Brown Sugar serves local and Creole dishes in the warmth of an old Barbadian antebellum-style home on the outskirts of Bridgetown.

The restaurant’s interior intertwines with nature’s tropical exterior combining apple and sage colored walls with the grassy hues of several plants and trees. The foliage embraces and provides seclusion in the layout, which comfortably seats 175 people.

Brown Sugar’s menu is as sweet as it’s name. It boasts traditional fare such as, fried or sautéed Flying Fish, Bajan fish cakes, plantains, pumpkin soup, breadfruit and pickled pork.

Twice a week, the restaurant serves Barbados’s national dish of cou cou and steamed fish.

Mango mousse, Bajan bread pudding and crème caramel are some of their sugary indulgences and a delightful way end a meal.

The meal can be washed down with a cool Banks beer, a local lager brewed in the island’s parish of St Michael.

DISH by Kaletha Henry

Summer is the ideal season for throwing parties. They can be lavish, intimate, over-the-top or simplistic. The key is to style the décor so it flows, intertwining various objects of color into one theme. Flowers are a good focal point and are available in a wide array of shapes, sizes and hues that include white, fuchsia, purple, yellow, red, maroon, pink, orange, magenta and lavender. When choosing your flowers, examine the details and notice how one species varies from the next. Even the stems and petals are diverse: some are pointy and long; wide and flat; rough and jagged; while others are frilly and smooth; waxy and whimsical in shape. Use flowers to steal the scene with color and the rest of your elements will fall into place. Our list of 10 stunning flowers!

Frangipani

Hibiscus

The Heliconia

Spider Lillies

Bougainvillea

Orchids

Philodendrons

Daisies

Roses

Sunflowers

CANDIED GRAPEFRUIT
Recipe by Chef Lisa Sellers

You can use any citrus fruit, but be warned once you start eating you may not be able to stop!

Ingredients

2 small grapefruits

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

1 cup superfine granulated sugar

Directions

If using a vegetable peeler or knife, take off the skin from the grapefruit; be careful to NOT remove the white pith from the fruit as this would cause your grapefruit to become bitter. Cut into strips.

Place peel into a 3-quart saucepan filled with cold water and bring slowly to a boil over moderate heat. Boil 1 minute and drain. Repeat procedure 4 times to remove bitterness.

Have ready a lightly oiled large rack set in a shallow baking pan.

Bring regular granulated sugar and water to a boil in a large heavy skillet, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add peel and boil, stirring, for about 4 minutes, drain of the syrup.

Turn out peel onto rack, separating pieces. Dry candied peel, uncovered, at room temperature until only slightly sticky, 4 to 8 hours. Toss, a few pieces at a time, in superfine sugar, shaking off excess.

Local Caribbean Pumpkin Bisque
By Executive Chef Hemant Dadlani, of Little Dix Bay

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

5 lbs pumpkin, peeled and diced medium

1 lbs tomato, diced medium

1 ea onion, diced medium

1 tbsp garlic, peeled and pureed

1 tbsp cinnamon, ground

1 tbsp 5 spices

½ tbsp black pepper, ground

¼ cup olive oil

2 cups cream

4 cups water or vegetable stock

2 tbsp honey

1 large grapefruit

Salt to taste

Directions:

Sauté all the vegetables in the oil and lightly caramelize. When onion is translucent add cream and vegetable stock. Simmer until pumpkin is cooked through. In a blender puree the soup until smooth. Make juice of grapefruit and add to the soup. Season with salt and honey. If too thick add vegetable stock.

Garnish with crabmeat, shrimp or lobster meat; or just diced and roasted pumpkin!

Tandoori Lamb Chops
By Executive Chef Hemant Dadlani, of Little Dix Bay

Ingredients:

Marinade

STEP 1

Ginger
Garlic
Cayenne pepper
Paprika
Kashmiri chili powder
Lemon juice
White vinegar
Salt

STEP 2

Coriander powder
Cumin Powder
Turmeric powder
Crushed Black pepper
Pinch of saffron
Plain Greek yogurt

Main Ingredient:

Lamb chops (preferably New Zealand rack of lamb)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients from Step 1 to your taste and according to what’s suitable for your palate. Marinate lamb chops the marinade from Step 1: for 1 to 2 hours

Mix the ingredients in from Step 2. Fold this marinade onto the lamb chops and let sit for 2 hours.

