Meeting interesting people on my travels

Working on a ship has never a dull moment and more, one always meets interesting people like the one I met last cruise. She is a chef from India cruising with us and having a fantastic time. We had time to chat a bit and it was great talking to a fellow colleague. Her name is Gujan Goela and she specializes in Vegetarian Indian Cuisine. She advises one of the major hotel groups in India about the vegetarian cuisine. I really loved talking to her and I am sure if we would have had more time we would have ended up in the galley cooking up some lovely recipes, but, alas, as usual, there are rules and regulations and another 1800 guest who want to be fed, so we kept it just with the chatting about food and what we did in the past.

Then I was treated with some Indian Sweets she took with from India, what a lovely combination of sweet and spicy and some of them were very refreshing, completely different flavors than what we are used to.

Then I met another very interesting person, his name is Reed Hellman and he is a wordsmith. Ever heard of such a profession? I am sure you have, just under a different name…..he is a writer. But in the medieval times when most people could not write, they had a profession called wordsmith. So he is writing a lot about food and I looked at his blog and like it a lot, of course he writes about food. He was traveling with his lovely wife and we had many good times together, tasting the meals with all the chefs, having a private galley tour, just to give him a glimpse of the life in a ships galley producing around 10’000 meals per day.

I took the liberty to add their blogs on the side, just if anybody feels like browsing and having some interesting reading.

Private Island in Bahamas

We are on one of the two private Islands Royal Caribbean owns. It is very exclusive as one needs to sail with us to be able to go to the islands.

For us it is nice too as we have a lovely change of scenery, not to be surrounded by steel the whole day, but fresh air, heat, sand and beach. Yes we have time too to enjoy our time, there is lots of crew coming out, we have a special crew line where they have their own BBQ and there is always a great atmosphere.

On our menu looks like this:

Home marinated Pork Spare ribs
Mediterranean herbs roasted Chicken
Hamburger with condiments
Hot Dogs
Tender Minute Steaks
Lime marinated Seafood Skewers

Everything has to be off loaded early in the morning, so we have to pack all the goods on pallets, wrap them properly and keep them in the fridge overnight. Then in the morning we get them to the loading area and off we go.

Like I said, there are two private islands, the one is in Cococay, Bahamas and the other one is Labadee, Haiti. The second one is extremely secluded and shut off from anybody, so whatever the news say about Haiti, it does not affect our spot. The one we are on now is called Cococay and is a lovely small island with all the facilities one likes to have. There is diving and snorkeling, there are jet ski (loads of fun, we did them once) then there are great children playgrounds; there is kayaking and para sailing and of course the glass bottom boat to go out with. And after all these activities one gets hungry and thirsty and there we go, [plenty of bars and one big central grill were we serve the food. There is a second grill, but we are too small a ship to open both (if one can say 1800 guest is small). As we have a lot of people who are not the best in walking anymore, we have these special beach wheel chairs, don't they look funny with the large tires? I was blown away when I saw them the first time and had to laugh, but in the sand they are really handy!

Now we need to have a recipe again, we had so many Blogs with travel, now we need recipes again, so today we have our own marinated pork ribs.The recipe is very simple and I give just the bsic ingredients as one can add and leave away as one feels like.

For the basting

BBQ Sauce
Soja Sauce
Ketchup
Honey
Tabasco
HP Sauce
Worchestershire Sauce

I take the BBQ sauce as a base and then add the other sauces, most of them you have in your cupbpard. I don't add too much, just a bit to refine the BBQ sauce. Especially the honey gives it a lovely sweetness to it.

Then I take the whole raw rib and make sure I have a lot of marinade on top. I then cook it in the oven at 180 C (350 F) till they are nearly done. Only then I will put them on the BBQ to give it the nice smokey flavor.

Here is the shopping section!!!!!!!

Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas

Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas

Wow, what a hotel complex, it is just huge. So after having gone to Nassau already 5 times this season, it was about time to pop in this super huge hotel and have a look around. One can see it already from far with the huge bridge suite between the two major hotel towers.

The best way from Nassau is actually by Water Taxi. It takes god 10 minutes and only costs $6.00 per person for a round trip, the taxi costs more and one is guaranteed to get stuck in traffic. To we just hopped out the beautiful Celebrity Mercury, walked for good five minutes through the terminal, and just there is the water taxi stand. Shortly after that we were on Paradise Island.

From the ferry terminal everything is very well marked and it is a leisurely stroll to the hotel. There is the Marina with plenty shops and restaurants, very quiet during the afternoon, but that has its charm too. The shops are far too expensive, and I mean too expensive, so we just browsed a bit on the way to Atlantis.

Now, the hotel has a lot to offer if you stay there, book a tour or buy a ticket for the water world, otherwise, if like gambling, that is the perfect place. The Casino is big and has plenty of space and some amazing glass sculptures from the same artist who did them when I went to the botanical garden in Miami (there is a blog about it too). Here is a photo of the sculptures, they are absolutely amazing to see.

