KGN Kitchen Night Market

Whether you consider yourself a food connoisseur, a newbie to the scene, or just love to eat, KGN Kitchen, Kingston's premier food market will be back at Hope Gardens this Saturday, August 24, sharing with patrons some of the best local chefs, caterers, home bakers and more.

A few of the confirmed food vendors in the Pop Up Kitchen Zone who will electrify your palates are Café Blue, Kremi Ice Cream, Chocolate Dreams, G's BBQ, Tea Tree Creperie, CPJ Meats, Aunt Merle's Hellshire Style Seafood, and Chef Brian Lumley for The Best Dressed Chicken

The Eaton's Emporium will, as usual, be the heart and soul of the event, providing a space where home chefs and bakers can highlight their culinary talents. Some of those who will be present include Pebbles Pastries, Lishus Cupcakes, Fruit Blossoms, raw food specialists The Lotus Line, vegetarian gourmet food from Kamilah's Gourmet, and smoothies from Flavours Express.

Other highlights include live cooking demonstrations from the chefs on venue, a kid's village and a number of foodie-centric giveaways. These include a fabulous giveaway from Fly Jamaica - two economy class tickets to New York.

Also look out for the KGN. Kitchen magazine, which is now available at Loshusan Supermarket in Barbican, and at General Foods, in Liguanea. Food is giving you a sneak peak at what's in store for this Saturdays' issue - a sweet little brunch created by local celebrity chef Oji Jaja.

There's a little bit of everything to suit all palates and all lifestyles, so there's no excuse ... come on down to the KGN Kitchen Night Market.

As this year's exclusive print-media sponsor, The Gleaner's Food will be giving you a quick glimpse at the new issue of the cookbook by giving you a few

recipes that our resident foodies can try at home. Join us on Saturday as our roving cameras will be ready to capture the fun foodie frolic at Hope Gardens.

Poached Shrimp served with Mango, Cucumber Salsa

Poached Shrimp

1lb 16/20 shrimp, peeled and deveined

8 cups water

1 white onion, diced

3 whole garlic cloves

2 bay leaves

1 Scotch bonnet pepper

1tbsp ginger, chopped

Salt to taste

Method

1. In a heavy saucepan, combine all the ingredients, except the shrimp.

2. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.

3. Add shrimp and return to heat for an additional three minutes, or until shrimp is tender.

4. Remove from heat and allow to cool at room temperature.

5. Serve over mango cucumber relish (see recipe below), or your choice of salad.

Mango Cucumber Salsa

1 cup of mango, diced

¹/² cup cucumber, diced

¹/⁴ cup red bell pepper, diced

1tsp dill, chopped

1tbsp lime juice

1tbsp honey

2tbsps extra-virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

Method

1. In a stainless steel bowl, combine all ingredients.

2. Place in a plastic container, cover and store until ready for use.

And from our resident baker, Jessiker Bakes, here is a little something keeping in the 'spirit' of the Night Market!

Jamaican Rum n' Raisin Cheesecake

Creamy, delicious, and boozy. This is definitely RUM and raisin. It's boozy all right, but not too much.

I used my classic cheesecake recipe and then added the raisins and rum. Don't get scared if the smell of the rum fills the whole kitchen from the batter! It bakes nicely and doesn't overpower the taste of the cheesecake at all. Definitely a cheesecake worth trying out!

Makes a 9-in cheesecake.

Ingredients

Crust

5 ounces Graham Crackers

3tbsps sugar

4tbsps unsalted butter, melted and kept warm

Filling

1¹/⁴ cups (8¹/⁴ oz) sugar

1¹/² pounds (3x8-oz packages) cream cheese, cut into 1-inch chunks, at room temperature

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1tsp vanilla extract

¹/⁴tsp salt

¹/² cup heavy cream

Pinch of salt

1 cup raisins

¹/⁴ cup white overproof rum

Method

For the crust:

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 325F.

2. In a food processor, process the animal crackers until you have fine crumbs. You should have about 1 cup.

3. Add in the sugar and pulse. In a steady stream, add the butter while pulsing, about 10 one-second pulses.

4. Transfer the crumb mixture to a nine-inch springform pan and press evenly into the bottom. Bake until fragrant and golden brown. (Mine was done in about 12 minutes, so keep an eye on it.)

5. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature. When cool, wrap the pan with two 18-inch square pieces of foil. Set the pan in a roasting pan.

For the filling

1. In a bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese to break it up and soften it slightly, about 10 seconds.

2. While the machine is running, add the sugar mixture in a slow stream; increase the speed to medium and beat until combined, creamy and smooth - about three minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

3. Reduce the speed to medium low and add the eggs, two at a time. Beat until incorporated - about 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl before each addition.

4. Add the lemon juice, vanilla and salt and mix to combine. Add the cream and mix until incorporated - about another five seconds.

5. Sift raisins with some flour (so that they don't sink to the bottom of the cheesecake) then add to the mix. Finally, add the rum and mix for about 20 seconds.

6. Give the bowl a final scrape and pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan. Create a water bath by filling the roasting pan with enough water to make it about halfway up the sides of the pan.

7. Bake until the centre jiggles slightly, the sides start to puff, and the surface is no longer shiny, about 55 to 60 minutes. The centre should read about 150F.

8. Turn off the oven and prop the door of the oven open with a potholder or wooden spoon. Allow the cake to cool in the water bath in the oven for about an hour.

9. Transfer the springform pan to a wire rack and run a small paring knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake. Let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

10. Refrigerate for at least three hours before serving. Top with whipped cream if desired.