Crab Cakes Come-ON!

Oh my gosh. Crab cakes.

Oh goodness.

What food for the gods is this?

Crab is expensive and thus this is not something you have all the time, but do have it once in a while.

Make sure that every ingredient is the best.

Make sure that all the surrounding sides are impeccably perfect.

Feast! You are worth it.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup homemade mayonnaise.
• 2 tbsp minced cornichons (baby gerkins will work fine)
• 1 tbsp minced capers, rinsed and chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 lb crab meat (the best you can afford)
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 4 tbsp fresh minced parsley
• 1 tbsp finely minced onion
• 4-6 tbsp fresh bread crumbs
• 4 tbsp butter

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Make your mayonnaise. (reserve 2 tbsp) Add the cornichons and capers to it. Mix and place in the fridge to keep until ready to serve.
2. Lightly beat the egg, and add to it the crabmeat, reserved mayo and all the rest, except the breadcrumbs and butter. Mix gently.
3. Form into patties.
4. Roll in the breadcrumbs, patting gently to get them to adhere.
5. Fry in the butter on medium, browning and then turning carefully. These are fragile, so handle with care. Brown both sides well, to make a nice crust. This will take 3-5 minutes.
6. Serve with the tartar sauce.

SERVES: 4 (assuming 2 per person)

NOTES: This recipe comes from Serious Eats. I have modified it slightly

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Multiples of Marvelous Mayo

As more of us get more concerned about the quality of our food, simple things that we have taken for granted can become foods we worry about. One of them is mayonnaise.

A lot of folks are leery of genetically modified foods, and you can find lists of companies that use such things in their food products. I was distressed to find that my favorite mayonnaise is on the list as being one of those companies.

Now, I’m not here to pitch for how you should eat, but really homemade mayo is something special. At least for some things, might you consider using it instead of what can live on a shelf unrefrigerated until opened? (I’m always suspicious that the seal isn’t good).

Making mayonnaise is simple, and once you know how, you can abandon the standard recipe and do it by sight. And better yet, you can add so many things that will give your food a real kick. I’m cutting and pasting from a NYTimes article that lists some possible alternatives.

As I said, the basic recipe is pretty much the same everywhere.

The only difference is whether you use a full egg or only the yolk. I use the latter.

So indulge yourself and your family and make some of the real stuff.  Either a food processor or a blender will do the job. You can do it by hand, but it’s a lot of very hard whisking and unless you are a professional, your arm probably can’t last.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lg egg yolk at room temperature
• 2 tsp lemon juice (real please from an actual lemon–this works out to about half of a large lemon, give or take.)
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard (again, like the lemon juice, you are looking to approximate. You want this to be easy)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cold water
• 3/4 c oil (canola or safflower–you want something that is basic without flavors)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place the egg, lemon, mustard, salt and water into your blender or processor and whir up until well mixed and a bit frothy.
2. With the motor running, pour in a slow steady stream, the oil. Watch the magic happen as it emulsifies into a thick gorgeous smooth creation.

SERVES: 1 cup

NOTES: Once you have the basic recipe down, you can vary it with the following:

OLIVE OIL MAYO: Substitute extra virgin olive oil for all, or at least 1/2 cup, of the neutral oil.

GARLIC AIOLI: Finely chop 2 garlic cloves and mash with a pinch of salt until it forms a paste; mix with egg yolk before adding oil. Substitute extra virgin olive oil for at least half of the neutral oil.

ROUILLE: Combine a large pinch of crumbled saffron threads with 2 teaspoons boiling water. Let mixture cool completely. Whisk saffron water with 1 egg yolk, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon tomato paste, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of cayenne. Whisking constantly, dribble in 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil and 1/4 cup neutral oil until mayonnaise is thick and oil is incorporated.

LIME PICKLE MAYO: Whisk in 2 tablespoons finely chopped lime pickle at the end. (Lime pickle can be found in Middle Eastern and Asian markets.)