Then of course there is a huge aquarium in the main hotel lobby, it is lovely to just walk along and see all the fishes behind the glass, especially the huge Sting Rays, they float so majestically through the water, that was a highlight.

The only other thing that of course caught my attention is Nobu’s Restaurant, I made a photo of the menu, I just love Nobu’s food, it is just amazing. Of course the restaurant is only open for dinner, so there is no way to go in there and have a delicious meal, but one can at least read the menu and dream of it. Nobu has many restaurants all over the world and they are all fantastic. It is a partnership between him and Robert de Niro who loved his food so much that he went into partnership with him, one of the restaurant ventures of a Hollywood Actor that is really working.

Anyway, now we saw Atlantis and no, we did not get a T Shirt, just some photos and some lovely memories, photos and yes, maybe one day we will go back there, the water world looks like a lot of fun and there are so many restaurants to try out. Of course there is the casino as well, but not being a gambler, it doesn't excite me too much.

The Lobby

St. Johns, Antigua

It has been a while since I went out last in St. Johns, Antigua and I forgot how beautiful it is here. It is quite a big city, 31000 inhabitants and of course the main income is the cruise industry. We were lucky, only two ships in total where docked, and it was already full with tourists, imagine when there are even more ships.

Antigua was discovered by Christophe Columbus, like many of the Caribbean islands and today is a cosmopolitan island with St. Thomas as a landmark with many fine dining restaurants, fashion spots and good life.

Not too far away (about 40 minutes drive) is the tropical rain forest. An amazing place to go, unfortunately I did not have enough time to do so. The best way to see the rain forest is by a canopy tour. One zip lines from place to place and can experience the rain forest at its best. The cost is $85 per person plus getting there of course. There are many places selling tours just at the port, so one can just shop around a little bit.

Town itself is very nice, of course with the landmark cathedral, St. Thomas. It is worth the little climb up the hill to the cathedral as the view is great from there, one can see the entire city from up there. The Cathedral was closed at the time I was there, but hopefully will be re-opened soon.

Of course there are the usual beautiful beaches and resorts, a lovely place to spend a great vacation which is relaxing and fun at the same time. We are off again, sailing to St. Maarten, our last stop in the Saints cruise. I am not sure if I have time to get out as we have a conference call with head office and after there is not too much time left to go all the way to St. Maarten. Next time we will go out again, that time we want to go over to the French side, so stay tuned for more.

St. Croix, US Virgin Islands

Frederiksted

We are sailing again in the Caribbean, the weather is absolutely stunning and we have a fantastic crowd onboard, they really enjoy sailing with us and that makes work so much easier.

A Fantastic beach just by the town

We have 5 ports this cruise and I call it the cruise of the Saints as every island we stop is named after a Saint. There is St. Thomas, St. Croix, St, Kitts, St. Johns (Antigua) and St. Maarten. We are now on the small but beautiful island called St. Croix. There are two major towns on the islands, sort of one on each side and they are both worth seeing. We dock in Frederiksted which is the smaller of the two towns. The taxi ride takes about 25 minutes to get from one town to the other, so it is not too long.

The towns have been founded by the Danish, that is why the names are like that. There are still many historical buildings from that time, museums and of course Columbus' Landing. It is the most eastern part of the United States. It is very close to St. Thomas, only 19 miles south, but it is a lot more relaxed then the other island. A prefect place to chill out.

The old Danish Fort from 17.....something

I just went out a bit to see the town as I haven't really had the time to go out here yet and I have to say, wow, what a quaint little town. OK, there are again, the same shops like always, but it is just sort of so beautiful here. So I made a couple of photos to show you the beauty of this part of the island.

There is 3 Kings day today here in town, of course nothing is happening on the island, it is a Saturday and there is just a big traffic jam in the little town as there is a big parade. I think the whole island is here, lots of fun, lots of booze and plenty of people doing sweet little nothing, what a way to pass the weekend!

The Carnival

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to everybody

Me at Hubbart Glacier

I hope you all had a great year and wish that the coming one is an even better one.

On my side it has been a very good year. It is the first full year that I am writing the blog and I must say that it is more and more fun, just to write about the travels, the destinations and the recipes. My new Years resolution is that I will have more recipes in the Blog. If there is anything in particular you would like to see, let me know, I know Ilze wanted a chocolate cake recipe from me and has never received it, so I will put it in the Blog, sorry Ilze!

Sunset in Sitka, Alaska

It has been a good year work wise too. I am enjoying my new job with Celebrity Cruises, especially this contract. It will be a bit of a longer contract as we will sell the beautiful Mercury to our sister company TUI at the end of February. We are all a bit sad, but we know that she is in good hands and it looks like that the Mercury (in future Mein Schiff 2) Will look stunning after the revamp in Dry dock is finished.

