Thanksgiving Leftovers

Yesterday Thanksgiving crab feast. 

Today crab cakes with sweet corn.

Though the crab has changed I still make the recipe of my Maryland childhood. For every pound of crab I use 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, 1 lightly beaten egg, 1/2 tsp dry mustard or 1 TB dijon , 1/2 - 1 tsp old bay seasoning to taste, 1 TB Worcestershire sauce, a splash of hot sauce and about 1 cup of crushed saltine crackers. Today I added corn cut from yesterday's leftover ears. 

I mix together all the wet ingredients then fold in the crab (and corn) and the crackers. Let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes for the crackers to soak up some of the moisture and then form into  cakes -- about 8 per pound of meat.

Chill the patties for about an hour before pan frying in butter or oil for 4 minutes or so on a side.

Today I was in a hurry and didn't want to wait for the cakes to firm up in the fridge so I coated each one in panko bread crumbs to help them hold together in the pan.  That last bit was only moderately successful. James didn't seem to mind.

Our Traditional Thanksgiving

James doesn't really like turkey. He figures 50 (or so or more over the years) is all any person needs to eat and so we've decided to move onto our own favorites. Okay -- if we have guests we still pull out all the stops and make turkey with all the trimmings (and I love doing it) -- a spread that could make a pilgrim blush. But, when it's just the two of us, as it is this year, we have our own tradition.

November marks the start of Dungeness crab season in Northern California. Though I grew up on summers filled with Eastern blue crab, as a Californian now I think my heart belongs to the winter crab. 

Our homemade Thanksgiving tradition is roasted Dungeness crab, crusty bread, roasted red potatoes, and because James loves it (if we can find it) corn on the cob.

To make the crab marinade, in the food processor  I blend together toasted, crushed fennels seeds (2tsp), parsley (1 bunch), thyme (3-4 sprigs), garlic (2 cloves), red pepper flakes (1 tsp), and plenty of olive oil (2/3 cup). Tossed in the flavorful mixture our crab sits in the fridge for a couple hours waiting to be roasted for just 20 minutes at 400º. I half-bake the potatoes so I can just toss them on the baking tray with the crab to soak up a little extra flavor.

To be honest I miss the big day of cooking. So this year, instead of buying our favorite bread from MH Bread and Butter in San Anselmo I added a little fun project for me and whipped up a couple toasty baguettes. Lately I've been using a simple recipe based on one from Daniel Leader's Bread Alone, at least as reported by Farmgirl Fare. Pretty easy, pretty foolproof, and still impressive.

 For dessert, though it's kind of a joke for us, sweet potato pie. James used to call me sweet potato pie and I hang onto the pie tradition I guess as a nod to the old days -- oh, and because it's delicious. Yes I know, it's uber-pinteresty and too cute for words but I still love the mason jar pie. These little jars make a perfect single serving, store easily, and can be ready in a flash when James just needs a little pie.
Pie crust? I've been making the same one for years. It's flaky, rich, and it never fails. 2 cups flour, 12 TB butter, 3 TB lard, 1 TB sugar, 1/2 tsp salt pulsed together in the food processor until -- as they say -- it resembles coarse sand. Then I sprinkle in 3-3 1/2 TB ice water and pulse till the dough just starts to pull away from the sides of the container. The dough chills, wrapped in wax paper and plastic for at least an hour.
I blind bake the little crusts in my jars for 15 minutes at 375º and then add my filling -- 3 cups mashed roasted sweet potato (I pop them in the oven the night before then peel and mash when it's time for pie). 3 eggs, 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk (the extra is awesome in morning coffee),  1 cup sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, a splash of vanilla extract, a pinch of salt and 2 TB melted butter all mixed together, spooned into the waiting crusts and baked for about 25 minutes at 375º.
James may forget why I make them, but he loves that I make them.
Happy Thanksgiving 2016. Another traditional untraditional year.

Crab For Christmas Eve

We're continuing with our self-created tradition of dungeness crab for the winter holidays. Tonight out of the shell and folded into a creamy béchamel for a white lasagna accented with grassy, sweet (easy melting) fontina cheese.
Be assured this dish fits squarely in the tastes better than it looks category but honestly I was too anxious to get James' entree to the table to try out other poses. In this baked pasta, layers of egg noodles alternate with a rosemary and thyme infused béchamel, dungeness crab meat and fontina cheese -- topped (just before serving) with a pan roast of fresh mushrooms. It's the kind of dish I couldn't find time to make everyday and that's exactly what I try to do for the holidays.
For some busy families just cooking and sitting together at the table is a holiday only event. We sit down to a home cooked meal just about every night. So to make a night feel more like Christmas I venture out to recipes with multiple steps, meals served in courses and homemade desserts (not to mentioned super-luxe ingredients)
Santa won't get any trouble from us. We'll be tucked away in a happy crab coma while reindeer take their annual ride.
Merry Christmas to All! Merry Christmas, Goodnight!

Happy New Year!

Another winter holiday, another delicious crab feed -- our new holiday tradition. This time at friends' lovely Glen Ellen pool side party barn complete with outdoor heaters, crackling fire pit and starry dark sky.

Delicious Donation

An oddity of Northern California. I'm sure this may happen in other areas where dungeness crab is king but here in Norcal during our highly anticipated crab season up crop a bevy of crab feeds -- all you can eat events that raise money for community causes, businesses, schools or other assuredly worth causes.
Last night we headed to nearby Rohnert Park for the Chamber of Commerce's annual event where we were served steamed shrimp by the little berg's mayor,  filled plates with pasta, garlic bread and salad and tried to save room for the main event. Dozens and dozens of delicious crabs hot from the pot.
So often dungeness crab is served cold but piping hot and fresh cooked is nothing short of a taste revelation. We love the winter months.

