Andrea Whyte 'tun har han and mek fashion'

Sacha Walters-Gregory, Staff Reporter

"Like Miss Lou seh, just tun yuh han and mek fashion," epitomises what Andrea Whyte does with produce that is in abundance.

Whyte, owner of Isle Bites, a small traditional Jamaican pastry and delicacies company out of Montego Bay, St James, is writing a cookbook with recipes that incorporate fruits and powdered breadfruit, powdered cassava and other dehydrated produce.

"My whole thing with this book now is to teach people not to waste surplus," explains Whyte, who grows a variety of produce in her backyard and therefore has first-hand knowledge about surplus, once a crop is reaped.

Whyte has mastered the art of drying produce like green bananas, cassava, sweet potato and breadfruit in the sun and then grinding it into a powder. These are then used as a replacement for flour. The opportunities are then endless, she explained. Just think of everything you use flour in and the versatile flours can be perfect shoe-ins. This includes porridges, fritters or crêpes.

The practice of drying produce to make flour is not unique, as recently the agricultural society has encouraged the use of cassava flour.

Whyte, whose company makes traditional potato puddings, buns and frozen mixes like sweet potato pudding mix and salt fish fritter mix, is constantly evaluating how to tweak beloved Jamaican foods, to incorporate great taste and convenience. She showcased some of her baked goods at this year's Denbigh Agricultural Show, with the Jamaica Agricultural Society - St James.

Whyte shared two of the recipes with Food.

Otaheiti Apple Cake

12oz all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

4 tsp cinnamon 1/8tsp cloves, nutmeg, and mixed spice

8oz brown sugar

10oz oil and 2oz butter softened

4 eggs

1 lb stewed otaheiti apple

2 tsp vanilla,

1 tsp rose water & almond

1/2 cup orange juice juice and rind of 1 lime

1/2 cup wine

2 tbs browning/caramel

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease and flour or line pans with grease paper.

Add first seven ingredients to mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and soda before adding to bowl.

Add the softened butter, then add oil and eggs slowly mixing for 3 to 4 minutes, then mix for an additional 3 minutes on high speed. Add the orange juice, lime, wine, flavourings and fruits,

Mix on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes. If you prefer the cake a darker colour, add the browning

Pour mixture in two six-inch pans or one eight-inch pan, or use muffin pans.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes for the bigger cake, 20 to 25 minutes for the two smaller cakes.

Test cakes with a skewer or knife. If they come out clean, they are finished baking.

Options: sprinkle with a little mixed wine and rum and cover the cake and allow to cool.

This keeps the cake moist. When mixing the batter, you may add more chopped fruits for a fruitier

cake.

Tropical sailfish rice

1 cup rice cooked with 1/2 cup diced pineapple/ 1/2 cup raisins/ 1/2 cup corn kernels

2 1/2 cups water or broth

5 ounces soaked and deboned salt fish cut up

1 chopped onion

1/2 cup sweet pepper

2 cloves garlic chopped, Scotch bonnet pepper

2 tbs butter

2 tsp curry powder

1/2 cup cut-up scallion

3 tbs soy sauce

Method

Bring the 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil, add the rice, raisins, pineapple and corn kernels

Bring to a boil again, cover the pot and cook for 20 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, cut the salt fish into 1/2-inch pieces, chop onion, garlic, sweet pepper

Scotch bonnet pepper to taste.

Heat the skillet (frying pan) on medium heat, add the butter allow to melt, and the curry.

Stir for about one minute, then add seasoning and stir.

Add the salt and continue stirring.

Then add the cooked rice, soy sauce, and scallion. Using a fork, combine rice with the other ingredients in the pot until all is yellow.

One teaspoon grated ginger may be added when cooking the seasonings.