CARIBBEAN PARTY

What would be more appropriate than to throw a Caribbean theme party, since we got married in Jamaica. It was an awesome time with close friends and family. It’s stress free, we had a perfect beach weather and the food was amazing. We stayed at an all inclusive resort where there were 7 restaurants, including a grilled jerk chicken stand on the beach, which I think I ate at every time we walked pass it. Good memories with a hint of jerk seasoning. ha ha ha

Let’s talk about the menu today.

Instead of jerk chicken, I’m going with Grilled Jerk Pork Chops.

For the side dish, we need some rice so, Coconut Rice and some fresh Mango Salsa.

For dessert, super simple and no baking required, Mango Trifle.

Here’s the game plan!

I’m listing the following grocery list, for for 6 people. If you have more or less guests, adjust it accordingly.

Grocery list (for 6 people):

• 6 bone-in pork loin chops (jerk pork chops)
• a bottle of Golden Mountain seasoning sauce or light soy sauce (jerk pork chops)
• a small bottle of agave or sugar (jerk pork chops, mango salsa)
• a bottle of Jamaican Jerk seasoning (jerk pork chops)
• 1 small bag (32 oz.) Jasmin rice (coconut rice)
• 2 cans (13.5 oz) of coconut milk (coconut rice)
• a bunch of cilantro (coconut rice, mango salsa)
• 8-10 fresh ripe mangoes (mango salsa, mango trifle)
• 2 limes (mango salsa)
• 2 shallots (mango salsa)
• 1-2 jalapeno peppers (mango salsa)
• 1 box of store bought pound cake (mango trifle)
• 1 container(1 quart) of heavy whipping cream (mango trifle)
• a small container (or a bag) of coconut chips
• flowers

Stuff you already have in your pantry (hopefully…if not, add them to your shopping list): 

• salt (coconut rice)
• sugar (mango trifle)
• vanilla extract (mango trifle)
• honey (mango trifle)
• propane or charcoal

Stuff you would want to ask guests to bring: 

• Some wine that’s good with spicy food like Beaujolais or margaritas.

Tips

• Some of the ingredients above can be found at specialty grocery store, but if you can’t find them, there are links on this page and in each recipe page that will take you to Amazon to make it easier to buy all in one place.

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2 days before the party:

• Print out all the recipes. Looking on-line is great, but it’s so much easier to have the paper version in front of you when you are making multiple things. You can also make notes if you decide to change things up a little. FYI: go to recipe section on my blog, you can print it out from there.
• Grocery shopping and wash/store your veggies and herb in the fridge.
• If you have a gas grill, check the propane level of your grill. You don’t want to find out that you’re running out the day of the party.
• We live in the Midwest, there’s possibility of rain or even snow, so make sure you got your in-door grill pan ready just in case you can’t grill outside.
• Arrange flowers in a vase(s).

1.5 hours before the party:

• Make coconut rice. Once it’s done, fluff it and put a lid on top to keep warm. Don’t worry about cilantro yet. We’ll sprinkle it on top before serving.

Tips

• For the coconut rice, here’s the ratio: 1:2. I used the empty can of coconut milk (13.5 oz.) to measure the rice. So, we’re using 2 cans of coconut milk, you will need 1 can of rice and that makes about 6 servings, and it will take about 40-45 minutes.

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1 hour before the party:

• Take the pork chops out of the fridge.
• Make mango salsa. Set aside.

Tips

• The meat is cooked best at room temperature, that’s why you want to take it out and let it sit to the room temperature before grilling them.
• Cut all mangoes at once and set some aside because you will be making mango trifle next.
• Also, chop extra cilantro and save some to add to coconut rice later.

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0.5 hour before the party:

• Assemble mango trifle, but don’t put the coconut chips on top yet, wait to do that after dinner, when everyone’s ready for dessert. Put them in the fridge until ready to serve.

Tips

• I like serving the trifle in individual glasses so each guest can have their own and I like using clear glass so they can see all the pretty layers.

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15 mins before the party:

• Grill the pork chops. Let them rest on a large serving plate, cover with foil.

Tips

• Let the pork chops rest covered with foil for about 5 minutes before serving, this will allow the meat to settle with its juice and your meat will be juicier. If you cut it right away when they fresh off the grill, all the juices will run out and you will end up with dry pork chops.

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Party time!

• Serve Jerk pork chop and coconut rice buffet style and allow the guests to help themselves. Oh, and don’t forget to sprinkle a little bit of cilantro over the coconut rice.
• Don’t worry if you’re running behind. When your guests arrive, they can have help themselves with some wine or margaritas.
• I always tell my guests to save room for mango trifle. Just to set some expectation before starting the meal. But sometimes they’re just really full and might want to share with their partner.

That’s it. I hope this gives you some good tips and tricks that will help you host a fun and stress-free Caribbean party. Don’t forget to let me know how things go for you and what things you may have done differently. I love hearing from you.  XO