A lovely food memory of mine growing up was baked cassava with a little lime, salt and chili pepper.  It’s an incredibly versatile vegetable whether deep-fried, ground into flour, puréed or even baked into a sweet dessert – my favorite being West Indian cassava pone, a thick, moist, gelatinous cake with coconut and spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.  Yum!  I craved it just thinking about it – will definitely be making soon…

Cassava, which is also called yucca, is a staple starch in many tropical areas.  It’s found throughout South America and the Caribbean and is also a large part of sub-Saharan African cuisines.  Again, building on the Thanksgiving-preparation concept, I decided to make a stuffing.  I used the cassava here much like I would a potato – for it’s starchy binding effect, gentle flavor and texture.

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I was reading this article in the New York Times on what the French call a cake salé, and it inspired me to create my own exotic version.   A cake salé is close to what we call a quick bread or a quick loaf in America (think zucchini bread, cornbread, or even muffins).

The main ingredients of any quick bread are flour, baking powder (and/or soda), fat, eggs, and liquid; the flavor is really up to the imagination.  It’s chemically leavened, so it’s much faster to make than traditional bread, which requires a whole process leavening with yeast.  This loaf is incredibly easy to make and really versatile. I’ve been serving it warm for breakfast, but it would also make a delicious lunch paired with a simple salad.

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