All About Cruising - Cooking

Charter Yacht THE DOVE's Cheesecake RecipeReci

2009-02-27T12:32:00.000-04:00

Spotlight on Captain Larry Tyler: owner & captain of sailing yacht THE DOVE (54-foot sloop) and also a trained chef, professional photographer & filmmaker who sailed around the globe on a 35' yacht using celestial navigation. Larry here shares with us one of his secrets for happy, repeat charter guests on THE DOVE!

The Dove Ginger Cheesecake

1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of fresh ginger
Grated zest of one lemon or lime
24 ounces (700gm) cream cheese
2-3 eggs
1/4 cup of heavy cream or yoghurt
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Handful of white raisons soaked in rum for about an hour (optional)

Base / Crust

1 cup of Hob-Nobs biscuits
1/4 cup of brown sugar
2 tbs. unsalted butter melted, cooled

Preheat oven to 200 c (375 F). Peel ginger and cut into thin slices and then cut again into thin slivers. With a sharp knife peel the lemon and cut the zest into thin matchsticks. Place ginger, lemon zest, water and sugar into a small pan and bring slowly to the boil, then simmer for 2 minutes and leave to cool and then strain syrup through a sieve, reserving the lemon zest and ginger for the crust. In a large bowl whisk the cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium until smooth, add eggs one at a time, cream or yoghurt and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Fold in the sieved cooled syrup until blended and then rum soaked raisins if desired.

Base: break up the biscuits and crush them in a bowl, add the melted cooled butter and mix well with a wooden spoon. Then put mixture at bottom of round baking tin and press hard with spoon or the bottom of a flat glass or mug. Sprinkle the biscuit mixture with the lemon zest and ginger. Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of biscuit base and place in the oven for approx. 45 minutes or until golden brown on top and the centre is still a little wobbly when you move it. Allow to cool and place in the refrigerator for a few hours or over night, serve well chilled.

Note: Cooking time depends on your preference of how moist you like the finished cheesecake. Inserting a knife does not work on this cake. When the cake comes out of oven it will deflate a little this is normal.

Using an 8" (20cm) to 9"(23cm) x 3"(8cm) round baking tin with detachable base is best.

For the base you may also digestive biscuits or ginger snaps. Raisins can omitted, if desired.

Thanks Larry!

The Dove is a 54-foot sloop which accommodates up to four guests in two cabins.

View THE DOVE's online brochure: CLICK HERE
Contact Paradise Connections to charter: CLICK HERE
Visit our web site: http://www.paradiseconnections.com

Try the recipe and let us know how it came out... Or, better yet, come on down and have Larry make it for you!

Easy Cheesecake Cupcakes

2006-07-27T16:47:00.000-04:00

Thank you to the wonderful blog, Cooking for Engineers, for this tempting CHEESECAKE CUPCAKE recipe.

To make a dozen cheesecakes, gather up one pound (455 g) cream cheese, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar, and a dozen vanilla wafers for the bottom "crust". The cheesecakes can be topped with whatever you like - maraschino cherries, streusel, Hershey's kisses, mandarin orange slices...

Someone suggested using a shortbread cookie, or a Girl Scout chocolate mint cookie (oooooh, it's been years since I've had one of those!).

Read his recipe HERE, but I've included a abridged version in this blog as well.

Preheat oven to 350F or 175C
Place cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl and beat until creamy.
Place baking cups/muffin liners in cupcake pan
Place a vanilla wafer (or other favorite cookie) in the bottom of each baking cup
Fill each baking cup about 3/4 full of cheesecake mixture
Add optional topping
Bake for approximately 15 minutes
Cool on a wire rack, then refrigerate (if there's any left!)

Enjoy!

Easy Ziploc Omelettes - Cooking While Cruising

2006-07-26T16:27:00.000-04:00

While perusing a cruisers forum this morning, we were reminded of this simple, fast, yet tasty, method of cooking omelettes which is perfect when passage making, that we'd like to share with you.

ZIPLOC OMELETTES (or Baggy Omelets... your choice!)

Into a quart-sized Ziploc freezer bag, crack open two large eggs and discard the shells elsewhere. Shake the bag to break up & scramble the eggs.

