Winter Skies, Kitchen Aglow

The theme of this month's Weekend Cookbook Challenge, as hosted by Sara at i like to cook, is Show and Tell, for which one is to describe a cookery book from one's collection. This month's book that I am accessing for this challenge is an anomaly in my collection. As much as I love single-subject cookery books, I usually steer clear of any books along the vein of "101 Ways with..." because I generally find them to be badly written and haphazardly collected. However, Tom Douglas' I Love Crab Cakes is not tacky, despite the multicoloured font on the cover.

It was my angelheart Eric who (finally) turned me on to crab cakes this year, and they are now my usual entree/appetizer. It was at the end of last year that I started to eat crab again, on account of the thick and sweet meat of Alaskan King crab. Before then, no crab meat had passed my lips for 16 or so years as puberty prompted a disavowal of all seafood. I have had different and many riffs on crab cakes, from those with loads of lump crab meat, some filled with a combination of lump crab meat and corn, and (the worst ones) consisting of more filler than crab meat.

To my mind, the best crab cakes have barely any filler other than lump crab meat (which is from the body of the blue crab). I say 'barely' because I want more in my binding ingredients than egg yolk, canola oil and Old Bay seasoning. In our quest over the last week to make the most simple yet perfect tasting crab cakes, my angelheart Eric and I have gone through (and subjected others to) three pounds/1 1/2kgs of lump crab meat (one pound fresh, two pounds pasteurised) and many cups of breadcrumbs and panko to decide how we best like a straight-forward crab cake, specifically Tom Douglas' Chesapeake Bay Classic Crab Cakes.

The main reason this book doesn't fall into the "tacky" category of made-for-a-quick-buck-cookery books is the author's perspective. Before settling in Seattle, a gorgeous city on the Pacific Northwest coast, Tom Douglas was raised in the mid-Atlantic, the home of crab cakes. Additionally, in this book there is sufficient information regarding which crab meats work best for crab cakes, and Mr. Douglas succinctly explains how to form, dredge, and cook them. There is also an explanation of the key larder and other comestible items largely used. I learned about Old Bay seasoning, a traditional fish seasoning that is used all over the Atlantic states. If you do not have it to hand, use any fish seasoning and supplement the ingredients you are lacking by using - or follow outright - Aliza Green's recipe. Concerning the recipes, the book is split into the following chapters: American Crab Cakes, Global/New Wave Crab Cakes, Brunch and Breakfast Crab Cakes, Crab Cake Sandwiches, Cool Crab Cakes, and Sauces and Salsas.

This recipe uses one pound of lump crab meat and makes approximately eight crab cakes. You will find our preferred substitutions in the ingredients' lists and Mr. Douglas' suggestions in parentheses. Before using any crab meat, drain it in a sieve and squeeze out any excess liquid while simultaneously combing through for any remaining cartilage or shell. Regarding the method of frying, butter is problematic because one wants the temperature high enough to fry, but butter does not have a high burning point. Combine butter and olive oil for both flavour and a high burning point, or you could just use olive oil, as we did. The remoulade recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups, so there will be leftovers, perfect for spreading on slices of bread when having steak sandwiches, as one would with mustard or mayo (at least, that is something I did with the leftovers).

Chesapeake Bay Classic Crab Cakes with Spicy Remoulade Sauce
(Adapted from Tom Douglas' I Love Crab Cakes)

For the crab cakes, you need:

1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar (or cider vinegar)
1/2 cup canola oil (or peanut oil)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
2 tablespoons tarragon (or 1 tablespoon scallions/green onions, minced)
1 pound/1/2kg lump crab meat, fresh or pasteurised
3 cups bread crumbs (fresh, or use 4 cups if not using panko)
1 cup panko
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil (or butter, or a half-and-half combination of both)

1) In a blender or with a whisk, process egg yolk, Old Bay seasoning, mustard, lemon zest and juice, and vinegar until smooth.
2) Slowly pour in the oil (with the machine running, if using a blender) until the mixture emulsifies, forming a mayonnaise.
3) Season with salt and pepper.
4) Fold in the tarragon and crabmeat until well combined.
5) Combine bread crumbs, panko, and parsley in a shallow bowl.
6) Form crab cakes by quickly tossing them in the palms of your hands, as you would a meat patty, or use an ice cream scoop of 2 ounces to collect your crab meat. You can also lightly pick up 1/4 cup of crab meat with your fingers to form crab cakes. To dredge, either scoop the meat onto the bread crumb mixture and push crumbs around the cakes, or you can flip the meat in the bread crumb mixture, nudging it around the sides as well. The crab cakes should not be larger than 3" wide and 3/4" inch high.
7) Refrigerate, covered, on a bed of the bread crumb mixture for 30 minutes to one hour. If you are using panko, I do not suggest leaving the crab cakes to sit in the fridge for more than 30 minutes as the crab meat actually absorbs some of the bread crumb mixture.
8) In a 10" cast iron or stainless steel skillet/frying pan over medium heat, pour in two tablespoons olive oil.
9) Pat off excess bread crumbs and place 4 crab cakes in the skillet. Lightly fry until done (internal temperature should be 155 F), approximately 4 minutes per side. Turn carefully with a spatula as the interior is moist and fragile.