The Mercury....at least a part of it

That means that I will be on a different ship for my next contract. I have no idea which ship, but we will see, every ship has something that is beautiful, so I don't mind which one it will be.

Anyway, I am off to work, I made already my round this morning at 06.50 AM, had a lovely Latte from Cova Cafe, now just wanted to write my Blog quickly and then the day really starts. Meetings, Cooking show, Special Lunch for our Cruise Critics Guests, Captains Club Celebration, then the formal evening again and after that the New Years Party with Canapes, plenty of Canapes.........

Me in Panama Canal

See you all again "next" year. Keep on reading the blog and any comment is welcome!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to everybody. I hope you all have a peaceful time, or at least can relax a little in this usually hectic time.

Here on the beautiful Mercury everything goes well, it is a great 14 day Caribbean Cruise and the guest seem to enjoy very much. We have less guest than expected as a whole big bunch of them got stuck in London, due to the cold weather and loads of snow, but still there are plenty guest on board.

I just want to wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Here some photos from our "Tree Trimmer" Buffet which we served just before Midnight last night

It is amazing to see when a team comes together. We had one hour to set up a full dessert buffet with ice carvings and everybody helped.....then the call comes from the freezer "Chef, the carvings are all stuck to the floor, we can't get them up!" You can imagine my answer and only a couple of minutes later the first carving came up. Then another one and........a Dragon tail? No that is not one of the Christmas carvings, send it back.

Look at how delicate the carvings are. We have a special decorator on the ship who does all the carvings, he is a real master and I did write his name on my "wish list" of the top crew I have worked wit, just in case I have the need one day.....

Our Master Baker from Germany, Bernd, went totally wild and made wonderful Panetone, Stollen and other delicacies. His show pieces are amazing, I love every single one.

Lito, our Executive Sous Chef Pastry did the same on his side, amazing all the good his team produces and they were enjoyed by everybody.

So again to all of you, I wish you a Merry Christmas, enjoy this wonderful time and indulge in cookies and other treats

Braised Veal Cheeks

They are cheeky little things, the veal cheeks (or one can take as well beef cheeks) Not too many attempt cooking them, maybe because they are cheeks?????

Anyway, everybody who had the pleasure in trying cheeks will love them forever. They need to be cooked slow and careful and for a very long time as it is a muscle that is used a lot.....literally, but therefore it is a lot more flavourful than, lets say a fillet or sirloin.

I just love the cuts which have to be cooked slowly and for a long time, they just develop such a beautiful flavour, they get tender, are tasty and even on warmer days they are nice to eat. Apart from that they are the perfect party food as they can easily be cooked a couple of days in advance and then just need to be re-heated, cheeky!!!

And I thought after all the starters and sweets, it is about time to have some nice hearty main course. The combination with the Gnocchi goes really well, just make sure the potatoes are really soft and then dried in the oven for about 10 minutes at 100 o C. To get the best result the flour must be mixed in while the potatoes are still hot .

As for braising the cheeks, I am a bit cheeky too and give approximate weights or just ingredients, I don't believe in exact amounts for braising, sometimes one needs a bit more liquid, sometimes a bit less, just never be stingy!

• Veal Cheeks
• Oil
• Onions
• Carrots
• Celeriac
• Tomato paste
• Red wine
• Veal stock or jus
• Pepper corns, bay leaf, 1 clove, rosemary
• Salt (very little as the sauce will reduce and flavor will intensify

trim and braise beef cheek in red wine and veal stock cook till tender reserve stock to make sauce…make gnocchi …roast celeriac peel and roast carrots peel and roast shallots….pick spinach…

Gnocchi
1 kg of cooked mashed desire potato
300gm flour
Seasoning

Gently fold the ingredients together to form soft dough
IT IS IMPORTANT NOT TO DEVELOP THE GLUTEN IN THE FLOUR OR THE GNOCCHI WILL BE TOUGH.
Blanch in boiling salted water until they float, Then refresh in ice water.

Then you need the following vegetables, but feel free to swap and change (root veggies are good so for this dish)

• Baby Carrots
• Celeriac
• Spinach
• Shallots

To Serve reheat cheek in some of reserved liquid…pan fry gnocchi adding finely chiffonnade sage heat shalots carrots and roast celeriac sautéed spinach slice cheek into 3 pieces construct dish and sauce liberally….

Now if you like to know exactly how to braise properly, watch this space I as I will over time part with some chef tricks....no short cuts so, that I am not fond of short cuts

And then of course.....enjoy the meal, best with friends and maybe a nice bottle of Brunello, especially the Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino...just drink it with good friends, it is not the cheapest wine available, but man, it is gooooooooood!