One caterer's story: bring on cassava!

Published in MapleLine Magazine: Nov.4, 2009

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by Marcie Gauntlett

Christmas time is on the radar screen and a caterer's life gears up now almost to a frenzy. Folks call to schedule casual suppers and sumptuous dinners. At this time of year, our west coast salmon takes a bit of a backseat and we begin to think of delectables like suckling pigs and basted turkeys.

One client requests something totally different for a change. For starters she's originally from England, so I ask her a few questions about likes and dislikes, fancy or casual and then it hits me! “Have you ever heard of Bermuda Cassava Pie?” “No, she murmurs, what is it?” The most delicious combination of cassava, chicken, pork, eggs, and sugar, rather like a pudding, but a good kind of pudding.

She looks at me and says hesitatingly...uh, main course? Well, not exactly, but next to roasted turkey it is the next best thing to "better-than-sex chocolate cake"! I don't tell her that cassava is a long brown root, but explain that it is all nicely dried or frozen and put up in beautiful packages at food specialty shops.
The Brits devised this root-meat-and-sweet combo with the help of Caribbeans who originally brought the rootstock into Bermuda. The pie is still brought to every Christmas dinner on that tiny island – Aunt Katherine's was to sigh for.

One large (lasagna-size) dish of Cassava Pie is one of those comfort foods that lasts the rest of the week and nobody ever gets tired of it; it's even great for breakfast. MM

Marcie Gauntlett runs the French Beach Cooking School in Shirley, BC.

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This article was first published on page 10 in MapleLine Magazine (Holiday 2009 issue / No.09-Jan.10).