Summer officially began a few weeks ago. For the rest of the world, this marks the opening of the summer…
Haitian Djondjon mushroom infused okra stew
A few years ago, I described our Haitian cuisine as a labor of both love and patience. Today’s okra stew…
Bannann kòde, a flourless twist on our pate kòde, Haitian empanadas
Plantains, yuca, yams, veritab …part of our everyday meals in Haiti, these local staples we call vivres alimentaires, show up…
One weekend, four yuca recipes
Yuca, tapioca, manioc in French, manyòk in Creole, cassava elsewhere… Boiled, mashed, garnished with cheese, fries … yuca at breakfast,…
It’s berry season, and I couldn’t be happier
For the longest time, the idea of a berry season in Haiti seemed foreign to me. Even though fraises des…
How should you eat a mulberry curd?
If you’ve been reading me for a while, you know that I tend to be a fan of eggless curds.…
I hate carrots, but I love this carrot puree au gratin
I hate carrots but I absolutely love this accidental carrot puree au gratin. What an oxymoron, I know. But I…
A decadently spicy manba (peanut butter) mousse
Earlier today, I told you about my decadent peanut butter butter toasts. And now, here I am serving you a…
Leek croquettes and other vegetable recipe ideas
Today is Sunday. Naturally, I should be serving you some Haitian soup joumou. I totally would if I were to…
Creamy turnips au gratin
Hello, beloved reader. Today, we’re having turnips au gratin for dinner – or breakfast if you happen to be reading…
How sautéed gizzards finally conquered my palate
It’s Sunday. Naturally, there’s poultry on the menu. This means that somewhere in our kitchen, my mom will have hidden…
Conquering my palate with a red bulgur salad
Today, I am serving you a delightful red bulgur salad. I can finally use the word delightful to describe the…
Haitian-style cassoulet, a true comfort food
This cassoulet had been simmering in my mind for weeks before I finally decided to share it with you. Truth…
Sòs pwa, Haitian bean sauce
My grandmother’s dining table on a weeknight; eight regulars; a bowl being passed from one set of hands to the…
Lèt a kola, a Haitian child’s favorite milk soda
Today is not a Sunday, that’s a fact. Yet, I can’t help but reminisce on the wonderful Sunday evenings from…
I came close to liking a guava pâte de fruits, but then it cooled down…
If you recall my first guava article, you are fully aware of my distaste for this fruit. What am I…
My Haitian joumou pumpkin soup in velouté form
Fair warning, today, contrary to Haitian practice, I am serving you a pumpkin velouté instead of our traditional pumpkin soup…
Cremas, Haiti’s coconut Holiday drink
As I commit these words to paper at 7:00 in the morning, I can’t help but think of the fact…
Bouchées, Haitian cheese stuffed pâte à choux
These bouchées, as we call those pâte à choux pastries here in Haiti, seem to be from another era. Today,…
Our very own aransò, salted smoked herring mousse
shed tWhat if I started this article with a statement like: cream cheese is a must in any worthy fridge?…
Garlic Roasted Fall Vegetables with thyme
A while ago, we established that I was not a fan of our Haitian soup joumou. It was right around…
Six giraumon pumpkin recipes for your Fall Cookbook
Fall flavors, what does that mean on an island that knows no season and on which pumpkins grow year-round? Technically…
How to make the best of your citrus & a candied fruit recipe
Nothing beats a glass of freshly squeezed handpicked citrus juice in the morning. There’s no denying it. That juice is…
My potpourri citrus pie
A potpourri pie? What kind of pie bears such a name? The kind of pies I create on Tchakayiti while…
On Fridays we ate pate kode
Don’t take this title too literally. When I talk about Friday pate kode, I am not actually referring to every…
Our chicken marinades are not a seasoning mix
A first communion without chicken marinades? Have you lost your mind!! Pa gen komunyon san marinade! (You can’t have a…
A sour orange curd does make for a sweet treat
I should have entitled this article “how a sour orange curd helped me through dark times.” But that would be…
The ultimate Haitian griot pork sandwich
Today, I am proudly serving you my homemade griot fried pork sandwich. I won’t deny it. I am definitely bragging…
Habanero spiced pineapple avocado salad & blackened fish filet
This grilled pineapple avocado salad atop blackened fish was born out of a desire to explore. I was looking to…
An orange cake with candied citrus, a birthday baking challenge
There’s an orange confit garnished cake on the blog! Did you read that?! There’s a cake on the blog. That’s…
Plantain salad, to have or not to have?
