Recipes | I've Been Cooking

Pen Patat

Pen Patat is a traditional Haitian sweet potato pudding baked until set and fragrant with warm spices. This lush, custardy dessert blends coconut, evaporated, and condensed milks with banana, raisins, vanilla, rum, and lime zest for deep tropical flavor and a caramelized edge.

🇭🇹 Haiti$$

Midway Atoll Coconut Grits

Creamy, island-inspired stone-ground grits simmered in coconut milk and finished with toasted coconut, macadamias, juicy pineapple, and bright lime zest. A tropical, dairy-free twist on a cozy breakfast bowl with a fragrant hint of vanilla and a touch of brown sugar.

🇺🇲 United States Minor Outlying Islands$$

Juba Sorghum Pudding

A warm, cardamom- and cinnamon-scented sorghum pudding enriched with milk, coconut milk, and ghee, studded with raisins and dates. Comforting and naturally gluten-free, it’s a classic-style Juba-inspired sweet pudding.

🇸🇸 South Sudan$$

Fougasse Monégasque

A festive Monégasque sweet bread scented with orange blossom water, citrus zest, and anise, enriched with milk, butter, and eggs. Studded with candied fruits and raisins, then topped with nuts, sesame, and pearl sugar for a celebratory crunch.

🇲🇨 Monaco$$

Plăcinte moldovenești

Traditional Moldovan hand-pies made with a soft, elastic dough and a variety of fillings—savory (cottage cheese with herbs, potato-onion, cabbage-carrot) or sweet (apple-cinnamon, jam)—pan-fried or baked and served warm, often with sour cream or honey.

🇲🇩 Moldova$

Kiribati Pandanus Pudding

A creamy, island-style dessert from Kiribati featuring fragrant pandanus puree, coconut milk, and soft tapioca pearls, gently sweetened and traditionally set or served in banana leaf. Comforting, aromatic, and naturally dairy-free and gluten-free.

🇰🇮 Kiribati$$

Fiadoe

Fiadoe is a rich Caribbean cassava-coconut dessert, warmly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, studded with rum-soaked raisins, and scented with vanilla, almond, and lime zest. It bakes into a moist, pudding-like cake with caramel notes from brown sugar and butter.

🇸🇷 Suriname$$

Butter Tarts

Classic Canadian butter tarts with a glossy, gooey filling of brown sugar, maple and corn syrup, studded with raisins and pecans in flaky store-bought shells. Sweet, sticky, and rich with buttery caramel notes and a hint of vanilla. Easy to bake and perfect for holidays or afternoon treats.

🇨🇦 Canada$$

Johnny Cake

Golden, lightly sweet Johnny Cakes made from cornmeal and a touch of flour, pan-cooked until crisp at the edges and tender inside. Great for breakfast or a snack, served warm with maple syrup or honey.

🇧🇸 Bahamas$

Saskatoon Berry Pie

A classic double-crust Saskatoon Berry Pie with a bright lemon-cinnamon filling and a golden, flaky butter crust. Perfectly jammy berries are thickened with cornstarch and finished with a sparkling turbinado sugar top.