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Cuest Chef - Marleys Restaurant
DGJan09
Guest chef
Tracey Sweeting
at Simmer Down
Chef Sheldon Tracey Sweeting knows the recipe for success. Not only did he recently win a second bronze medal at the Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany, he also struck gold with his appointment as head chef at Marley Resort & Spa’s Simmer Down restaurant.
The restaurant, located in the midst of the new resort’s lush tropical gardens, is where Sweeting fuses Jamaican, Bahamian and Caribbean cuisine into delectable treats.
“People rave about the food here,” says Sweeting. “We want everything to be of the highest quality, the highest standard and to give our guests a grand dining experience.”
Although he personally prefers seafood, Sweeting says he enjoys cooking everything the menu has to offer, from entrées like the Bahamian lobster duo with home-made mango chutney to some dishes favoured by the legendary Bob Marley, founder of reggae music.
“His favourite cuisine was primarily vegetarian,” says Sweeting, who notes the Ital (Jamaican for “vital”) pepper pot, made with kidney beans, corn, carrots, spinach, onion and celery, was popular with the musician.
A lifelong passion
Cooking has been a lifelong passion for Nassau-born Sweeting. His interest was sparked at an early age when he watched his grandmother prepare meals for a large family.
“I was six or seven years old, and I was constantly in the kitchen with her,” says Sweeting. “She was one of those people who could throw ingredients together but couldn’t give you a precise measurement.”
While he credits his grandmother for arousing his culinary interests, he thanks his mother for spurring him to pursue a career in the culinary arts.
“When the time came to apply at the Bahamas Culinary Training College, all the seats were filled,” says Sweeting, “but my mother had already filled out an application for me, and I was able to take the exam, which I passed. She knew I loved cooking.”
After graduation, Sweeting apprenticed at the former Paradise Island Resort & Casino, now Atlantis, and also worked in kitchens in London and Denmark. Being sous chef at the renowned Café Martinique on Paradise Island was “a fantastic learning experience,”and so was his continued education at Johnson & Wales University, where he obtained a baccalaureate in culinary arts.
“Food is literally my life,” he says. “When I watch TV, I’m watching the Food Network.”
Here are some of Chef Sweeting’s recipes that you can try at home.
Lobster duo
1 6-7 oz lobster tail, split in half
4 tbsp butter
Juice of 1⁄2 lemon
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, seasoned
Lobster seasoning
1 egg, beaten
1⁄2 tbsp vegetable run down (recipe follows)
3/4 cup red skin potato mash (recipe follows)
2 tbsp mango chutney
Salt and pepper, to taste
Vegetable oil, for frying
Season lobster with lobster seasoning (Badia Cajun Seasoning), let marinate one to two hours. Curl half of the lobster tail up as for a roulade, fasten with a bamboo skewer. Place lobster tail in a baking tray with a little stock, top with butter. Broil the lobster in the oven at 350°F for 7-9 mins. Dust other lobster half in flour, in an egg wash, then in flour again. Lightly deep-fry lobster tail to a golden brown, drain off excess oil. Serve with red potato mash, mango chutney, vegetable rundown and lobster essence (recipe follows). Serves 1.
Red skin potato mash
1 lb red skin potatoes
1/4 cup green onion
1/2 cup Spanish onion, finely diced
4 tbsp butter
6 tbsp heavy cream
Wash potatoes, place in small pot, add green and Spanish onions, boil in salted water until fully cooked. Mash potatoes, add butter and cream. Season to taste and mix thoroughly, adjust seasoning if need be and serve. Serves 4.
Vegetable rundown
1 lb fresh spinach
1/2 cup carrots, diced
1/2 cup fresh corn
1/4 cup Spanish onion, diced
1-1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1-1/2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1-1/2 tsp fresh garlic, minced
1/3 cup cabbage, shredded
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 tsp mango chutney
3 tsp corn starch, mixed with water
Butter, as needed
In a sauté pan, sauté onion, carrots, corn, cabbage, thyme, ginger and garlic in a little butter until tender. Add spinach, sauté 1 min. Add coconut milk, bring to a boil. Add chutney, season to taste. Thicken mixture to desired consistency and adjust seasoning if need be. Serves 4.
Lobster essence
2 cups lobster stock
1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced, to taste
1 cup white wine
2 tbsp Spanish onion
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
3/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
Heat sauce pot until very hot, add stock, ginger, wine, onion, thyme and bay leaf, bring to boil and reduce by 2⁄3. Add heavy cream, bring mixture to a boil, reduce to desired consistency, season to taste. Serves 4.
Chocolate banana pudding
1/2 cup dark chocolate
6 tbsp butter
6 tbsp sugar
3 eggs
6 tbsp heavy cream
2 bananas, 1 diced, 1 mashed
4 slices white bread, crumbed
3 tbsp brandy
Powdered sugar for dusting
In a double boiler melt the chocolate and butter together. Whisk sugar and eggs together, add to chocolate mixture. Add banana and bread crumbs, mix thoroughly. Place mixture into moulds and bake in a water bath at 350°F for 20-25 mins or until pudding is firm to touch. Unmould pudding, dust with powdered sugar. Serve with caramelized bananas. Serves 6.
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