hi

valentines day is tomorrow! but we don’t need much of an excuse to have a good time here in jamaica, so most of us are celebrating for the entire weekend. why not take advantage of the extra time, so we can celebrate in different ways with friends, with family, with crushes and with loves?

pussbackfoot has collaborated with jamaican culinary experts, kerry jeter in los angeles and nigel spence in new york to bring you a few special recipes to help you do it all…

so you decide to have early cocktails with friends tonight because fun times are always sweeter with your girls and with your boys, try…
the man eater
with gin, peach schnapps, rum, tequila, vodka

forbidden love
with vodka, pomegranate, orange and lime juice

love on the rock
with mango juice, sorrel, rum and triple sec

glama puss tip: to make your drink beautiful just choose one of the fruit ingredients cut a wedge or a thin slice, even some seeds or an edible flower (most are) and float in the cocktail. remember to choose interesting glasses and sometimes it doesn’t have to be a glass depending on the drink, you can use a bud vase, a small candle holder…get creative!

after early cocktails you can celebrate by having a quiet dinner, or enjoying tapas at a lounge or nightclub and then dancing the night away. whatever you choose, we wanted to help you with ideas for the morning after, to help you extend the moment for as long as possible.

the morning after
have breakfast in bed or hop out of bed, throw the duvet on the living room floor with lots of cushions and pillows and create an inside picnic, while slipping into your favourite sexy comfy wear and playing your favourite tunes. pussbackfoot recommends etana the strong one, gentleman, tesanne chin,taurus riley, beres hammond,freddie mcgregor, sara tavares, miles davis, billie holiday to name a few …

classic french cuisine chef, kerry jeter suggests indulging in the following yummy platter…

mango bellini
fruit salad
crepes suzette or stuffed french toast (stuffed with cream cheese and strawberries)
banana bread
toast

how to make:

mango bellini
with mango juice and sparkling wine

crepes…and believe me its easy

4 1/2 oz cake flour
1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 eggs
* lightly beat second egg using only 1/2 for the mixture
1 Tbs. unsalted butter (melted)
1 1/2 Tbs. vegetable oil
pinch salt

optional
1/2 tsp brandy
1/2 tsp grand marnier
1/2 tsp orange zest

batter
put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
strain through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth.
let sit in refridgerator for 45 minutes to an hour to get rid of air bubbles.

crepes
warm 8″ to 10″ non-stick pan and just barely coat the bottom with butter. remove excess butter with paper towel.
ladle 1 1/2 ounces of batter into the pan (enough to thinly coat the pan). swirl pan to get and even coating of batter covering the entire surface of the pan.
cook over medium heat until batter starts to set. then flip and cook on second side.

storage
layer crepes with parchment in between layers
will last in the refridgerator for a few days and for a few months in the freezer.

serving suggestions
berries, powdered sugar, and whipped cream or sweetened mascarpone cheese or
caramelized bananas or apples cooked in brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and rum

banana bread
1/4 lb. or 1 stick of butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3-4 ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
pinch of salt
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon zest (optional)

preheat oven to 350 degrees.
grease and flour loaf pan.
sift flour, baking powder, and baking soda
add cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and set aside
cream butter and sugar in seperate bowl.
add beaten eggs, mashed bananas, zest, and vanilla to butter mixture
stir flour mixture into batter
add milk

pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 1 hour until knife inserted comes out clean.

i am sure you will enjoy.

slow down. make sweet dreams. make beautiful promises of love. take in the moment. enjoy. never ever forget….promise?

more love,

nigel spence is a renowned jamaican chef. he trained at the culinary institute of america and is the owner of ripe, a jamaican restaurant in new york. he has appeared on major tv shows including food network, martha stewart and air jamaica’s “island stylee” programme. click here for more on nigel.

kerry jeter is a jamaican living in los angeles. she is a graduate of the california school of culinary arts le cordon bleu and specialized in classic french cuisine. she has worked at some of l.a.’s hot spot restaurants including wolfgang puck’s vert and at ortolan under chef eme.