Category Archives: Sweet

Lemon Passion Fruit Meringue Pie Takes the Cake at Taste of Cayman

Back to the Future: Right, Hedy's winning Strawberry Basil Panna Cotta from 2010, and left, Adriana's winning Lemon Passion Fruit Meringue Pie from Saturday night's event.

For the second time in three years participating in the Taste of Cayman food festival at Camana Bay, Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink has won best dessert by the judges, this time with Lemon Passion Fruit Meringue Pie.

Beth setting up the sweet station, with Adriana torching her soon-to-be winning meringues in the back! (photo credit to TGHG Director of Operations, Mr. Charles Bell!)

According to pastry chef Adriana Duran, the game plan was to offer a dessert that embodies what the Caribbean means to her – fruits and freshness.  Combining the tartness and acidity of lemon and passion fruit with graham crumbs and a thin white chocolate layer in the middle, topped off by smooth meringue was the right mix.

“I got the proposal to Hedy, she liked the idea and we just worked on it,” Adriana explains. “I guess that since the beginning I felt that we could win with this dessert.  Everything played a role, from its simplicity but bold ingredients, to the nice presentation.  My belief is that when you like what you do and you put enthusiasm and love into what you cook, you are one step ahead.”

Amen, Adriana!  For manager Beth Clarke’s photos from the event, including executive chef Thomas Tennant’s captivating lionfish chowder recipe demo, visit her Flickr set here.

It’s Cayman Cookout Time! Shooting Genuine Cayman Today…

Shooting Michael's new show, Genuine Cayman, this morning in Camana Bay.

As we’ve shared here before, Genuine Cayman was greenlit late last year with support from Cayman Islands Department of Toursim and Camana Bay, the mixed use town center in which MGFD Grand Cayman is located.  We’re shooting our second and third episodes (after last summer’s pilot with farmer Patrick Panton) with our producer Emma Gladstone while on-island this week for the Cayman Cookout, the kickoff of Culinary Month. Continue reading

Off the Menu: #MGFDBrunch Kitchen Breakfast

PNS farm egg sandwich with house smoked pastrami, frisee, parsley & parsley aioli on a toasted la Parisienne mini brioche bun

This morning I popped by MGFD to shoot Hedy’s Lemon Meringue Pie in a Jar for an upcoming piece Gail Simmons is penning on 2012 dessert trends… and of course pastry sous chef Trew and line cooks Brad and Danny weren’t going to let me leave empty-handed — or stomached.  From time to time, I’ve happened upon Michael, chef de cuisine Bradley and the cooks making their own breakfasts of fried eggs with smoked meats of all sorts.  Now it was my turn, not to make, but to enjoy.  Line cook Brad asked if I had eaten breakfast – my brainwaves must have given me up – and the next thing I knew, the picture above happened.  Woahly cow.  I love my job!  Click Savory and Sweets & Things for today’s brunch menu and stop on by for dishes you too can devour, such as those below. Continue reading