I've made cakes that rely on dates for sugar and/or flavour before, but this is the first time I've used prunes for that purpose. It works really well though! Especially with all the spices.

My mom shared this recipe with me. And we both agreed that it didn't need anywhere near the full amount of sugar or oil called for. She also omitted the glaze. It seemed unnecessary given how sweet and rich the cake already was.

The original recipe called for 1 1/2 c. of sugar and 1 c. of oil. My mom cut the sugar back to 1 1/4 c. the first time she made it. And cut the oil all the way back to 1/4 c. (adding 1 c. of applesauce to make up for the missing oil).

I scaled back the sugar even further, to 1 c. I still found the cake plenty sweet enough. You could probably knock the sugar back even further if you were so inclined. And I would be tempted to swap out some or all of the granulated sugar with brown sugar next time. I think that the slight molasses flavour of the brown sugar would go really well with the fruit and spices.

Prune Cake

Slightly adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients

• 1 c. pitted prunes, chopped
• 1/2 c. water
• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. allspice berries, ground
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 c. oil
• 3/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 1 c. buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 c. pecans, chopped

Directions

1. Bring the prunes and water to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Combine the flour, sugar, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.
4. Sift in the baking soda and stir to combine.
5. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease and flour a Bundt pan.
6. Combine the oil, applesauce, buttermilk, and eggs and mix well.
7. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined.
8. Mix in the prunes along with any residual liquid.
9. Stir in the pecans.
10. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
11. Bake at 180°C (350°F) until done (~45 minutes).
12. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to finish cooling.

I love jerk chicken. And I appreciate that this recipe has you making the marinade from scratch rather than going for a commercial mix out of a jar.

In theory this is meant to be made with whole chicken legs (ie. attached drumstick and thigh), but I found a package of thighs on sale for 40% off, so I just rolled with that instead. I don't really like drumsticks anyway, so an all-thigh approach suited me just fine!

The salsa was also meant to have some avocado in it, but I forgot to get one, so we just made our version with extra pineapple instead. I actually quite liked it that way, so I've listed the avocado as optional rather than required.

Other than that, I made the recipe basically to spec. The chicken took slightly longer than expected to cook, but that was probably because I was doing this on a small charcoal grill in -2°C weather. I still got excellent colour and flavour from the grill, but I think the temperature over the indirect heat area was just a bit lower than one might expect in warmer weather. It still produced delicious results though, so no complaints from me!

Jerk Chicken with Pineapple Salsa

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Chicken

• 4 green onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1-3 habañero peppers¹, seeded
• 1/4 c. lime juice
• 2-4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 Tbsp. dried thyme)
• 2 tsp. allspice berries, ground
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 12 chicken thighs

Salsa

• 1 pineapple
• 1 red onion, sliced thick
• 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 jalapeño
• 1/2 avocado, peeled and diced (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
• juice of 1 lime
• salt, to taste

Directions

1. Combine the green onions, garlic, habañero(s), lime juice, olive oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, thyme, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and pepper in a blender and purée.
2. Slather the mixture over the chicken, cover, and chill until ready to cook. This can be done up to a day in advance and, for preference, should allow at least 6-8 hours for the chicken to marinate.
3. Prepare your grill for direct, high heat cooking².
4. Toss the pineapple and onion and the oil, brush a little extra oil on the grill, and place the pineapple, oinon, and jalapeño over direct heat.
5. Cook, turning as needed, until the pineapple and onion are softened and have nice grill marks on both sides. Cook the jalapeño until it is blackened on all sides and softened all the way through. Remove from grill and set aside.
6. Place the chicken, skin-side-down, over direct heat.
7. Cook until outside is well seared (2-4 minutes per side).
8. Move chicken to indirect heat and continue grilling, turning occasionally, until chicken is cooked through (30-40 minutes).
9. Meanwhile, chop the pinapple and onion.
10. Once the jalapeño has cooled enough to handle, remove and discard the blackened skin. For a milder salsa, cut the chile open and remove and discard the seeds, then chop the flesh and add it to the bowl with the pineapple. For spicier salsa, leave the seeds in place and chop the whole chile and add it to the bowl.
11. Mix in the avocado (if using), mint, and lime juice.
12. Season with salt to taste. Set aside until chicken is done.
13. Once chicken is ready, remove from grill and serve with the pineapple salsa and a vegetable side of your choice.

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¹ I just used one habañero this time around as I was worried about making it too spicy, but I might use two next time. The marinade had a fair bit of kick when I tasted it, so I didn't add any more after the first, but it tasted significantly more mellow once combined with the chicken and cooked. I think this is something that you definitely have to feel out as you go though, since habañeros can vary a fair bit in how spicy they are from one pepper to the next. Just know that the heat won't be as intense in the final dish as it is when you're tasting the marinade straight, so adjust accordingly. ^Back
2 I lit two baskets of charcoal placed on opposite sides of the grill to create two direct, high heat areas at the sides with a lower temperature, indirect area in the middle. ^Back