Grand Lido Braco's assistant pastry chef Hopeton Haye puts the finishing touch to a wedding cake. - Contributed TO HEAR Hopeton Haye tell it, he was born to cook.
The assistant pastry chef at Grand Lido Braco remembers trying his hand in the kitchen as early as age six. Still, in school he shunned subjects like Cooking and Home Economics for others like agriculture and accounts. After school he dabbled in life insurance sales before following his heart and pursuing a baking course in 1991 at the College of Arts Science and Technology (now the University of Technology).
After graduating he worked at a baking facility, perfecting his skills in baking breads and an assortment of pastries. Last year he opened a pastry shop in St. Thomas, supplying pastries to schools. The venture was short-lived, however, due to lack of the proper machinery. Soon after he became the assistant pastry chef at the Grand Lido Braco, located in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, where he immediately began coaching the pastry team for the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's (JCDC) culinary arts competition.
ON THE WINNING SIDE
In 1999 JCDC culinary arts competition, Haye won a gold medal in the hot team dessert section; gold for best wedding cake; and a bronze medal for Pastry Chef Open (plated desserts, cake and 16 petits fours -- one-bite pastries).
He won gold at the Trelawny Yam Festival in April, for best wine made from yam and best batters and dough.
At the Tropical Cake Extravaganza in Ocho Rios last June, he received a variety of medals -- gold for wedding cake; gold for plantain, yam and breadfruit cookies; silver for celebration cake; and bronze for a showpiece
waterfall made from sugar.
He was also crowned top cake decorator for hotels in the competition.
Haye shares the recipes for his Wait-A-Bit Yam Wine and Banana Nut Cake
Banana Nut Cake
4 kg. (9 lbs.) ripe bananas
3 kg. (6 1/2 lbs.)
brown sugar
3.5 kg. (7 3/4 lbs.) flour
2.5 kg. (5 1/2 lbs.) butter
32 eggs
600 g. sour cream
Grated rind from 2 oranges
60 ml. vanilla flavouring
15 g cinnamon
30 g ginger powder
45 g baking powder
30 g baking soda
500 g crushed nuts
500 ml. milk
METHOD
1. Mix banana and sugar with paddle in mixer until banana turns puree.
2. Add eggs, sour cream, butter, vanilla and rind mix thoroughly.
3. Sift flour and mix with spices, raising agents and nuts.
4. Add to mixture and mix for 5 minutes.
5. Pour mixture into lined sheet pans and bake.
Royal Icing
2 egg whites
1 tbsp. lime juice
500 g icing sugar
1/2 tsp. almond flour
METHOD
1. Whip egg whites with
100g icing sugar.
2. Sugar for 10 minutes at speed 2.
3. Add remaining ingredients.
4. Beat for 5 minutes at speed 2.
Note: Divide ingredients by one-third to make fewer cakes.
Wait-A-Bit Yam Wine
Fermented wine made from choice roasted yam complemented by island spices.
4 lbs. roasted yellow
yam (crushed)
2 lbs. granulated sugar
2 1/2 quarts water
4 ozs. honey
8 ozs. orange juice
2 tsps. ginger powder
2 tsps. pimento grains
1 tbsp. rice (uncooked)
METHOD
1. Mix together all ingredients and pour into fermenting jar for 21 days.
2. Strain and filter wine.
3. Bottle and store to be aged.
