Journal
Are You STILL on this Egg Thing??
Yes, I’m still on this egg thing.
The question was asked if I use eggs in my gourmet guava duffs.
The answer was (still is) “no”.
The question was asked why I don’t use eggs in my gourmet guava duff.
The answer was (still is) “because I don’t like them or eat them”… and I don’t make anything for anyone that I don’t enjoy or endorse myself.
But the question that wasn’t answered is:
“Why do people even use eggs in their ‘duff’?”
The answer is primarily twofold:
Reason 1
They want a cake or a duff-like dessert that is almost fool-proof to make and hides any other potential shortcomings (like missing moisture, quality, or flavor).
Reason 2
They want to drastically cut the cooking time.
Eggs increase leavening and make a popular, fluffy consistency like cake or other pastries. More importantly perhaps, because of their leavening ability, eggs can cut preparation time by as much as 50% or more. Traditional/original guava duff/dough could take up to two or even three hours (for a very large duff) to cook.
Gourmet Guava Duff
So what does this mean?
In short, eggs in ‘duff’ don’t make duff, they make something else, albeit another potentially delicious guava-flavored dessert… but it is not duff. And it is time to stop calling it that.
Many or most of the best things in life take time to develop and this is often not appreciated in modern life where a majority of people are looking for the quickest thing to satisfy them.
I’m so happy and grateful for the people who understand what real duff is and still seek to enjoy it, especially if it helps them reminisce about a better, easier, more intimate time spent with the people closest and dearest to them.
No Eggs, No Duff?? No Way!
Gourmet Guava Duff! The best duff ever!
I don’t eat eggs. For 30 years now.
I specifically remember the last time I ate eggs as or in a meal… they were scrambled and on a sandwich, for breakfast the very early morning I left the first time for college in September 1994.
I was a vegetarian through most of my teens and vegan through most of my twenties. Over the years, my tastes and dietary needs have changed. But, today, I still don’t eat eggs unless they are cooked or baked into something to completely disguise their smell, taste, and texture.
Now, I make gourmet guava duff. And also now, there’s a shortage of (safe and affordable) eggs in our region, with the contagion of bird flu. But this does not stop my duff-making show!
In fact, no eggs in duff is a big part of the reason I make duff. I don’t like or eat eggs, so I experimented long and hard to create a dough that was perfect without them. And I truly believe that the skill of making real duff is the ability to make a fantastic dough without eggs.
If you’d like to enjoy a real dough texture, especially one without eggs, my gourmet guava duff is perfect for you.
Also, if you are a vegan, I can make a gourmet guava duff for you that has no animal products — just specify in the ‘Notes’ section of the order form, when you order online!
And be sure to get your order in 24 hours in advance of your desired pick up day and time!
Why do I LOVE to make and eat guava duff?
WHY DO I LOVE TO MAKE AND EAT GUAVA DUFF?
More than being 1) absolutely delicious, and 2) reminiscent of my childhood and precious family time spent, 3) I regard guava duff preparation as an important way to help preserve authentic Bahamian heritage.
Gourmet guava duff with sauce
WHAT IS GUAVA DUFF?
Guava duff (or just ‘duff’ in Bahamian vernacular) is the most popular Bahamian dessert, made of dough and guavas, plus a butter/dessert sauce. And it takes just the right combination of ingredients to make a real guava duff.
“I make real guava duff, not guava cake, not guava bread, guava duff…”
I make real guava duff, not guava cake, not guava bread, guava duff… guava dough… dough being the key difference between real guava duff and anything that imitates it.
The first guava duff I ever made was 38 years ago, so, where real guava duff is concerned, I really do know what I’m talking about!
Gourmet guava duff, fresh from the pot!
WHY IS MAKING REAL GUAVA DUFF IMPORTANT?
We have lost — and continue to lose — much of our Bahamian heritage because of unchecked and limitless outside influences on our culture.
It’s especially frustrating for me to visit hotels and restaurants in The Bahamas and see what is being served as guava duff — I have never once found the real thing outside of a family kitchen where a Bahamian parent or grandparent made guava duff the traditional way with the accompanying texture and flavor.
And that is my focus and specialty - making guava duff that is authentically traditional in texture and taste.
HOW DO I MAKE MY GUAVA DUFF?
Gourmet duff, ready to eat!
I focus my duff-making on quality ingredients and personal satisfaction, rather than cheap quality content and mass production.
Duff is meant to be a dessert, not a meal… so to respect portion size, I make only gourmet-style duffs. I also respect dietary restrictions, by using the least amount of sugar and salt possible in my guava duff and sauce.
When you order my duffs online, you have to book a pick up time because my duffs are made to order for immediate serving. Duffs are best eaten when freshly cooked, when the cooking heat from within the duff melts the sauce on top.
A pick up time also helps me determine lead and prep time, because authentic duffs take quite a while to prepare and cook, and all my dough is freshly rolled only hours before your order is filled. (Try to get your online order in at least 12 hours in advance, please!)
My duffs can be stored for transport and future enjoyment; be sure to ask for this when you place your order. But there’s just nothing like a warm, soft duff that melts in your mouth right out of the pot!! There is no more excellent way to enjoy real Bahamian guava duff!
Remember, if it’s cooked on the stovetop (boiled), it’s a real duff. If it’s baked in the oven, it is not a real duff. I am not a pastry chef, but I am a guava duff-maker and guava duff connoisseur — three and a half decades and counting!
Gourmet-style, personal guava duff