Colombo : A staple in Caribbean food

What is Colombo powder? 

Colombo powder is a blend of various spices, used in Guadeloupe and Martinique brought by the Asian community in the 1920’s. It contains cumin, coriander, mustard seeds, cloves, turmeric and roasted rice as a thickener. It does look like your typical yellow curry powder but there’s a secret ingredient manufacturers won’t share with the public that gives it such a unique taste. Like the masala or "ras el hanout", colombo powder results from the evolution of an original recipe and includes Caribbean flavours. The Colombo powder can be cooked with chicken, goat, shark or pork. It can also be used with vegetables. Don’t be afraid to pinch a little Colombo in any of your dishes.

Want to try it? We have selected this easy and delicious recipe with Colombo  Try it and don't hesitate to give us a feedback! 

Mussels Colombo

Ingredients : 
2 courgettes, 8 shallots, 6 garlic cloves, 350ml dry white wine, 227ml pot double cream, 1 tablespoon colombo powder, 32 mussels - cleaned and debearded-, 30g butter, handful of chopped parsley, handful of chopped spring onion

How to make it : 

In a large saucepan, cook shallots and garlic in simmering wine until translucent. Stir in cream and Colombo powder. When sauce is heated through, add mussels. Cover, and steam mussels for a few minutes until their shells are open wide. With a slotted spoon, transfer steamed mussels to a bowl, leaving the sauce in the pan. Discard any unopened mussels. Whisk butter into the sauce. Turn heat off, and stir in parsley and spring onions. Serve immediately.

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What is Sorrel?

Sorrel

Sorrel is a beautiful exotic fruit grown in tropical regions. It is a rare exotic fruit which is usually used for preparing syrup or juice.  Check out our slide presentation on sorrel and discover how to use it.

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Carib Gourmet @ IFE 2013

We ventured out on a very cold day to find some tropical, exotic or just plain Caribbean treasures at IFE 2013 which was taking place at the Excel Exhibition Centre. We decided that it was time to upgrade Kaché packaging - our own gourmet coffee brand - and find new delicious products for our Caribbean online deli. 

We were impressed by the ice sculpture that welcomed us as we arrived. It was quite funny seeing seafood, vegetables and cakes frozen in the same ice block.

We saw some very interesting and innovative packaging projects by creative student. Coconut was very popular at the fair and judging by the amount of companies promoting coconut-based products (we saw more than a dozen coconut water companies) our new coconut based confectionery brand called Cocosic is defintely on trend!

The food at IFE 2013 was a treat! Exhibitors were really keen to make us taste pretty much everything they had on the stand. 

We saw some interesting displays from a Sultanas Mona Lisa to a coconut water brand hut that transported us from London to a Caribbean beach.

We also tasted some very interested tropical fruit shakes: Guava, Papaya and Mango!

To discover our latest products in stock, visit Kaché and Carib Gourmet

Carib Gourmet at HEC Paris

Carib Gourmet was invited to partake in a three day intensive entrepreneurial hub at HEC Paris. 

Among the participants at this year’s UDE entrepreneurship program were several businesses which were handpicked to come and role play, present and consult on their various business ventures. Carib Gourmet was among them thanks to the LERECA Network! The event was hosted at the HEC Paris Jouy en Josas campus which is situated in close proximity to Versailles. Carib Gourmet’s founder Vanessa Bolosier also took part in the festivities including dinners, sports workshops and ocncert hosted by the president of HEC and the seminar’s organisers Mr. Jean-Pierre Detrie and Mr. Hubert Bonal, who loved Caribbean culture along with the treasures that the islands have to offer. 

The organisers and HEC Paris President were impressed with the businesses presented and would like to see Carib Gourmet along with other entrepreneurs of Caribbean origin participate again next year.

One thing is certain, Carib Gourmet will be among the participants in 2013!

William Curley chocolate truffle making classes

 We set out on a chocolate-truffle-making-mission this past Saturday (12, May 2012) at William Curley Patissiers and Chocolatiers in Belgravia. The chocolate making class was taught by master chocolatier Elle Crocker, and participants formulated dark chocolate and chocolate & raspberry truffles from scratch. We made two different types of ganaches, and exceeded the quality control requests by consuming all of them! Our taste buds were dazzled as there were fresh mint truffles, raspberry fruit paste truffles and sea salt caramel truffles for all to indulge. Elle, our master chocolatier, later provided us with a full tutorial on cocoa cultivation and transformation. We had an amazing experience and look forward to going back for the sea salt caramel making! 

 William and Suzy Curley opened their first boutique in 2004 in the leafy suburb of Paved Court, Richmond. They would go on to open their Belgravia boutique on Ebury Street a couple of years later. In July 2011, William Curley chocolate and patisserie concessions became available at world renowned department store Harrods. William took home Britain's Best Chocolatier award by the Academy of Chocolate for five consecutive years from 2007 to 2011. William Curley’s book Couture Chocolate is also available online.

 Carib Gourmet provides exotic chocolate making courses with a Caribbean twist.  More information of our chocolate making classes is available here

Speaking about Guadeloupe Bonifieur Coffee at RSLOM

We recently set out on a trip to the French capital on a sunny Tuesday morning. Carib Gourmet’s founder Vanessa Bolosier presented the authentic Bonifieur, Guadeloupe’s highly regarded coffee, which is roasted from the finest coffee beans to have ever been cultivated throughout the Caribbean.

Guadeloupe Bonifieur Coffee beans

Upon our arrival, at the RSLOM event at the 6th District Town Hall, we were unexpectedly greeted by some pretty high level MPs and officials from the French overseas regions. 

Christiane Taubira, French MP (left)

Vanessa’s presentation focused on how small planters benefited from cooperative initiatives and sustainable development. Issues such as climate change were also covered, which were followed by a reportage which showcased the different processes of harvesting the Bonifieur coffee; which she had documented during her previous visits to Guadeloupe coffee plantations. Special thanks to Mrs Maximin  of the RSLOM for inviting us to this wonderful event and we look forward to coming back again next year.

More on Guadeloupe Bonifieur here

Levi Roots' take on Colombo Curry

Levi Roots took one of our most traditional recipes and gave it a little twist and we love it!!

See how the Caribbean food master teaches you how to make a Colombo Curry with ease and class.
 

 If you want to get your Colombo spices, order it from our Caribbean Food Shop.