The breadfruit, or ulu is this cookís delight.  In its green, immature state, it works in all my recipes that call for artichoke heart.  When still green but mature, it is my potato and sometimes rice substitute.  When ripe, I use it in place of sweet potato, yam, pumpkin, chestnut and banana.  But the ripe, roasted ulu filled with butter and brown sugar will always be my sentimental favorite because this is the way my grandmother introduced ulu to me.  In her way, whenever there was something new to be had, she would say to me; ìyou wait ëtil pau cook, ono.î It was always true. Whatever she cooked, was wonderfully good.
 

  When I moved into my own house on family land, I asked my father to help me plant a breadfruit tree in my yard. It was a third generation plant by way of my uncle. My father asked me what I was going to do with all the breadfruit.  I planned to eat some and give some away.  The first year the breadfruit fruited, I was able to keep up with giving away the fruits on my small tree by taking it to friends, to the food bank and to any one else who was interested. By the second year, the tree had more than doubled in size and I had more than I needed or could give away.  So began the annual Ulu dinners.

 On the eve of the 5^th Annual Ulu Dinner, while the ulu tree is bearing flowers and ulu tree is about to fruit once more, the collection of what has become known as the ulu recipes, is now a book. Our dinners have become the Ulu Festival with the few claiming attendance to all dinners as ìcharter membersî.  The ulu pastelles have became the annual favorite served with a traditional meat filling and a vegetarian filling.  Ulu latkes come in a close second but ulu "artichoke" is always the now comer's surprise.

 This book embodies the spirit of joining together and the years of sharing our stories of the best, ulu we ever had including Roasted Ulu, the skin burnt but inside sweet and ulu packed tight in the pot cooked with coconut milk until sticky, ulu custard pie and ulu ice cream.   Comfort food at its finest.  

 Also included are substitutions for dairy and soy milk and lower sugar alternatives.  Vegetarian and Vegan recipes are also can be found.