Light a Tandoor or charcoal grill and cook the lamb chops over a medium hot fire while constantly turning.

Enjoy it with Raita (yogurt with cucumber, tomato and onions) and mango chutney.

Sprinkle with a little bit of chopped fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lemon.

Panna Cotta al Limone
Recipes by Kara Scharer

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups milk

2 cups heavy cream

3/4 sugar

4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

Zest of 1 lemon

Directions:

Simmer milk (reserve 1/4 cup for gelatin), cream, lemon zest and sugar, dissolve sugar and let the lemon zest infuse the liquid for 30 minutes. Remove the lemon zest. Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup of milk and stir, let sit for a few minutes until the gelatin is dissolved. Add to the milk and cream mixture and pour into 6-8 ramekins (depending on size) Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set about 5 hours.

To serve, dip bottoms of ramekins in hot water and invert onto a plate and serve with berries!

Cucumber and Dill Salad
By Executive Chef Hemant Dadlani, of Little Dix Bay

Ingredients:

Hydroponics’ Cucumber

Fresh Dill

Sake

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sugar

Thai sweet chili sauce (blue dragon)

Lemongrass

Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Peel the cucumber. Deseed and cut in dices. Apply a dash or two of salt and leave to sit for half an hour.

Rinse the cucumber to take all the salt out. Make a dressing whisking sake, extra virgin olive oil, sugar, lemongrass and a dash of sweet chili sauce.

Toss the cucumber with the dressing and add chopped dill. Season to taste. Serve immediately.

As a good alternative, you can also add Wakame (seaweed salad) and avoid the sweet chili sauce.

LIME SORBET
Recipe by Kara Scharer

Served in a lime!
This recipe will serve more than 2, but perfect for enjoying the next day.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 cup fresh lime juice - use Caribbean or key limes if you can (sliver 2 of the limes before juicing right below the top. After juicing remove the pulp of the lime and place in refrigerator until used)

1 Tablespoon lime zest

Method:

Simmer sugar, water and lime juice in a saucepan until the sugar is dissolved. add lime zest when the mixture is cooled and freeze in an ice cream maker using the instructions for the machine. Take the empty limes out of fridge, fill with sorbet and enjoy!

Recipes by Kara Scharer

Warm Olives. Whole Roasted Fish in Salt with Fresh Lemon Slices and Thyme. Avocado Tomato Salad with Lime Vinaigrette. Lime Sorbet in Limes

This is a terrific menu for two people to celebrate the beginning of summer with lots of citrus! The whole roasted fish in a salt crust is incredibly easy and absolutely delicious, and the golden crust has a big wow factor at the table. While the oven is warming up for the fish, bake the olives flavored with citrus to have a little something to nibble on before dinner. The lime vinaigrette salad celebrates fresh summer produce. The tangy sweet lime sorbet served in limes can be made a day ahead and is a sweet and refreshing ending to the evening.

WARM OLIVES

1 cup olives

1/4 cup red wine

Zest of 1/2 lemon and 1/2 orange - use vegetable peeler to remove the zest in strips

Combine all of the ingredients in a shallow ceramic baking dish and heat for 10-15 minutes.

AVOCADO TOMATO SALAD WITH LIME VINAIGRETTE

1 avocado, cut into small chunks

1 pound cherry tomatoes, or whichever variety of tomato you can find that is in season

Combine with lime vinaigrette

Lime vinaigrette

6 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Salt, pepper to taste

WHOLE ROASTED FISH IN A SALT CRUST

1 whole fish, cleaned about 1.5 pounds (you could use almost any variety of fish)

Several cups of kosher salt

Lemon

Thyme, a few sprigs

Place a thin layer of salt on a baking sheet. You can moisten the salt with a little bit of water to make it easier to spread. Place fish on top. Place lemon slices and thyme in the cavity and cover with a generous layer of salt. Place in a preheated oven to 400 degrees and bake for about 30 minutes. Tap the salt crust with a spoon or knife and break the crust, take off all salt. Serve the fish with olive oil and fresh lemon.

