Virginia's fare.

First up was escoveitched chicken salad.

Typically Jamaicans make escoveitched fish so this was a welcomed twist. The star of this dish is the sauce that is comprised of vinegar, slivers of carrots, onion rings, whole pimento seeds and sometimes shredded 'cho-cho'.

Pumpkin fritters with love apple sauce soon followed.

Pumpkin for breakfast? Well let me tell you prior to this cooking demo I would not have thought but as it turned out it is one of the most delicious tasting fritter I have ever tried. So a fritter isn't exactly the most good looking thing but consider it a canvas of sorts with which you and your family can make fun shapes adding tomatoes and such for eye-popping color. If love does not shine through then you will certainly be captivated by the aroma of coconut oil when blended with the batter! Once the fritter has turned golden brown let it sit for a bit before adding the love apple sauce.

Both creations were megalicious! I can hardly wait to try recipes at my next social with friends. Purchasing EAT CARIBBEAN is simply a must!

Visit us next week for a review on the newest addition to the New Kingston strip - Springroll, an Asian Fusion restaurant and in celebration of Bird season in Jamaica we will be 'hopping' over to Medusa for Medusa Tuesdays at 96 Hope Rd in Liguanea for exciting bird fare.

- Yours megaliciously

Loving You...Appleton Rum

For centuries, J. Wray & Nephew has produced the world famous, Appleton Rum, and has walked away with coveted medals and awards for its hand-blended 'gold'.

So you can imagine Meg's excitement when the opportunity presented itself to join family friends on the Appleton Estate Rum Tour in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica! You'll see from our video clip below some of the 'awesomeness' found.

Yup, we had a ball! And so will YOU!...Ask for Hugh, a warm and happy Appleton Tour Guide. In fact, we found ALL team members to be very hospitable. So book your ticket and come to Jamaica, man :-)

Here's a bit of new Green info - Appleton has been known to recycle byproducts such as bagasse ('trash' after extracting the juice from sugarcane) along with having their own electricity supply. In 2010, Appleton will be taking one step further to transitioning from a mechanical&manual operation to 'Green Cane Harvesting'! This eco-friendly technique does away with burning the sugar cane fields prior to harvesting that will help to preserve the environment and reduce the company's carbon footprint. Plus, the distillery plant will be enhanced since plants and external doors are often covered in 'black soot' left behind from the burning of sugarcane fields nearby. Appleton Estate and its parent, J. Wray and Nephew, are to be commended and we are sure Jamaica's ECCO Magazine will be pleased.

Overall MEG recommends the Appleton Estate tour as an incentive for staff at companies - locally or abroad, as a family 'staycation', excursion with friends, high-school & university chemistry students or just because. And hey if non-alcohol fans think a trip to the makers of premium liquor would be unappealing, think again...There is much history to learn, demonstrations to see and one would feel satisfied especially for Caribbean 'connectedness'. Besides, you will see beautiful resident peacocks and even a red-headed pheasant.

For an enhanced experience, pre-book for the Appleton tour lunch package and if you are so lucky participate in the Appleton Academy where you can have the chance to meet the Master Blender, Mrs. Joy Spence, under whose guidance you will learn to make your blend of rum! How do you like 'em apples? :-)) For scouts or production people, the Appleton Estate is the perfect location for a movie or commercial. Just don't forget to send a megalicious finder's fee :-))

Also, did you know MEG does customized Ciggiez 'N' Rum packages? Share with us your price point, delivery location and we'll help to make an indelible impression for your client, supplier or special occasion. Place your order at myelitegrocer.com, e-mail info@myelitegrocer.com or give us a call. Guess what? Rum from J. Wray & Nephew especially Appleton Rum Cream, Appleton V/X and 21-year old Appleton are the most requested rum products! Having sampled their newest liqueur called Rumona, we can hardly wait for it to hit the international market as we feel Rumona will be equally popular.

Quick tip: Miniature Appleton Special or Rum Cream liqueur bottles are great for wedding giveaways and guests will fall in love with Jamaican Rum Punch during a cocktail hour.

On another note, we apologize for the absence of last week's blog. Unfortunately we had technical issues and will soon be transferring to Word Press. We'll keep you posted. As a make-up offering, comment below or on today's video blog (on youtube) and have a chance of winning 1-dozen freshly baked authentic Jamaican plantain tarts!

What's required? Simply be the first to correctly name the fruit shown below.

Megalicious hint: It's tastes similar to 'coolie' plum but has 4-seeds :-)

The offer noted above expires at 4p.m, Aug 20th (EST) and is limited to Kingston delivery locations. The winner will be made known on our twitter page at 8p.m (EST) Friday, Aug 20th.

Emancipation - A Beautiful - Day

Hi! It's a beautiful day. In celebration of Jamaica's emancipation day we offer a short and sweet video blog about JCDC's Culinary festival held at Ranny Williams Centre in Kingston and Denbigh's annual agricultural show in Clarendon. We hope you will enjoy. Do share your feedback.

Until walk good.

- Megaliciously yours