Eater Bun & Cheese

The Easter holiday will be celebrated in Jamaica this year 4/10-4/13/09.  That's right the celebration starts on Good Friday and includes Easter Monday.  My recollection is lots of celebration and food.  Well, actually, on Good Friday in our house we didn't cook.  On Good Friday the only thing that we ate was:

Bun and Cheese,&/or escovitch fish with Hard dough bread. (I'll post on this in a future blog.)

So I thought I'd share with you a bun recipe if you'd like to try your hand at it.

3 1/2 coups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

4tsp Baking powder

1 cup stout or beer

1 egg (beaten)

2 tblsp melted butter or Margarine

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup maraschino cherries

1 cup raisins, mixed peel, cheery (combine fruits to equal one cup)

1/2 tsp ground allspice

pinch of salt

1 tblsp nutmeg

1/2 tablsp cinnamon

1/2 tblsp rose water

1/2 tblsp anise extract

In a large mixing bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder, spices and sugar.  Mix thoroughly and add fruit.  Create a well in the center of the mixture and add melted butter and beaten egg. Mix again until it reaches a texture like coarse bread crumbs.  Make another well in the center of this mixture and add beer/stout.  mix the whole thoroughly and pour into a well greased baking meatloaf/bread pan(s).  Bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 1/4 hours.  This recipe should yield two buns.  Reserve some cherries, press whole cherries into the top of each bun. Slice like freshly baked bread and serve with cheese.  

If you don't wish to go through the trouble of baking your own bun, then you may want to just buy one. Many stores that carry Jamaican products, carry bun and cheese. However,  at this time of the year you may want to buy yours early. In fact, you may have to order yours. 

See yuh lata Mon!