What is the point of a plantain salad? I’ve asked this question countless times. I have yet to come up…
Zanmann jam, an unusual Indian-almond jam
One afternoon, a few moons ago, I came across a rather unusual dish being prepped in our kitchen. My mother…
A spicy mango chutney or how to keep summer in a jar
A spicy mango chutney…wait, what? Mango again?!? You must be wondering where my creativity has gone this summer. I mean…
Creamy wine and tomato infused shrimp and grits
Today’s shrimp and grits is unlike anything you’ve had before. I must warn you, however. It is not quite your…
Maïs à la bonne femme, a cheesy Haitian-style polenta casserole
Maïs à la bonne femme. It took me years to get used to this cheesy polenta casserole. I was never…
Six ways to eat our Haitian cassava bread
Ever wondered what to make with a batch of cassava bread? What if I told you the possibilities were endless?…
Blan Manje, a Coconut Dessert
We call this dessert blan manje. Commit those words to memory, even if this is not your language. Why? Because…
A spicy ginger mango lobster salad
The best dishes are the ones we create accidentally. The ones we prepare on a whim. This ginger mango grilled…
An unusual summer limeade
If I told you to prepare a limeade by blending the entire fruit, would you do it? Let me guess,…
Pineapple chicken kabobs with ginger and habanero pepper
Summer is here. And with it has come the most perfect weather with beautifully sunny skies. The kind that make…
A Haitian fresco with peanuts
Forewarning: Today, there won’t be an actual recipe with this article. I will tell you which fresco flavor is my…
Summer in a fruit salad
At first, I wanted to name this article the deconstructed fruit bowl. Instead of a fruit cup, I was planning…
Mango sorbet with a hint of lime and mint
Summer has just begun. Yet, the temperatures are already to the roof. We’re feeling it in our mountain location. And…
Goudrin, a pineapple beverage
What if I told you that for some the pineapple peel is just as important, if not more important, than…
Caramelized banana waffles with a hint of rum
What happens when this Haitian girl prepares caramelized banana waffles? Well, she adds her own twist to the batter, of…
A sumptuous peach jam
What do you do when you have too many peaches? Why, you make a homemade peach jam of course! And…
Spicy lemony grilled octopus
It took me years to acquire a taste for octopus. 33 long years to be exact. I was about nine…
Spicy fried shrimp & a trip back in time
Today, we’re taking a trip back in time. We’re once more off to school. Worry not, we won’t spend any…
Sticky Caramelized Haitian style sour tamarind wings
I am not a fan of chicken wings. Fact. Chicken wings are messy, especially with a caramelized sauce. Fact. I…
Tamarind popsicles, a refreshing summer treat
The 12:00pm bells are ringing. It’s Friday. School is officially out. A swarm of bees in blue uniform gathers around…
A spicy mango salsa
Mango salsa and painting. What do those two have in common? A lot. In my world at least. Both mango…
Haitian-style salt-cured pork and shrimp paella with djondjon
On the menu today, my Haitian-style salt-cured pork and shrimp paella. Did that flavor combination just make you grimace? If…
Haitian poisson gros sel my way, two ways
Raise your hand if you’ve accidentally cooked fish before without scaling it! Yes, I just raised my hand. You read…
Haitian Salade Russe à la Tchakayiti
Good Friday is knocking at our door. And I cannot wait for the traditional Haitian meal we prepare on that…
Banm graten diri djondjon…a Haitian wild mushroom story
♪♩Diri djondjon, diri djondjon, banm graten diri djondjon… ♫ (Djondjon rice, djondjon rice, give me graten from djondjon rice) This is…
Pitimi pumpkin risotto style
I feel like I should start this article with an apology. Last week, I promised you a risotto-style djondjon pitimi.…
Millet salad, a new way to eat Haitian pitimi
Have you ever bitten into microscopic rocks while eating millet without meaning to? Is their crackling sound something you’re familiar…
Tchaka, a family tradition
Pretend today is Saturday. Now dim the lights. Better yet, light a tèt gridap in a room featuring a straw…
How to prepare and enhance dishes with salt-cured pork meat
Dear salt-cured pork, how did it take me so long to fall in love with your bold flavors? Yes,…
Creole Kitchens Mardi-Gras Edition: a beignets cook-off
“I really should have named this article: How a beignets cook-off convinced me that I am not destined to be…
Would you try a sour orange marmelade?
