Haitian home-cooking at Kendall’s Le Lambi

An old TWA travel brochure depicting the air route linking Cuba, Puerto Rico and Haiti —the Caribbean “golden triangle” of the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s — is among the memorabilia you’ll see at Le Lambi Restaurant. Named for a famous nightclub outside Port-au-Prince, it has become a gathering spot for the Haitian community in Kendall.

If you go

What: Le Lambi Restaurant

Address: 13714 SW 88th St., Miami

Contact: 305-387-4747

Hours: Noon-9 p.m. Monday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Prices: Appetizers $3-$9, entrees $7-$14, sides $2, desserts $3

Appetizer

Cheese Sticks (Ti Baton Fwomaj)

These baked sticks are an alternative to fritters. Serve with a spicy dip and cold drink.

2 cups all-purpose flour

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold butter, cut in small pieces

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, salt, pepper and baking powder to mix. Add the butter and mix with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the cheese and eggs, and mix into a firm dough. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll small portions of dough between your palms to form sticks about 1/4 inch wide and 3 inches long. Bake on greased baking sheets until slightly golden, about 15 minutes. Cool on a rack. Makes about 60.

Source: Adapted from “Fine Haitian Cuisine” by Mona Cassion Menager (Educa Vision, 2005).

Per stick: 44 calories (59 percent calories from fat), 2.8 fat (1.7 g saturated fat, 0.8 g monounsaturated fat) 13.1 mg cholesterol, 1.2 g protein, 3.3 g carbohydrates, 0.1 g fiber, 45 mg sodium.

This story was originally published February 17, 2011 at 12:02 AM.