You Better Belize It!

I can’t believe I just wrote that! (Insert snarky eye roll here)  When I first told my cousin that I was travelling to Belize, she said that next time she will definitely join me and added, “You better Belize it!”  I found this amusing and punny until I arrived there and found it printed on all matter of souvenirs in various syntaxes ie. “Unbelizable”.

My arrival in Belize was a long time coming.  When the Yankees first returned to their winning ways in the late 90’s, I remember reading that Derek Jeter was vacationing in Belize during the off season.  It sounded so exotic and like paradise.  After all, where can you travel after winning the World Series that would not be a complete letdown?  Well, I was intrigued and did my research and Belize became my faraway dream destination.  I was lucky enough to have the stars align perfectly this winter for a last minute detour to my much awaited idyllic paradise.

I arrived to a private island called Harvest Caye which is a docking point for several cruise lines.  Since there were passengers from many different ships traveling different itineraries, it was very interesting to talk to travelers who were on their way to the Panama Canal and others who’s next stop would be the Mayan Riviera.  All in all, Harvest Caye was a typical resort destination, complete with a beach with full amenities and restaurants.  It was a nice place to relax, but for me it lacked authenticity.  Don’t get me wrong, I will take a day on a manmade beach in Belize over alot of things, but since I didn’t have much time here, I wanted some local flair and I wanted it right away.

After chatting with some like minded travelers who were on their journey to the Panama Canal, I found out that there was a short ferry ride to the town of Placencia on the Belizian mainland.  No brainer…I quickly made my way over to the ferry landing and purchased my ticket.  I had 30 minutes to kill before my boat left so I explored the Harvest Caye’s butterfly sanctuary.

There are few things that can bring out one’s inner child like being in a screened in garden full of butterflies fluttering by and this was no different.  The extra bonus is that everyone was at the beach or waiting for the ferry and so I had the peace of the butterflies all to myself.  I had my DSLR camera with me and was so excited to get some amazing shots of the blue Morpho butterflies.  Well, I quickly learned that the unmistakable iridescent blue is only on the top of their wings, so that when they land (and pose for my photos), the brown underside of their wings is all that is visible.  Still beautiful, but not the amazing shiny blue that I had wanted to capture, enlarge, print, and hang in my living room.

However, as I enjoyed my moment of solitude with these fluttering beauties, I did manage to capture the war torn specimen show below.  It was my spirit animal…a little damaged, but still pretty damn awesome! (But doesn’t that describe like everyone on the planet?) I love this photo and I love the subject.  The butterfly is still gorgeous despite it’s lack of symmetry.  I would argue it is more beautiful because those scars are character and I’m sure there is a really cool story behind them! Is is weird that I want to have a beer with this butterfly and compare war stories?

I bade farewell to my new blue friend and rushed back to the ferry dock to find that the boat had not yet arrived.  Even though they aim to run every thirty minutes, in reality the boat only makes the trip once it has filled with passengers.  I guess not many people were in a rush to leave the mainland because the ferry managers told me that I have at least another half hour before the next ferry will arrive.  Lucky for me that the ferry landing was situated next to a locally sourced traditional Mayan chocolate shop…Woo Hoo!  I quickly run across the way to MOHO Chocolate.

All of the cacao beans used to make MOHO Chocolate are grown in the nearby rainforest along the Moho River Valley in the Toledo district of southern Belize.  Cool side note: They are based out of San Pedro, Belize which I found out is the island in the Madonna song, La Isla Bonita…pretty cool, huh?

Now, one of the perks of being a chef is that wherever I go in the world, I will find the kindred spirit of other chefs and cooks.  In other words, I tell people I am a chef and they give me free food! It’s more than that though, chefs share themselves through food and by giving me something they made, they are sharing their culture, their methods, and their techniques with someone who understands them.  They are sharing something that they are proud of and genuinely want it to be respected and enjoyed.  Of course, there is a bit of pride involved when other industry folks, who are exposed to the best of the best, enjoy something they made. It is a mutual understanding and a way of communicating with someone who may not even speak your language. In my travels I have learned that if you can speak intelligently about food and/or soccer then you can connect with almost anyone in the world.

I was treated to a tasting of different chocolates from very bitter dark to creamier and sweeter milk chocolate, including MOHO’s original blends which included milk chocolate (44%) with salt and lime, milk chocolate (44%) with chili, dark chocolate (73%) with cocoa nibs, and another dark with ginger.  Their hospitality is rewarded as I buy several of each kind to bring to family and friends at home…and of course some for me to cook with. Stay tuned for some recipes!

I also was able to sample MOHO’s own version of the ancient Mayan chocolate tea.  I learned that theirs is black tea infused with cacao nibs and other spices, as the original recipe has been lost to time.  As I am a sucker for all things authentic, I still long for the actual chocolate drink that was consumed 600 years ago, but MOHO’s blend was pretty awesome.  Theirs started with a base of Numi Chocolate Pu•Erh organic tea.

Unfortunately drinking hot tea on a scalding hot day in the sun is not my ideal situation so I have developed my own iced version.  Keep in mind that the original version of this drink is not sweetened and has a bitterness that I find fabulous, but if you prefer something sweeter, then feel free to add your favorite sweetener.  Just remember if you are using a dry sweetener such as sugar or stevia to add it when the drink is hot so that it can dissolve.  I would recommend using agave syrup because it is liquid, healthier and I think is a good compliment to the floral vanilla notes in this recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 quarts of water

4 bags of Numi Organic Tea, Chocolate Pu•Erh

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

2 tablespoons cacao nibs

2 whole cinnamon sticks, roasted and crushed or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 used vanilla bean (if you happen to have one lying around)

OR 1/4 teaspoon high quality vanilla extract

2 peels of orange skin (be sure not to peel too deeply and expose the white pith)

For garnish:

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 orange wedge

4 cups of ice

Agave or simple syrup to taste

Instructions:

Roast cinnamon sticks on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for five minutes or until you can smell the cinnamon.  This works great in a toaster oven as well, if you don’t feel like turning on your oven only to use it for five minutes.  Once the cinnamon has become aromatic, remove it from the oven and transfer it to a cutting board.  Crush it slightly using the bottom of a heavy pan or mallet.

Meanwhile bring water a simmer and remove from heat.  Add tea bags, cocoa powder, crushed cinnamon, chili powder,  orange peel, and vanilla bean (if you are using vanilla extract, wait to add it until the tea has cooled).

Allow to steep for five minutes.  Remove tea bags and stir to make sure everything is dissolved.  If you are adding sugar, now is the time to do so

Allow the tea to cool completely.  Once cooled, pass the tea through a fine mesh strainer to remove cinnamon sticks, cacao nibs and vanilla pod.

If you are using vanilla extract, add it now.

To Serve:

Put the 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder in flat plate and spread it out to match the circumference of the glasses you will use to serve the tea.

Rub the rim of each glass with the orange wedge so that it is wet all the way around.  Dip the rim of the glass in cocoa powder to coat.

Fill each glass with ice and pour the tea over the ice.

Relax and enjoy!

Be sure to read my next post about when I finally got my butt on that ferry and made it to mainland Belize…