This blog probably should have been a long time coming, but I have been stubborn and honestly, a little unsure about my qualifications to write such a thing. But lately, I've started thinking: that's just silly! I've been the eager consumer of amazing home-cooked meals all my life. And I think my friends and family would agree that I'm not too shabby in the kitchen, either -- especially when it comes to pastries. I'm no expert, but instead I've found that if you follow good directions, you can do anything well!
Below is my favorite cake to make (and I plan to make a version of this for my friend M.E.'s wedding next year!): Poème cake, as coined by the pastry chef Delphin Gomes, from whom I took a 7-week intensive pastry course 4 years ago.
Most of what he taught us can't be adequately represented in a blog, so I say, if you want to learn something that I'm familiar with, come on over and we'll do it together!
I like to make anything and everything. I love trying to make different ethnic foods, and seeing how well I succeed - luckily, it's usually at least edible, even if completely opposite from the intended version!
Whenever possible, I like to make things from scratch, like bread, cheese, etc. Maybe I should just get my own goat ;-). That would make things a lot easier.
I wouldn't say that I'm a simple food person (as you might have guessed already), although I LOVE simple flavors. But simple...with a twist. That's how I like life, too. And that brings me to the title of this blog: Haitian Vanilla.
Vanilla has always been my favorite ice cream flavor. Boring, huh? But in recent years, after my brother gave our mom her most favorite present ever, an ice cream machine, she began experimenting with different flavors, different extracts. For vanilla, she has tried American, Mexican, and Haitian extracts, and hands down - Haitian vanilla is the winner among all of our friends and family (except for my dad, but that's a different story!). See, simple flavor, with a twist.
Next week, I hope to have a culinary adventure to share with you. Until then, bon appétit!
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