Add whatever ingredients you'd like to the Ziploc bag:

cheese
onion
chives
bell pepper
olives
ham
bacon
chicken
tabasco
salsa
salt & pepper
other seasonings

Use your imagination!

Add your extra ingredients to the eggs and shake to mix.

Try to get as much air out of the bag as possible, and zip it up. You don't want air in the bag to expand while cooking because it may cause the bag to burst.

To cook, place the bags into boiling water for 12-15 minutes. Depending on the size of your pot, you can cook several (6-8) omelettes at a time.

To serve, just open the Ziploc and it will slide out onto your plate (or eat out of the bag). No mess, no fuss, and EASY CLEANUP!

While looking for more Ziploc recipes on the internet, I came across one entry that states that this plastic hasn't been approved for cooking purposes... so use at your own risk.

Enjoy!

Cookbooks

2006-07-26T13:00:00.000-04:00

The One-Pan Galley Gourmet : Simple Cooking on Boats (Spiral-bound)
by Don Jacobson, John Roberts

How to prepare fast, simple, fabulous meals afloat. Now you can turn even a one-burner galley into a gourmet kitchen and enjoy hot, wholesome, delicious meals wherever your boat takes you. Want apple pancakes for breakfast? Quesadillas for lunch? Saucy chicken with noodles and green peppers for dinner? All you need is one pan, the right ingredients, and a little help from The One Pan Galley Gourmet.

Feasts Afloat: 150 Recipes for Great Meals from Small Spaces (Paperback)
by Jennifer Trainer Thompson, Elizabeth Wheeler

Amazon Customer Review
If you're cooking in a cramped space (boat, travel trailer, mountain cabin or tiny kitchen) and you do not have the time, skills or inclinations [like some people] and want flexibility with menus: buy this book. Thompson & Wheeler have mastered the above and done us all a favor in passing on both their recipes and tips. You can create a gracious meal with a minimum of fuss using Feasts Afloat. Not only are the menus creative and good, they are fast and I use them daily when I am on the run.

The Cruising Chef Cookbook (Paperback)
by Michael Greenwald,

Book Description
The Cruising Chef Cookbook is the bestselling, most extensive sailors’ cookbook ever written. Twenty-two years in print and ten reprints make it clear that sailors consider it essential equipment. The new Cruising Chef is actually a book of nautical wisdom in the guise of a cookbook. It contains hundreds of tips plus more than 300 delicious recipes. Includes an extensive discussion of preparing for a voyage and resupplying in native markets.

Cruising Cuisine: Fresh Food from the Galley (Paperback)
by Kay Pastorius

Book Description
Let's face it. To the uninitiated, the confined and often animated galley of a cruising boat lends itself to creating such less-than-mouthwatering delicacies canned beef stew served over a bed of reheated noodles. Longtime cruiser Kay Pastorius offers everything a cook needs to know to adapt to the very different world of cooking at sea, in strange ports of call, or in deserted anchorages far from supermarkets. Far more than a collection of recipes, Cruising Cuisine is filled with advice on mastering fine cooking techniques guaranteed to produce delicacies everyone on board will relish. Here's everything you need to know to create and enjoy fresh, flavorful, and healthful cuisine aboard, with more than 450 time-tested, palate-pleasing recipes.

The Everything One-Pot Cookbook (Paperback)
by Lisa Rogak, Lisa Angowski Rogak Shaw

Book Description
What could be easier than cooking an entire meal using just one pot? This new book features hundreds of exciting recipes that are guaranteed crowd pleasers, with minimal mess. From appetizers to entrees and even desserts, these one-pot meals are quick, simple, and delicious. One-pot cuisine is characterized by hearty, satisfying dishes that can be prepared using only one of a variety of conventional cooking techniques: a single baking pan, skillet, crock pot, or conventional stove-top pot. Your dinner moves directly from pot to plate, without adding side dishes to create a complete meal.

