Foodie in paradise
Actor John Malkovich hides away there. So does Janet Jackson. Kevin Kline arrives looking every inch the Hollywood star but, by day three, is in shorts, stubbly and permanently barefoot. Where? At CuisinArt in Anguilla.
This tiny Caribbean island, only 16 miles long and three miles wide, packs in as many stars per square inch as its distant neighbour, Mustique. Small wonder they flock here. Anguilla has 33 beautiful white sandy beaches, the local people are among the friendliest in the Caribbean and the atmosphere is very laid-back, particularly at CuisinArt.
Gloriously situated on Rendezvous Bay, CuisinArt is the only hotel on the island to boast its own hydroponic farm; a system of growing fruit, non-root vegetables and herbs in water. The huge half-acre greenhouse, presided over by world expert, Dr Howard Resh, produces wonderful salads, fresh peppers, tomatoes and herbs (27 different varieties) all year round - more important than you might think for an island that has to import everything. Anguillans are disarmingly honest if you ask them what their local produce is: 'We grow nothing,' they say, 'nothing! What we grow best is babies.'
The problem is that the island is so flat it gets regularly battered by hurricanes, and the little topsoil that does exist gets blown away. Just before CuisinArt opened five years ago, it was hit by a hurricane and badly damaged and all the new palms had to be imported afresh from Florida.
So the hydroponic farm is worth its weight in gold and supplies all the hotel's wonderful fresh salads and vegetables. Combine this with a top French chef, Denis Jaricot, who flies in meat and other delicacies essential to a Frenchman three times a week on the Air France flight to St Martin, and you've come pretty close to heaven.
Jaricot is the godson of legendary French food god, Paul Bocuse, who is the hotel's international cuisine consultant. Jaricot does cookery demonstrations and workshops twice a week at CuisinArt, and then guests can sample the results along with perfect wine from the widely stocked cellar (their most expensive bottle down there is a $2,000 Pétrus).
Leandro P. Rizzuto, founder of the Cuisin Art kitchen utensil empire, originally bought the beachfront site to build his own house. When the government refused permission, he built the 93-room hotel, sparing little expense, importing Missoni fabrics, Italian marble and state-of-the-art kitchen equipment (well, obviously). Its name was at his insistence, but seems to me rather misleading.
The hotel features two restaurants and the Hydroponic Cafe. Buffet dinners, served under the stars on the pool terrace often feature local lobster, snapper or grouper. A true Frenchman, Jaricot is no fan of fusion food - 'keep it simple and fresh' is his maxim. To complement the hotel's wonderful spa and fitness programme, the menu is subtly marked with little heart symbols to highlight the healthy, low-fat options - but it's all very low key. The cuisine is also much, much nicer than a lot of the execrable food found in the Caribbean.
The spa is housed in a separate building and you could easily spend your whole holiday without paying it a visit, or doing a two-mile early morning walk on the beach with the fitness coach, the reigning Mr Anguilla. But my personal recipe to justify and accommodate the wonderful cuisine is a swim, sail, walk or game of tennis, followed by a good helping of indulgence.
· CuisinArt Resort and Spa, Rendezvous Bay, Anguilla, British West Indies. Reservations: 0800 943 3210; www.cuisinartresort.com Kuoni offers 7 nights b&b including flights from £1,838 per person
Denis Jaricot's Curry risotto with exotic fruits and parmesan wafer
serves 6
6 tbsp Arborio rice
85 ml olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove
1 cup coconut milk
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
cup curry powder
340g grated parmesan
2 pieces ripe plantain (optional)
1 cup pineapple and mango, diced
1 tbsp mango chutney
salt and pepper to taste
To make the wafer
Combine parmesan in food processor until smooth. Using a Teflon-coated frying pan of 6-inch diameter, sprinkle half the grated parmesan cheese evenly and cook until lightly brown on one side. Remove from frying pan and place on a cool plate to become crisp.
To make the risotto
Mix the coconut milk and vegetable stock together, and bring to the boil. In a large saucepan, sauté the shallot with olive oil, then add the curry powder and rice. Pour in the hot stock progressively and stir consistently. Cook for around 15 minutes. Remove pan from the heat to stop cooking stage. Sauté the plantain (if using) and add to the risotto with the fruit. Add the remaining parmesan cheese and cook for approximately 2 minutes.