Pairing Moroccan seasoning with turkey is a small play on words. During the 16th century there were two upheavals rending the social fabric of Old Europe. From the west and America came many new and unusual foods... corn, peppers, turkeys... while at the same time the Turkish Empire was moving in from the east, bringing new ideas and foods as well. Amidst this confusion it must have been hard to keep all this new stuff straight. The decidedly American Turkey became known as a "Turkish Chicken", or "Turkey". This marinade does wonderful things to turkey.

Duck confit is a dish that, like many old dishes, came about to solve a problem. The problem was that duck is really terrific to eat, but it spoils quickly if you had the poor judgment to live in a thatched hut 600 years before the invention of refrigeration. The Spanish solved this problem by learning to like the taste of spoiled duck. The French, on the other hand, came up with a very inventive way of preserving it. What they did was to slowly cook the duck for several hours, coaxing all that wonderful duck fat out until it was sufficient to completely cover the remaining meat. They would then pack the meat into a jar and pour the fat over it, sealing the meat from the ravages of the outside air. In this way the duck could be preserved for many weeks without fear of spoilage. It takes time to do this dish properly, but it's well worth the effort.

Jamaica is a land that has had its' share of troubles over the years. Like much of the Caribbean, Jamaica suffered terribly once the Europeans discovered and colonized its shores. The ravages of disease, slavery and colonialism have left many in this once idyllic island paradise poverty stricken, living in disposable shacks and watching the world pass them by. But there was a time when the people of the island survived off of the jungles and the oceans. In the old days, Safaris of hunters would caravan through the jungle shooting game and leaving it on the trail behind them to be picked up and processed by the "Jerk Man." The Jerk Man would dig a pit, line it with coals and hot stones, then place the well seasoned carcasses in the pit... covering with more stones before moving on the next cache. At the safaris end the whole crew would simply back-track, digging up the preserved meat as they went, eventually returning with tons of smoked, spiced, jerked meat. The following marinade is one I like a lot... making fine use of the traditional allspice and citrus flavors of the Jerk Man.

People are always begging me to change the name of this one,  and I keep resisting.

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 It derives from the Chinese culinary descriptive "kuai", referring to dishes with a perfect balance of the fi ve essential flavors in Chinese cooking – Sweet, Salty, Savory, Spicy and Tart. I find it to be versatile and fresh, lending itself particularly well to meats (especially pork). Eat it on a cracker, with a roast or with your eggs... you just may find its strangeness becoming more and more familiar. The thing to remember about eggplant is that, like the rest of us it can suffer from the challenges of its breeding. Like its cousin the potato, an Eggplant produces toxins that can be quite bitter.

Always choose smooth, unblemished eggplant, and when possible use younger eggplant as the toxin builds up in the fruit as it grows. In dishes where the eggplant is to be peeled and cut, try salting the pieces well, letting them rest for an hour or so then rinsing under cold running water. The salt will draw the toxins from the eggplant leaving only goodness and niceness in its wake.

There are many varieties of goats' cheese available, but for this dish choose a creamy, fresh cheese with a mild flavor.

This dish will require a bit of attention to avoid disaster, and when  disaster means burned sugar, chili and walnuts, disaster means there will certainly be No Joy In Muddville when that Triple Threat of aromas fills your kitchen.