For the remoulade, you need:

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons prepared horseradish (use one tablespoon if you want it mild)
1 tablespoon shallot, minced
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce (or ketchup)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teapoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes (or 1 teaspoon Tobasco sauce)
1/2 teapoon garlic, minced
kosher salt

1) Put all ingredients into a bowl with the mayonnaise going first, forming a bed for the others.
2) Stir to combine.
3) Season with salt to taste.
4) Store in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to serve.

There are endless variations on crab cakes and serving sauces, and Tom Douglas provides recipes to suit all tastes. I may next try one from the Global/New Wave Crab Cakes chapter in which crab cakes are made using fresh ginger and are coated with coconut - perfect for a Kiwi Summer barbeque. Presently, I prefer this classic American crab cake with an intense and sweet crab taste, highlighted by the herbs and made piquant with the remoulade. Of course, you could always dip them in a cocktail sauce, but I adore the spiciness of horseradish. We served our crab cakes with lamb's lettuce (mâche), providing a mild and velvety contrast to the crab cakes when not smothered with remoulade.

Labels: Crab, crab cakes, Horseradish, Remoulade, Tom Douglas, Weekend Cookbook Challenge

  Happy New Year!

For most westerners, New Year's Day is usually the day in which the point is to rid oneself of his or her hangover. Following that, one usually commits to fulfilling as many of the new year's resolutions made the night before as possible. Remarkably, the fridge is cleaned, the dirty laundry is off the floor, the blinds are dusted...And that's usually where the enthusiasm for the do-good resolutions ends - if not then, certainly within a couple of weeks thereafter. This year I decided not to make any resolutions. In fact, if anything, my angelheart Eric and I had a lunch of utter decadence to celebrate this New Year's Day, the diametric opposite to what the beginning of the new year is for most people: diets and exercise. Truthfully, I do enough exercise for me (yoga four times a week), and though I do not always eat sensibly, I do not usually overeat except on occasions (not the orthodox ones, mind you; usually, the occasions are "because I feel like it", "you're not the boss of me", and "I've been good all week").

Today's special lunch, laissez-faire table-setting aside, was all for the occasion of "because we feel like it". We rarely spend the first day of the new year on our own, so it was a real treat to leisurely play in the kitchen together.

The Alaskan Colossal Sea Crab has the biggest legs you ever did see on a crab with very sweet and substantial meat, which is usually best dipped into a hot sauce or a melted compound butter (ours had chopped parsley). Simply, one need do no more than boil the legs in salted water with half a lemon for approximately 10 minutes.

As for the eggs benedict, they have always been a favorite start to the morning for me. I had never made them before today, but I wanted them anyway. I'm sure no one needs a recipe for these, but I consulted Nigella Lawson's How To Eat for her hollandaise sauce, adjusted the recipe for two, and made the sauce accordingly. I love hollandaise for both its sharpness and richness, but it is fairly flexible in that you can use more or less lemon juice according to your own penchant or dislike for a citrus spike.

Hollandaise Sauce
(from Nigella Lawson's How To Eat)

1 stick of butter (113 grams), cubed
2 egg yolks
juice of 1/4 of 1 lemon
salt and pepper

1) Put egg yolks in a bowl and place bowl over another bowl (or pan) into which 1 inch (2.5cm) of water has been placed. The bowl containing the yolks should not touch the water.
2) As the water is getting to a simmer, whisk yolks constantly.
3) When the water is simmering, gradually whisk the butter into the egg yolks one cube at a time.
4) When the sauce is thick, add the lemon juice, then salt and pepper to taste, whisking all the time.
5) Place the bowl into another bowl or pan, this time containing tepid water, and this time the bowl containing the sauce can touch the water (the purpose is to keep the sauce warm).
6) Before serving, beat the eggs again as it may separate out a bit in the warming process. If curdling occurs, put an ice cube in the sauce and whisk it in to bring down the temperature.

My hint for poached eggs comes from the much adored (by me, anyway) "basics" section at the back of Gary Rhodes' The Cookery Year. Fill up a deep saucepan with water (or replace one-third of the water with vinegar) and bring it to a rapid boil. When it is boiling, use the end of a wooden spoon to create a circular motion in the water. Drop the eggs in one at a time. The spinning water will cause the egg whites to collect and settle around the yolks. If you are a little timid, spiral then drop one egg in, spiral again then drop another egg in, etc. Or you could just do one at a time, transfering each poached egg to a plate as you go. In that case, if you want to reheat them, bring water to rapid boil again, then drop the poached eggs in for one minute.

I do not advocate this as a lunch for anyone on a regular basis. It was all too rich for us, but we didn't care. It may indeed clog our arteries for a while (lots of egg yolks and butter, in addition to whatever cholesterol is increased on account of eating the crab), but that is a consequence with which we can live. The champagne that we had with the crab and eggs benedict made for cleaning and drying the palate between flavorful mouthfuls, allowing for transcendental enjoyment of each decadent mouthful.


May you have a happy, peaceful, and prosperous new year.

Labels: Crab, Gary Rhodes, Holidays, New Year, Nigella Lawson