Life's a Fish and Then You Fry: An Alaska Cookbook (Paperback)
by Randy Bayliss, Ray Troll (Illustrator)

Amazon Customer Review
The original yet practical recipes and wonderfully weird illustrations make this cookbook unique. Even those of us in the lower 48 are looking at fish in a whole new way. Randy Bayliss brings his life's experience in Alaska, his oddball humor, and his abundant culinary skills into the kitchen for us to savor. The only problem is that you might get so interested in the reading that you forget you were planning to cook dinner. No biggie: LIFE'S A FISH is well worth the time spent chuckling.

Cooking the One Burner Way, 2nd (Cookbooks) (Paperback)
by Buck Tilton, Melissa Gray

Book Description
Learn how to prepare more than 150 meals - ranging from the simple to the elaborate - on top of your favorite compact one-burner stove.

The Care And Feeding of the Sailing Crew (Paperback)
by Lin Pardey, Larry Pardey

Amazon Customer Review
The authors are professional sailors and have been full-time cruising sailors for over forty years. Their vast experience and precise writing skill enable them to expertly address a wide range of topics, and the book clearly demonstrates their mastery of the care and feeding of sailing crew. The book is divided into 52 chapters and two indices. Each chapter presents a logged day of a sailing cruise, noting weather and sailing conditions, and covers items which are appropriate to that particular stage of an extended cruise. The concepts are emphasized with enjoyable anecdotes which illustrate the importance of preparation and adaptability. Topics include nearly everything imaginable, ranging from menu planning and food purchase and storage, through cooking methods and preservation techniques, to fishing and keeping the crew well-clothed.

Chapman Cooking & Entertaining on Your Boat (Hardcover)
by Elizabeth Wheeler

Book Description
There's something about sailing the ocean blue that whips up a hearty appetite. Good food--and plenty of it--makes for a successful and pleasurable cruise. Whether your shipboard facilities include a fully equipped modern galley or just a primitive one-burner stove, satisfy your hungry sailors with memorable meals. From Chapman, the most trusted boat experts, here are smart strategies for overcoming the limits of a seagoing kitchen plus a whole host of recipes that will gratify everyone and leave you with plenty of time to enjoy yourself, too. Some dishes can be prepared at home and reheated; others feature fresh ingredients that you can easily throw together on board; and still more rely on packaged ingredients--a perfect solution for a long cruise.

The Meatless Galley Cookbook (Paperback)
by Anne Carlso

Book Description
The Meatless Galley Cookbook is unique because none of the 140 fabulous recipes require meat. The book is designed for the boater who wants delicious, easy to prepare, healthful meals while they enjoy their time afloat on vacations, trips, and cruising.

The Cruising K.I.S.S. Cookbook II (Plastic Comb)
by Corinne Kanter

Book Description
The Cruising K.I.S.S. (keep it simple system) Cookbook II theme is: Delicious, Nutritious, Economical, and Convenient. 645 recipes. All recipes complete on one page in large, readable type. Also, How to: Use your pressure cooker; Grow sprouts; Make yogurt, granola, sourdough starter, and more; Identify, purchase, store and prepare uncommon vegetables; Store fresh vegetables for longevity; Provision and stow for long-term cruising.

The Sugar Mill Caribbean Cookbook: Casual and Elegant Recipes Inspired by the Islands (Paperback)

Book Description
Jinx and Jefferson Morgan own the Sugar Mill, a much-loved resort on the island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. From there, they have explored the Caribbean and packed their culinary discoveries into The Caribbean Cookbook. There are dishes suited to company dinners, as well as easy-going food like Rum-Glazed Chicken Wings, Red Bean and Rice Salad, and Rasta Pasta. Some dishes are traditional, others use the ingredients and flavors of the islands in original ways. The Morgans are friendly and free-wheeling and pack lots of local lore and culinary information into this sunny book.

The Rasta Cookbook: Vegetarian Cuisine Eaten With the Salt of the Earth : Recipes (Paperback)
by Laura Osborne (Editor)

Book Description
Vegetarian Cuisine, Eaten with the salt of the earth

From the Back Cover
"You are what you eat" this is the core of the philosophy on which the Rastafari base their eating habits and cuisine. This book presents for the first time in print, a mouthwatering collection of recipes, the best of Rasta cooking. The cultural and religious basis of the cuisine are explained in full. A review of tropical fruits and vegetables is given and along with this, vital information on whre, how to get and how to prepare the ingredients for this exotic cuisine.

