Breadfruit

Breadfruit. It's a bit unusual and one won't find it much outside of where it grows, in the tropics. Thanks to the whole Mutiny on the Bounty story, I was fascinated to come upon it here in Trinidad.

(photo courtesy Jeannine Remy) 

In fact, I HEARD it first, as many fell on the tin roof covering the panyard where I was playing. BAM! We'd all duck, not sure how dangerous the noise was. But then, realizing it was from the giant breadfruit tree towering above us, we continued playing. That tree was what so many looked for, when they visited the "Mecca of Pan" here in Trinidad.
Sadly, that famous tree has now been cut down and replaced with big commercial signage. Sigh.

(For more history of Invaders and pan:   http://www.meppublishers.com/online/caribbean-beat/past_issues/index.php?pid=2000&id=cb101-1-51 )

Back to breadfruit. I loved eating pieces of it in fish broth, but also wanted to try something new. Coming upon a recipe for breadfruit souffle' it was an interesting challenge for me. It took about an hour of prep, followed by 45+  minutes to bake. I'm happy to say that it turned out great, tasting somewhat like a thicker potato au gratin, with more savory seasoning.
Here's the final product. The recipe came out of the cookbook Caribbean Flavors by Wendy Rahamut.