LUCY BURDETTE: I’m delighted to welcome Ashley-Ruth to our kitchen today. Her first novel sounds delicious, as do her fritters! Don’t forget to add a comment to be entered in the drawing for The Bush Tree Murder!
ASHLEY-RUTH BERNIER: I’m often asked about the inspiration for my culinary based stories about St. Thomian food journalist Naomi Sinclair, and my answer always begins the same way: with my grandmother’s cookbooks.
My grandmother, Ruth Moolenaar, and I bear a lot of similarities. Like me, she was an elementary school educator, and she also wrote several books throughout her lifetime, although hers were nonfiction and focused on the history of Virgin Islands neighborhoods and people. Perhaps the biggest similarity? We both collected books. Lots of them. Over her 99 years, my grandmother amassed a treasure trove of books that she proudly displayed in her “library room”---mostly volumes about the Virgin Islands, Caribbean, and African Diaspora—and although I observed and marveled at her collection over the years, I never realized the true extent of it until she passed away in 2018. Many of the books were decades old, written by Virgin Islands cultural icons, and out of print. I got to take them home with me, and felt like I’d inherited a fortune.
I gravitated to the books about food and plants first. A yellowing paperback called “Herbs and Proverbs” inspired my short story “Ripen”, which was nominated for a Derringer Award in 2023, and also made it into The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2023. A petite and fragile book barely held together by its plastic binding inspired the rest of the stories, which together provide the base for my debut novel, THE BUSH TEA MURDER. This older cookbook, “Virgin Islands Native Recipes”, may have just cost my grandmother $2.50 when she bought it back in 1954, but to me, this volume is priceless.
While there are many fantastic recipes in this book—some of which I’ve never heard of, as they’d fallen out of fashion before my generation showed up—the one I’m highlighting today is pumpkin fritters. Pumpkins seem to be seasonal eating here in the continental United States, but in the Virgin Islands, they’re year-round fare. I used to make a version of this recipe when we still lived on-island and large pumpkins—bumpy and green on the outside, vivid orange on the inside—grew wild in our backyard. Although canned pumpkin is a perfectly fine substitute, there’s something special about boiling and mashing a fresh one!
Here’s a photo of the recipe. It’s pretty spare, I know! The good news is that the recipe is simple enough to make quickly. First, I gathered all my ingredients, but I made a few modifications I’m sure the 1954 Women’s League of St. Thomas would approve. First, I added a teaspoon of almond essence in addition to the vanilla—almond essence is a big part of the VI flavor base for sweets. I also added a dash of nutmeg. Finally, I added ¼ cup of milk and ¼ cup of water instead of the full ½ cup of water for a richer flavor.
I combined my ingredients in order, which made a thick batter. This yielded about 25 small fritters.
I’ll also note that I used self-rising flour, although the recipe doesn’t specify which kind of flour to use. This makes a rounder, fluffier fritter. Using all-purpose flour results in a flatter, denser fritter (which also tastes fantastic!). The kind of pot you use matters as well. I used a cast iron pot to fry these. It’s old—it originally belonged to my husband's grandmother, who ran an elementary school cafeteria for decades. It’s thick and heavy, perfect for this recipe. I used vegetable oil for frying.
These can be enjoyed on their own or as part of a traditional Virgin Islands breakfast that includes bush tea, a boiled egg, saltfish, chopped greens (spinach and okra), and either a sweet fritter or johnny cake. The sweetness in the fritter is a great balance for the savory elements on the plate.
I hope you enjoy these fritters, and that they bring to mind the feeling of a cozy Caribbean kitchen. If you’d like more Virgin Islands cuisine and a whole lot of mystery, check out my debut novel, THE BUSH TEA MURDER, available April 21st from Crooked Lane Books!
Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier’s work has appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Weekly, The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2023, and other esteemed anthologies. Originally from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Ashley-Ruth writes mysteries highlighting the vibrant culture of her home. Ashley-Ruth is a 2022 winner of NCWN’s Jacobs-Jones award, a 2023 SMFS Derringer finalist, a Killer Nashville Claymore finalist, a 2024 recipient of MWA’s Barbara Neely grant for Black mystery writers, and a 2026 Agatha and Derringer Award nominee. THE BUSH TEA MURDER is her first novel-length work. She currently lives with her family and teaches first grade in Apex, North Carolina.
Links:
Facebook: Ashley-Ruth Moolenaar Bernier
Instagram/Threads: armbernier
Bluesky: armbernier.bsky.social
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