LIME SORBET (served in a lime!)
This recipe will serve more than 2, but perfect for enjoying the next day.

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 cup fresh lime juice - use Caribbean or key limes if you can (sliver 2 of the limes before juicing right below the top. After juicing remove the pulp of the lime and place in refrigerator until used)

1 Tablespoon lime zest

Simmer sugar, water and lime juice in a saucepan until the sugar is dissolved. add lime zest when the mixture is cooled and freeze in an ice cream maker using the instructions for the machine. Take the empty limes out of fridge, fill with sorbet and enjoy!

Story and Photos By Kaletha Henry

The helpless lobster lay still on the damp paper towel in front of 20-plus eyeballs staring hungrily, and excitedly over their upcoming feast.

While the diners and food enthusiasts anxiously awaited the sacrifice, a nearby pot of water continued to spit bubbles from the boil.

The lobster’s intended method of termination was the shiny, metal blade placed within inches of his antennae.

Oblivious to his pending doom, the bold orange and black speckled crustacean remained idle in front of his five, similarly colored friends who crawled playfully over one another in the adjacent gray bin: In minutes, one would become the chopping board’s next victim.

The Spiny Lobsters were part of the day’s menu for participants in the Guest Chef Program at Peter Island Resort. The tasty program was conceptualized and created by Lisa Sellers, the resort’s executive chef, and Wilbert Mason, the resort’s general manager in May 2010.

Spurred by the idea of introducing their guests to the intricacies of preparing haute cuisines under the tutelage of fine international chefs, the four-day program became an instant success by those in attendance and an immediate draw for those soon visiting.

As populations throughout the world become versed in living a sustainable life, Peter Island Resort steadfastly works to infuse local grown food onto the plates of their diners.

To introduce their concept, the resort held a seven-course wine dinner for their special guests, members of the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board and representatives from Government.

Christopher Ivens-Brown, a British Chef turned North Carolina food star, was the resort’s first guest chef. He introduced participants to the idea of sustainable food. Beyond cooking, he shared his insight into the health and environmental benefits of using sustainable food.

Another component of the program involved the guest chef and participants accompanying Ms Sellers to the Department of Agriculture in Paraquita Bay where they walked the farms, and had an in-depth opportunity to meet and watch farmers at hand.

The encounter provided them with a view of the nursery, the banana crops, the rabbit coops, the pigsties, the chicken coops, and tropical fruit trees.

After two hours, they walked away carrying local eggplant; lemongrass, cabbage and cucumbers to the luxurious tables of Falcon’s Nest Villa.

Once they returned to Peter Island, they were treated to a wide spread of fresh fruits, sandwiches, salads and drinks while the chef presented them with culinary goody bags and a brief presentation into his world of food.

Thirty minutes after lunch, the participants gathered around the outdoor bar for their interactive three-hour cooking lesson. Seated before uncooked lobster, mussels, chicken, rabbit, fish rice, onions, garlic, lemon, thyme, and other hearty goods, the chef began his preparation for the four dishes he was about to teach.

The menu included seafood paella, steamed lobster, sautéed rabbit, lemon and herb pasta, grilled vegetables and mahi-mahi.

Those interested in assisting the chef were directed to chop, split, stir, roll and peel the array of ingredients.

Two men acquired their first lesson in killing fresh lobsters. They were instructed on how to hold the crustacean and how to use the knife for an instant kill.

Most of the diners had their introduction to rabbit meat through this program.

In between eating and nibbling off the multiple plates laid within a stone’s throw from the property’s breathtaking waterfall, guests indulged in the still waters of the nearby infinity pool.

In order to keep the guest chef program small and interactive, the resort is keeping reservations to a maximum of 20 people. The guest chef program costs $600 per person and an extra $200 is charged for the wine dinner.

In July, another guest chef will travel to Peter Island for the property’s second program of the year, followed by a third in October and they’re already planning guest chefs for 2011.