SRIRACHA MAYO: Whisk in 1 1/2 teaspoons sriracha, or more to taste, at the end.

ANCHOVY MAYO: Whisk in 4 minced anchovies at the end.

WALNUT MAYO: Substitute 1/3 cup walnut oil for an equal amount of the neutral oil.

OLIVE OR CAPER MAYO: Whisk in 2 tablespoons chopped olives or capers at the end.

SPICY CHIPOTLE MAYO: Whisk in 2 to 3 teaspoons chopped chipotle chile in adobo sauce at the end.

ROSEMARY BLACK PEPPER MAYO: Whisk in 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary leaves and 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper at the end. If you like you can add 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest and a minced garlic clove, too.

SMOKY CHILE BACON MAYO: Fry 3 strips of bacon until crisp; chop and set aside. Pour the fat from the pan into a heatproof liquid measuring cup and add enough oil to make 3/4 cup total. Make mayonnaise, omitting mustard and using bacon fat-oil mixture. Stir in chopped bacon and 1/4 teaspoon hot smoked paprika at the end.

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Copycat Outback Alice Springs Chicken

There seems little honor among recipe collectors, especially those that post on their own blog. I got this recipe from a place called Favorite Family Recipes, who claimed they got it from Top Secret Recipes, but “modified” it.  The exact same recipe was other sites with no mention of where they got it. I’m not sure where it comes from, but it seems to be fairly common.

In any event, I never eat at Outback, so I sure didn’t create it.

But it is good. I did modify it somewhat mostly because the instructions were less than instructive if you get my drift. Basically, if you get the ingredients together fairly right, it will all turn out pretty darn good.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 half chicken breasts, pounded just enough to even out the thickness
• 2 c sliced mushrooms
•  canola oil for frying (about 2 tbsp)
• 8 slices bacon, cooked and drained on paper towelling
• 1 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 c shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/3 c chopped parsley
• salt and pepper

MARINADE FOR CHICKEN:

• 1/2 c honey
• 1 c mayonnaise
• 1/3 c Dijon mustard
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Mix the marinade up and whisk until smooth. Reserve about 1/3 of a cup and refrigerate that. Place the chicken in a bowl, pour remaining marinade over, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple of hours.
2. Cook up your bacon and set aside.
3. Saute the mushrooms in a bit of canola oil until they are done, and set this aside.
4. Using an oven proof saute pan (if you have one. Otherwise you will switch from the pan to a baking dish for the final phase), use remaining Canola oil and bring to a shimmer. Salt and pepper the chicken and remove to the saute pan and brown on both sides. Continue cooking on lowered heat for about 10 additional minutes, or until just barely done.
5. Brush the chicken with the reserved honey mayonnaise (not the marinade–it is contaminated!). Remove to a baking dish if using one, place 1/4 of mushrooms on each  breast. Then top with 2 slices of bacon each. Divide the cheese similarly between the four.
6. Place in a 375° pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted.

SERVES: 4

NOTES: You can take any reserved marinade and warm and then serve on the side at the table, but frankly, I don’t think it’s necessary.

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Pasta alla Carbonara, Si!

Oh can’t you just dive into this?

And it’s so easy to make.

And it’s got two things I adore, bacon and Parmigiano Reggiano. I mean how can you go wrong?

There are tons of recipes out there and they all pretty much say the same thing.

It’s that simple.

Amounts vary.

Some people add a cup of peas. That’s fine, but I think it’s not original to the recipe.