Maverick Sea Fare: A Caribbean Cook Book (Paperback)
by Dee Carstarphen

Book Description
Maverick Sea Fare is more than just a cookbook that emphasizes tropical fruits, vegetables, and seafood, it is an artistic reflection of the author's years as wife and cook aboard the 76' Brixham Trawler Maverick, chartering in the Caribbean. It is that rare thing amongst cookbooks - a good read, equally at home in the galley or on the coffee table.

Pressure Perfect: Two Hour Taste in Twenty Minutes Using Your Pressure Cooker (Hardcover)
by Lorna J. Sass

Book Description
In Pressure Perfect, Lorna Sass, the country's leading authority on pressure cooking, distills her two decades of experience into one comprehensive volume. First learn everything you need to know about buying and using today's 100% safe cookers. Then enjoy more than 200 recipes for preparing soups, meats, poultry, grains, beans, vegetables, and desserts in record time. How about whipping up a savory risotto in 4 minutes, chicken cacciatore in 12 minutes, or a delectable chocolate cheesecake in 25 minutes? This ultimate guide to pressure cooking is a must for all busy cooks, boaters, brides, college students, and anyone looking for a great way to make irresistible, healthy, home-made food fast.

The New Pressure Cooker Cookbook (Paperback)
by Pat Dailey

Book Description
More than 80 delectable step-by-step recipes designed for the sophisticated features of new pressure cookers.

The Pressure Cooker Gourmet: 225 Recipes for Great-Tasting, Long-Simmered Flavors in Just Minutes (Paperback)
by Victoria Wise

Editorial Review from Library Journal
Wise is the author and coauthor of numerous other cookbooks, including The Well-Filled Microwave Cookbook. Here she provides dozens of recipes for today's "100% Safe" pressure cookers, from streamlined versions of pot roast to more contemporary, elegant dishes such as Pheasant Braised with Walnuts and Shallots. There are stews of all sorts, or course, but there are also quick (no-stir) risottos, vegetable dishes ranging from Baby Artichokes and Two Sauces to an easy Ratatouille, preserves like Green Tomato Chutney, and even desserts. A good companion to Lorna Sass's now-classic Cooking Under Pressure and its follow-up, The Pressured Cook, this is recommended for most collections.

Hand cranked people powered blender

2006-07-25T16:06:00.000-04:00

This is an item we've been meaning to order for quite some time. Now that we are planning on leaving St.Maarten soonish for points further south, we thought we'd better get our "sterns" in gear and order stuff while it is still relatively easy to get our mail.

We've seen modified weed wackers and other interesting non-AC blenders for use at tailgate parties and Jimmy Buffet concerts, but this unit looks robust and eco-friendly.

We'll let you know how how it goes...

St. Maarten Free Rum Tasting at Palapa

2006-07-24T15:59:00.000-04:00

This has been one of our favorite stores since coming to Simpson Bay, St Maarten. They have a large selection of nice wine with a range of prices.
We finally took Ashok and Ajit up on their offer of a rum tasting. They carry a line of flavored rums produced on the French side of St. Martin. We tried several varieties and we were pleasantly surprised that the rum was good as we are not fans of French rums. When we lived in France we learned to request something else when offered rum (nasty stuff that has to be cut with fruit juice). But this rum was quite tasty. We bought a bottle of banana rum which must have a full banana sliced up in the bottle. This is their most popular flavor. We also tried coconut, vanilla, coffee, and something with a blue color. They were all very good. It was a difficult choice to just choose one and we'll have to go back for another bottle soon.

Connoisseur's Duty Free is conveniently located for boats as they are on the dock at Palapa Marina, plus they deliver. They also sell soft drinks, liquor, ice, and Cuban cigars.

Check them out! Nice guys and they like movies.

Ashok and Ajit
Connoisseur's Duty Free
Palapa Center, 3
Airport Road, Simpson Bay
St. Maarten (Netherland Antilles)
Phone: (599) 545 2902
(if calling from the USA, use international dialing code of 011 before the number)