Got an excessively fruitful sour orange tree? Why not make a sour orange marmelade!? We have two sour orange trees…
Rum infused layered Haitian chocolate truffles dessert
Today, in honor of Valentine’s Day, I am revisiting our chokola peyi. I am serving you layers of flattened chocolate…
Creole Kitchens cook-off and a mirliton soup
The mirliton soup recipe below is part of a food challenge. I created it in hopes of showcasing this vegetable…
My not-so-Haitian crab salad
A zesty chipotle crab salad on a food blog devoted to Haitian cuisine?!? I can imagine your shock at seeing…
A Caribbean chestnut hummus recipe
Every year, we host the family at Christmas. To mix things up a bit, my mom and I always try…
A cheese spread and childhood memories
This morning, I woke up with cheese spread and kids birthday parties from my childhood on my mind. Truth be…
Haitian cheese sticks: my very first baking lesson
Haitian cheese sticks are probably the very first pastry I ever baked. I was about eight or nine when I…
Herring Chiquetaille
For lack of an accurate translation, I use the name “chiquetaille de hareng” throughout this article to refer to this…
An onion hater & an onion pie
On the menu today, a young girl, a grown woman and a traditional onion pie recipe. It’s Christmas Eve. The…
Douce kokoye, Haitian coconut fudge
Foreign readers, think of douce kokoye as a Haitian-style coconut fudge bold in flavor. What happens when you’re stuck at…
Haitian pain patate (sweet potato pudding) recipe
Pain patate in French, pen patat in Haitian Creole, petit pain pa’ as a term of endearment…sweet potato pudding in…
Bonbon Sirop Recipe
“Goodgood syrup, goodgood syrup…” – I can still hear my dad using those words to refer to this special sweet…
Haitian style baked sweet potatoes
Today’s recipe features our local sweet potatoes, which I have oven-roasted, mashed and reduced to a puree topped with prepared…
Haitian dried salted codfish in oil
In Haiti, codfish is about as popular as salted smoked herring. Our repertoire of recipes is quite rich. It includes…
Spicy grilled shrimp sandwich with caramelized bacon
The spicy grilled shrimp sandwich finally comes together! It’s my adaptation of a New Orleans shrimp po’boy. I always loved…
The “everything” spicy orange rum glaze
World Food Championship Po’Boy sandwich Part 2: Spicy Orange Rum Glaze Remember how I promised to share my first World…
Spicy garlic grilled shrimp with a splash of rum
A year ago, on October 12, 2017 to be exact, I was excitingly telling you about my qualification for the…
A savory Haitian pumpkin pie
Joumou in Haitian Creole, Giraumon in French, English translation of our Haiti pumpkin to be determined. I have yet to figure…
Sour orange infused hot pepper sauce
I should probably start this hot pepper sauce article with an apology. Perhaps, I should apologize to the person who…
Aransò, smoked herring recipe
An impromptu olfactory visit of a neighbor’s kitchen while he’s cooking mayi ak aransò. A smoked herring mousse. Cold polenta…
Want a mango cocktail?
