MADANNE' Gourmet Ice Cream Fresh Yogurt Frozen Yogurt Fresh Fruit Sorbets Toppings Sundaes QOts. & Half Gal. Tubs HOMEMADE BEQUIA Tel: (784) 593 7264 Located at Gingerbread Café orrele Wakes Me Think of Christmas ° by Devi Sharp My first encounter with sorrel was in St. Croix at Christmas time. My husband, Hunter, and I were touring around the island in a rented car and stopped by a small roadside fruit stand. I love to stop at roadside stands because there is always more to be had than the items for sale. We bought a few bananas and papayas and while chatting with the ladies we noticed a heap of wine-colored flowers in a rolled-down feed sack. Being the ever- curious naturalist and cook, I asked about the flowers and what to do with them. I just love to ask ladies at the market what to do with fruits and vegetables — it opens a door of giving that almost always ends with new ideas and good cheer. The red-colored flowers of sorrel should not be confused with wood sorrel, a small plant with three leaves that grows in temperate forests that has a tangy astringent taste. The scientific name of the sorrel used in the Caribbean is Hibiscus sabdariffa and this name shows a relationship to the hibiscus flower bush, also a very popular plant for teas and beverages. In the Caribbean, sorrel (also called roselle) is used for beverages, sauces, salads, soups, chutneys, pickles, tarts, puddings and syrups, and as a substitute for cranberry sauce. The “flower” that we had in hand was actually what is left over after the petals of the flower dry and fall off, leav- ing the red sepals (the structure outside of the flower). The sepals of most flowers are green and not very con- spicuous. As a collective unit the sepals form a calyx, and it is the calyx that you use for making your sorrel tea or other dishes. In the inside of the calyx there is a large seed, which you can leave in if you are not steeping the Ctdmeaal YACHT NHSURANCE A distinctive product... A personal touch * Year round coverage * Top European security Admiral Marine Limited 4 Barack Cont & Sal 5 Talephene (OV 72, E-mail: ini We cite aw edererahacPyL com wiry Road § oP brew overnight. For all other uses you will need to remove the seed. I have since seen sorrel sold in bags with the seed removed, and dried sorrel in the grocery store. Our new friend gave us a recipe for sorrel drink that I have tinkered with for years and with the help of testers have hit the level of spices that taste good to me. Let this basic recipe be a starting point for your favorite sorrel drink. I use a pressure cooker because it is a big pot that I can cover and let the tea steep in overnight without fear of contamination. The amount of water you use does not need to be exact because you are making a concen- trate and you can dilute the concentrate to your taste. Rinse the sorrel and remove the calyx. You can cut around the seed with a small knife, or just pull the sepals off the seedpod. This is a bit of a chore and will make you think twice about paying the bit extra to purchase your sorrel deseeded. Sorrel Drink 4 quarts of water 2 pounds of washed and deseeded sorrel 2 cinnamon sticks whole allspice whole cloves one-inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into four pieces ieces of orange peel about 1 inch each Cup sugar dd cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ginger and orange peel to the water and bring to a boil. Add sorrel and sugar to boiling water and boil for a minute. Cover the pot and let steep overnight. Strain the leaves and spices out from the liquid and refrigerate the sorrel concentrate. You can add water or club soda to dilute the concentrate. You can then also add rum for a refreshing cocktail. You may need to add more sugar, but start on the light side with the sugar and you can always sweeten it as you use it. After making my first batch of sorrel drink I chatted with a Trinidadian friend and she asked what I did with the “leaves” (calyx). I told her that I tossed them. “Oh no, you use them for jam!” You can use the leftover calyx to make jam or a mock cranberry sauce. If you plan to do this you may want to put the spices in a bag of cheesecloth or net so you can easily remove them after brewing the sorrel tea. Sorrel has a lot of natural pectin, so to make the jam you just add more sugar, heat to boiling and put the jam in clean containers and store in the refrigerator. Yes, you eat the calyx, but they are soft and chewy. Here is the recipe for Sorrel Jam starting with fresh calyx: Sorrel Jam 1 pound sorrel 1/2 Cup water 1 pound granulated sugar 1 small piece cinnamon or other spices to taste Remove the seed from the calyx and rinse. Place sorrel in a deep pot and cover with water; bring to the boil and cook until tender (about 10 minutes). Measure sorrel and add 1 Cup sugar for every cup of fruit and juice. Return to heat and bring to the boil; cook until jelly stage (about 15 minutes). Pour into hot sterilized bottles. Refrigerate the jam or use a hot bath to seal the jars. To make “cranberry sauce” use the recipe for jam and add orange peel, cinnamon and whatever spices you choose. If you do not feel like making your own, be sure to sample some of the holiday sorrel drinks and treats that the islands have to offer at Christmas time. Ty >eENHE UW Stock Up on the widest selection and the Fair The Carenage: Monday - Thursday 8 am to 5:30 pm Friday until 8:45 pm Saturday until 1:00 pm Tel: (473) 440-2588 Grand Anse: Monday - Thursday 9 am to 5:30 pm Friday & Saturday until 7:00 pm Tel: (473) 444-4573 best prices in Grenada at our two conveniently located supermarkets. Whether it's canned goods, dairy products, meat, fresh vegetables or fruits, toiletries, household goods, or a fine selection of liquor and wine, The Food Fair has it all and a lot more. Hubbard’s JONAS BROWNE & HUBBARD (G'da.) Ltd.