SPICY GINGER RUM SHRIMP
50 medium or large shrimp
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. finely grated fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. red cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. rum
1 tsp. Nampla fish sauce (optional)
1 tsp. honey

Heat olive oil in a wok or deep frying pan.  Add ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper, and salt.  Cook for about one minute over medium heat until ginger and garlic brown slightly.  Add shrimp, rum, fish sauce, and honey and turn heat to high.  Stir and toss constantly until liquid has almost gone and ginger and garlic stick to shrimp; be careful not to overcook shrimp.  Serve with coconut rice and fresh garden salad.  Makes enough to serve 4.

BELIZEAN BREADFRUIT PUDDING
This is a very traditional dish for most Belizeans
1 medium breadfruit, ripe and soft
2 cups coconut milk (I use canned but you can do homemade, recipe below)
dash of salt
1/2 cup of sugar
Shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a baking sheet.  Peel the breadfruit.  Dice and mash the pulp.  Sprinkle shredded coconut over diced breadfruit . Combine coconut milk, salt and sugar.  Pour into prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes or until milk is absorbed.  Serves 2-3 people.

RUM BANANAS
4 ounces butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
2 Tbsp. rum
4 bananas

Melt butter on low flame and add sugar.  Let sugar melt completely and add cinnamon and cloves.  Remove frying pan from stove and add rum; be careful rum is flammable!  Put pan back on stove over low flame and stir until caramel forms.  Add the bananas.  Wait until bananas are soft and totally covered with the caramel.  Can be served with ice cream.  Serves 4

8 ounces thick pumpkin puree, fresh or canned
3-1/2 ounces icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp. each ground cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg
1/2 lemon, juice only
1 can evaporated milk (8-3/4 ounces)
1 can whipping cream (12-1/2 ounces)
1-3/4 ounces rum
2-1/2 ounces raisins

Beat pumpkin with sugar, spices, lemon juice and evaporated milk.  Whisk cream until thick but not stiff, then fold into the pumpkin mixture with rum.  Freeze ice cream mixture in plastic container until ready to serve.  Stir three or four times while freezing; add raisins as mixture hardens.  For optimum smoothness, freeze this mixture in an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions for freezing.

PINEAPPLE-MANGO RUM CHICKEN (Daisy Style)
4 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 onion, diced
1 green pepper, minced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
a pinch of salt and pepper
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 jigger coconut rum
1/2 c. diced fresh pineapple
1/2 c. diced fresh mango
1/4 c. pineapple juice

Grill chicken breast and simmer in pineapple saute for 2 minutes.  Serve over your favorite rice.  Saute onion, green pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, and soy sauce in vegetable oil.  Flambe rum (take saute pan away from flame).  Add diced pineapple, mango, and pineapple juice.  Makes enough to serve 4.

PIRATE RUM STEAK
1/2 c. dark rum
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. lime juice
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
6 strip steaks (8 ounces each)

Combine all the ingredients in a baking dish.  Add steaks and marinate in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours, turn steaks every 2 hours.  Preheat grill until coals are gray/white.  Oil grill, place steaks on grill 4 to 5 minutes each side; serve immediately.  Makes enough to serve 6 people.

2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. minced fresh ginger root
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
16 medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 can pineapple rings cut into fairly large chunks (about 1 ring per person)

In a bowl combine the lime juice, oil, ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes.  Add shrimp and pineapple, toss and let marinate abut 15 minutes.  Remove from marinade.  Cook in a pan over medium heat with a little of the marinade.


PIRATE RUM SAUCE
1/2 c. dark rum
2 Tbsp. minced green onion
4 ounces cold, unsalted butter (real butter) cut into pieces
1/4 tsp. salt (to taste)
A good pinch of cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro

Combine rum and onions.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer until reduced to 3 tablespoons in volume, 3 to 4 minutes.  With the heat on low/medium, whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, adding each piece before the previous one has been completely incorporated.  Continue until all the butter is incorporated and the sauce coats the back of a spoon.  Remove from heat periodically to prevent the sauce from getting too hot and breaking.  Season with salt and cayenne pepper and stir.  Remove from heat and serve in a small bowl on the side (with your steak).  Sprinkle sauce with cilantro. .

BELIZEAN COCONUT JERK CHICKEN WINGS
3 pounds chicken wings
12 spring (green) onions
1/2 c. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. jerk seasoning
1/2 c. coconut milk
1/2 c. dark rum
dry coconut flakes
1/2 c. flour
2 beaten eggs
Salt & pepper
1/3 c. honey
1/4 c. coconut oil (to mix with honey for brushing wings)

Cut the wings in 3 pieces, do not use the tips.  Remove bone without disfiguring the shape of the wing.  Chop spring onions and mix with soy sauce, jerk seasoning, coconut milk, and rum.  Marinate wings for at least 30 minutes but overnight would be even better.  Drain and dry the wings, dust them with flour, bathe them in the beaten eggs.  Coat the wings with a mixture of coconut flakes, salt and pepper.  Bake for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven, drizzle with a mixture of honey and coconut oil while baking.

MANGO RUM SALSA
2 ounces honey
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1 fresh banana
1 ounce dark aged rum
1 fresh mango
30 green peppercorns
1/2 medium onion, chopped
jalapeno to taste
Salt to taste

Mix hone, lime juice, banana, rum, and mango pieces in a kitchen blender.  Blend until you get a smooth thick sauce.  Transfer to a mixing bowl, and add the green peppercorns, onion, jalapeno pepper and salt.

MELON SALAD
2 Chocho's (a Caribbean tropical fruit, which tastes similar to a cucumber-pear)
4 ounces honeydew melon
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. white wine
1/2 Tbsp. mustard
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1/2 medium red onion, diced
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel the cho chos, cut into strips and cook in water and salt for 10 minutes.  Chill the cho chos in a cool water bath.  Cut the melon in strips.  Blend the olive oil, white wine, mustard, parsley, and onion.  Mis with the fruits and veggies.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Makes enough to serve for a group of 5.

For those of you who don't know what Chocho's are. 

It is a Caribbean tropical fruit that is native to Belize, Mexico, Caribbean and Central America.  The people of Belize, love Choco's. 

There are a few varieties; however they all have pear or slightly oval shape. It carries a thin green skin fused with its flesh.

A Chocho can be used either as a fruit or a vegetable.  Although this fruit has a bland taste, it is often eaten raw in salads and salsas, with lemon juice. When it is cooked, it has a taste like a cross between potato and cucumber.