Do you care? Me either.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 lb of pasta. Spaghetti, vermicelli, fettuccine, or even tubular will do. It’s all good.
• 1 c of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Please don’t substitute with inferior box cheese. This recipe is simple and therefore requires the best ingredients.
• 6-8 slices of pancetta cut into 1″ pieces (you can substitute thick cut bacon if you can’t get pancetta)
• 3 egg yolks
• 3 cloves garlic
• salt and pepper
• 1/3 c chopped parsley

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cook the pasta al dente. Tip: You don’t have to bring the water to a boil first. Tests show it makes no difference, so shorten your time a bit by putting in salted cold water. Bring to a boil and continue until al dente.
2. Drain the pasta but RESERVE a cup of the pasta water.
3. While the pasta is cooking, saute the bacon until crisp, drain on paper towelling.
4. Mince the garlic and saute briefly in the bacon grease. When done remove to the serving dish.
5. In a large serving dish, place the egg yolks and about 1/2 of the cheese with the cooked garlic, whisk together.
6. Add a good 1/2 tsp pepper, more if you wish to this and whisk it in.
7. Add the cooked pasta to the bowl and toss until all is well coated and the yolks get “cooked”. Taste and adjust with some salt if needed. Add reserved pasta water AS NEEDED to loosen the pasta if it is too tight. I usually don’t have to. You don’t want gummy, but silken smoothness.
8. Sprinkle the top with the remaining half cup of cheese and some chopped parsley.

SERVES: 2

NOTES: you can omit the garlic, some do. You won’t need much salt if any because of the bacon.

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Charmin’ Cheesecake

I love cheesecake. I don’t always like the work involved in making one. I’ve made some great cheesecakes and truthfully, there are lots of good recipes out there.

This one is special.

Special because it maintains a great cheesecake taste and it’s extraordinarily easy to put together. Save the water baths, and bring on the crack. I’ll live with it. And frankly, this recipe has a topping so the cracking is irrelevant anyway.

This comes by way of Yummly by way of Epicurious, by way of Three Cities in Spain, Restaurant in Santa Fe, now closed.

For this glorious summer, do make some berry sauce if you like to make this truly festive. Blueberries and strawberries would be nice for the 4th.

INGREDIENTS:

Graham Cracker Crust:

• 2 c crushed graham crackers
• 5 tbsp of butter
• 3 tbsp of sugar

Filling:

• 3 (8 oz) cream cheese packages softened
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 c sugar

Topping:

• 16 oz. sour cream
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. For the crust: Mix all the ingredients together and press into 9 1/2″ springform pan. Bake at 400° for about 10 minutes.
2. For the filling: Beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Add the sugar and the vanilla.
3. Place your springform pan on a baking sheet (to catch any drips). Pour the batter into the pan.
4. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until 3 inches from the rim, the cake is firm, the center still being a bit jiggly.
5. Remove to a rack. Leave oven on.
6. For the topping: Mix the ingredients until smooth.
7. Drop by glops onto the top of the cake and spread around with offset knife. Place in oven for 10 minutes.
8. Remove to a rack and cool. Run knife around edge to loosen. Once at room temperature, chill in fridge for six hours.
9. Remove the side and serve.

SERVES: 8-10

NOTES: This serves fine as is, but some fruit would be great either just fresh or cooked down to a sauce. Of course when you do that, you can also sprinkle some chopped nuts if you wish.

 

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Boston Creme Cake

Okay, let’s start with the name. This is not a pie. Why Bostonians call it a pie is not worth trying to figure out. It uses cake pans. It makes a cake. You put some pudding between (pastry creme actually) and then a ganache over the top. It’s a cake by any rational definition.

So no more calling it a Boston Creme Pie.

So next.

This takes time. Sorry but it’s true. Not as much as you might think, but you do have to make pastry cream for the filling. But ganaches are easy.

It is my husband’s favorite thing–outside of me that is. I make him one in a blue moon, whether the moon is actually blue or not. Ain’t he lucky? So do make it. It’s very good. This recipe comes straight from Joy of Cooking. I’ve never found a better one. Enough said.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CAKE:

• 2 1/2 c cake flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 sticks of butter
• 8 lg egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp grated lemon rind
• 3/4 c milk

INGREDIENTS FOR THE PASTRY CREME:

• 1/3 c sugar
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 4 lg egg yolks
• 1 2/3 c milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

INGREDIENTS FOR THE GANACHE:

• 3/4 c heavy cream
• 8 oz semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Grease and flour 3 cake pans (you will only use 2 layers, freeze the third for another use). Note that I use vegetable shortening to grease my pans. Butter has water and it bleeds out during the baking, and leaves the bottom soggy.
2. Sift together the dry ingredients, three times
3. In a mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar in a stream and beat until light and fluffy.
4. In a second bowl, beat the egg yolks, vanilla, and lemon zest until pale yellow.
5. Add the egg mixture to the butter along with the flour, alternating in thirds.
6. Add the milk, just stirring it it until smooth.
7. Divide the batter between the three pans, and bake in a 375° oven for 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out dry. Cool in pans for about 10 minutes and then place on racks to cool completely.
8. For the pastry cream: beat at high speed the sugar, flour, cornstarch and 4 egg yolks until thick and pale.
9. In a saucepan, bring the milk to a low simmer. Ladle about a half cup of the milk to the egg mixture and stir, then turn all into the  sauce pan and cook, whisking constantly until mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Cook for one minute more. Remove to a bowl, add the vanilla and cover the surface with Saran to keep a skin from forming. Cool completely.
10. For the ganache: Bring the cream just to a boil and then add the chopped chocolate, stirring until the chocolate melts. Cool until it reaches a just barely pourable state.
11. Assemble: Place a layer of the cake on a serving dish. Put all the pastry cream on the top, spreading evenly. Add the second layer. Pour the ganache in the center, and let it drip over the edges, guiding it with a pastry knife.

SERVES: 8

NOTES: You can use various cakes, I like the Gold Cake from Joy. You can use a sponge cake which is more difficult to handle but probably is more authentic. The extra layer will hold nicely for a good three months in the freeze, and can make a quick dessert with some fresh berries, or some frosting to make half a cake. Or save another third layer and you have a whole cake already made!

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Espresso and Mascarpone Icebox Pie

You can call this a cake or a pie. It seems more pie-ish to me than cake-ish but whatever. The recipe comes from Epicurious and they call it a cake. I think I’ll call it a pie just to be churlish and argumentative.

This is actually super easy to make and my husband loved it, a good reason to make it often.

This actually works pretty well in a springform pan which is called for. I couldn’t find the Nabisco chocolate wafers so I substituted something similar. I think you could play with that easily enough. Oreos (center removed) would work too I think.

This is a great little dessert for company because it looks extravagant and great for summer dining as well.

Hope you enjoy it.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 c heavy cream
• 1/2 c + 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 c mascarpone cheese (about 90z container)
• a box of chocolate wafers (you probably won’t use all)
• 1 tbsp  instant-espresso powder

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Beat 2 of the cups of cream and 6 tbsp of the sugar until it reaches soft peaks.
2. Add the mascarpone and combine until mixed.
3. Spread 1  1/4 c of this mixture alone the bottom of a springform pan ( 9 1/2″)
4. Cover with one layer of the wafers–you can overlap if needed or not. It’s not essential that the layer be completely covered.
5. Cover with another 1 1/4 c of the mascarpone followed by another layer of wafers.
6. Top with remaining mascarpone mix.
7. Spread top evenly and then cover with foil and freeze for at least one hour.
8. Remove to fridge and chill for eight hours.
9. Beat the remaining 1 c of cream, espresso powder, and remaining 3 tbsp of sugar until stiff peaks are formed.
10. Spread on the top of the pie.  (You can remove the springform and “frost” the sides if you wish, but I wouldn’t do this unless you are expecting the entire thing to be eaten at one sitting.)
11. Crush some wafers if you have more left and sprinkle over the top.
12. Remove springform and slice. (If you are not eating it all, the springform fits back on fairly easily and then you can still foil the top and keep in fridge for a couple of days.)

SERVES: 8

NOTES: You can change up the cookies you use of course, but espresso does go well with chocolate so I don’t think I would deviate too far from that. Chocolate chip might be interesting, but I would definitely use home-made. It’s worth it here.