top of page
Pinchina
CREATIVE CO.
The Cafè au Lait Cookbook is now available in digital form!
Get a free sneak peek here when you subscribe to the blog -
Cook a Haitian Meal Tonight!
Cafè au Lait
- A Blend of Culture & Cuisine-
Cafe au Lait, as you know, means coffee with milk, and it's commonly used in Port au Prince to describe a mixed race couple. This cookbook is a blend of Haiti, Canada, United States, and Brazil. Our lives as "Cafe au Lait" wives have become very diverse, and we have developed our own unique cooking style. We're passing it on to you in this book. It's full of colorful food pictures, descriptions of island life, a few poems and stories,
and a lot of Haitian spice!
SECTION 1
Haitian Cuisine
We've tried to make this a simple, go-to guide for anyone wanting to learn to make authentic Haitian food.
It has all the good stuff:
• hot drinks • breakfast • everyday rice and bean dishes • perfectly seasoned meat • soups • party food •
These are mixed with fun descriptions of Caribbean cooking and everyday life. And no specialty stores! These recipes take simple ingredients and we've tried to include substitutes for the few ingredients that are hard to find in North America.
SECTION 2
Simple & Basic
Baking
What's a girl to do when she has to take dessert for a congregational party? No cake mixes! No cream cheese! No problem! These recipes use simple ingredients, because we soon get tired of having to wrack our brains to substitute things we can't find at the little "boutik" next door. A lot of them also have traditional Haitian spices - we hope you like cinnamon, star anise, lime zest, and a touch of rum! You'll see:
• simple yeast dough, muffin, & cake recipes with ways to change them up • bagels, pretzels, & English muffins • frostings & sauces • breakfast ideas
And if you need to make dessert for the whole congregation, it's maybe not as big a deal as you thought. A couple sheet cakes will work - sliced and tucked in napkins with the Styrofoam boxes of rice. Or a double batch of frosted sugar cookies. Just don't forget the sprinkles!
SECTION 3
Everyday
Food
We don't really know what to call these recipes! They're not really true American, Brazilian, or Mexican, because of the crazy jar of Haitian epis in our fridge that won't stay out of the food! And Maggi, lime, and scotch bonnet peppers. It seems we're addicted to them. The cheese and bacon are a bit skimpy, folks, but give these recipes a try! The simple goodness is there:
• pizza: dough, sauce & toppings • tortillas & fillings that are low on cheese • skillet meals • homemade sauces & dressings •
American food with a Haitian flair
We think this section could be especially helpful to anyone moving away from North America, as these recipes are simple and from scratch, and generally don't rely on processed foods that we would need to buy at pricey American grocery stores.
Daily Life
in Haiti
Bonus section! No recipes - just daily life stories about the beauty of truly learning to appreciate another culture. The experience of moving to a new country is different when you always have a Haitian voice beside - your husband. You learn the reasons behind the things that seem so foreign to you, and slowly become less quick to judge. You realize too just how strange you seem to the people around you. Sometimes this makes you feel very alone, but you treasure even small acts of kindness from your new brothers and sisters so much more. We hope this section can be inspiring - and that it can help you if you ever visit or spend time living outside your own country!
You'll love this book! Bon appetit!
Quiara Pinchina, Sallie Dorleus, and the other Cafe au Lait wives
bottom of page