Remember those mangos that attacked us daily one summer at the office? And how we had decided to take our…
Vinaigrette for those artichokes
Vinaigrette…a word you’ll rarely hear in Haiti, if ever. “Sauce de salade” (salad dressing) is more commonly used. Why share…
Haitian mayi moulen bites, a new way to eat polenta
I am not typically fond of cold mayi moulen (Haitian cornmeal). I actually strongly dislike it. Yet, here I am…
Djondjon polenta bites & a food contest
“Prepare a locally inspired dish. Post it on Facebook with a mouth-watering picture. Include recipe instructions and you’re set. You…
Silky-smooth mango ice cream
Yes, you read right! The ice cream recipes on this blog keep getting more interesting year after year! Just last…
Veritab boukannen, “véritable obsession”
Today, we’re taking a road trip outside of Port-au-Prince. Our destination? Jacmel, a city located in the South East of…
Shrimp marinades next door
Remember that I told you about how, without wanting to, I often inadvertently take a peak into a neighbor’s kitchen…
A leftover seafood bisque
What do you do when you have tons of leftover seafood in your fridge? If you’re Haitian, you definitely mix…
Cabbage, mèchi & 7 cooks
– Should we cook the rice and meat first? – The recipe says not to cook them, but you know…
Got (coconut) milk?
After sharing four coconut milk based recipes that include our famous blan manje, Haitian goodies known as dous kokoye, Haiti’s…
How do you cook your rice?
Yes, you read right. Rice is once again featured on this blog. You didn’t really think I would leave you…
One pot coconut ice cream
A few weeks ago, I decided to finally give in to what I had been longing to do all summer…
Douce Kokoye, Coconut Recipe
These chewy looking chunks of goodness are not brownies. They are homemade melt-in-your mouth coconut milk and sugar bites by…
Haitian Apricot Jam
Yes, you are reading right. Caribbean apricots are back on this blog, and it’s only been two weeks since this…
Haitian Touffe Legume
….or how to start eating vegetables Carrot, cabbage, mirliton, eggplant, green beans…how do you get someone who hates vegetables to…
Banana Beignets
In exactly ten days, it will be Carnaval here in Haiti. Dance, music and mostly letting go of the daily…
Gou Epis Lakay
Just last week, I attended Haiti’s first Pork Festival. As the name implies, pork was the main ingredient on the…
My frustration with an avocado tree
As many of you know, it’s avocado season practically everywhere around the globe. Here in Haiti, the season is at…
Marquise au chocolat à l’haïtienne
It’s been a while since I last shared a recipe with you. To make up for it, today I am…
Accras, Haitian Appetizer
The appetizers pictured above, known as accras, don’t ask for much to disappear on a plate. Don’t fry them quickly…
Lambi Grille Recipe
This week was a very hot one. And when the temperature is this high, the sky as blue and sunny…
Bonbon Amidon Recipe
These melt-in-your-mouth cookies are prepared with amidon (starch), a manioc (yucca) flour. As a child, I loved eating bonbon amidon…
Sauce Ti Malice, a hot sauce
The typical Haitian sauce Ti Malice is served with any fried or grilled meat or seafood. It is a hot…
Cassava Pudding spiked with Rum
I discovered cassava pudding a couple weeks ago and really loved it. I actually combined 2 recipes because the one…
Haitian Beignets Recipe
This Haitian beignet recipe is inspired by an experiment my mom did this year. She substituted sugar cane syrup for…
Bananes Pesees
I got this bananes pesees recipe from an uncle who added his own twist to it. He used to add…
Haitian Pikliz
The Haitian pikliz recipe is a mix of vegetables cut using the julienne method (shredded in long thin strips) spiced…