Brought Home In A Box

I guess it's not quite carry out if dinner flew across the country. On my way to the airport I couldn't not bring James a taste of Maryland so my closest crab shack/ seafood carry out was good enough to wrap up tasty crab cakes (out of season winter cakes though they were) with a cooler and gel packs for the long ride home to dungeness country. Quickly pan fried with crispy potatoes and super spicy homemade cocktail sauce (ketchup, horseradish, siracha, lemon juice, S&P) we had a tasty East coast dinner in our California kitchen.

Why Haven't I Seen These Before?

I like to think this amazing idea was the pet project of some slightly mad gluttonous crab lover (like me) working away in his secluded kitchen. But in fact I've now seen these crab topped pretzels in more than one Maryland location. The soft East coast style pretzels are topped with a loose crab topping -- more like a crab imperial than a crab dip. The whole deliciousness is baked in the oven so the pretzel is warm  (and a bit crisp if you are lucky) and the topping bubbling.
Two East coast favorites in one dish. Why didn't I think of this?

A Tradition Is Born

If you've been checking here for me, you can see I have not been cooking. james and I have been traveling for two weeks literally crossing paths in airports as we head to opposite destinations.
Tonight we needed something special, a little treat.
Dungeness crab season is open here in Norcal and fish markets and grocery stores are stuffed full of fresh cooked, plump, meaty, delicious crab. The season here is so celebrated that besides local calendars boasting a plethora of charity crab feeds for every local cause (Sons of Italy, fire departments, Lions, etc) many locals include the delicacy as part of their Thanksgiving menu. Most people serve the steamed crabs cold, cleaned and cracked, along with cocktail or maybe a mayonnaise based dipping sauce.
At our house we elaborate on an idea from San Francisco chef Reed Hearon and marinate our crustaceans in fennel seeds, chili flakes, parsley, thyme, garlic and olive oil and roast them in a 400º oven. Spicy warm delicious. Make plenty of bread and potatoes for soaking up the delicious sauce.
We've decided -- this is our night before dinner.

Blackrock Seafood

Driving across Washington's route 20 towards Fidalgo Island a small black and white billboard advertised crabs, oysters, and prawns. Of course I followed the signs that led me through a residential neighborhood to a fisherman's house with a small storefront attached.

 Inside I found the fisherman's wife and daughter (and the man himself) presiding over a couple cold cases filled with crabs, mussels, oysters, shrimp, salmon and more.

I with local smoked oysters and a weighty dungeness crab. I'k be back tomorrow for fresh caught prawns.

An Old Favorite For Christmas Eve

I finally made it home today. And so, coming so close to the holiday I wanted something simple and still special for James' dinner. We love crabs. It's crab season. Christmas and crabs.

I marinated halved and cracked crabs in a paste made from toasted fennel seeds, parsley, crushed red peppers, garlic, thyme and olive oil. After a couple hours in the fridge I popped the crabs in a 400º oven for 15 minutes. For a holiday twist after five minutes in the oven I added in a handful of fresh clams to pop open in the oven and share the flavorful marinade.
For dessert, still waiting for James is a simple apple (from our tree), raisin, and cranberry crisp. Just waiting for a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Crabcakes and Steamed Shrimp

A dinner I called, "things to eat with cocktail sauce."

At some point in the summer, though it was now many years ago, I start to miss the summer foods of my youth. For much of the country that might be burgers and hot dogs grilled to a char, for me, and probably many of the kids who grew up near the bay on the Atlantic side of the country summer means crabs -- Crabcakes, steamed crabs, crab imperial, crab fluff. Well, I suppose we thought about crabs all year but in summer the little blue "bugs" that part of the world stakes it's pride on come into season and what spends all year as a mild crab fever becomes an all out frenzy in Maryland. Through the years gazing out on the Pacific side I've become quite the fan of Dungeness crab (the winter crab treat), but when the weather gets warm, sooner or later, it's gotta be blue crab, beautiful swimmers as their Latin name aptly describes.

Tonight I satisfied a little hometown fever with plump crab cakes (blue crab, mayo, egg, cracker crumbs, tabasco, worcestershire, old bay, mustard) and tangy, horseradishy cocktail sauce. Not quite a down home tradition, but just the way James likes it.

Mixed By Hand, Crisped In A Pan

Every now and then a girl has to do something a little special. I wanted a dinner that would make james happy so I rounded up a few of his favorite ingredients. First layer; arugula avocado and bacon salad lightly dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. Center stage; dungeness crabcakes. the crab may be West coast but the recipe is all East, flavored with dry mustard, Old Bay, tabasco, and bound with just the barest amount of cracker crumbs. The cakes were lightly fried in peanut oil and butter (in the same pan where I fried the bacon) for just the right bit of crunch.

Alas, the crowning touch -- I forgot the cocktail sauce with no horseradish or ketchup in the house. A good excuse to make crabcakes another night.

Crab Cakes

Roasted crab one day usually means crab cakes are sure to follow -- that is if we have any left over. I picked (as we say back home) the rest of the crab and came up with a nice little pile of meat ready to be folded into crispy crab cakes. Being a Maryland girl I have a good bit of experience with this hometown favorite and didn't alter the recipe too much to make up for the Dungeness instead of blue crab. I mixed up a tsp of mustard and good shake of old bay seasoning, a dash of tabasco, a splash of Worcestershire sauce, an egg (I don't use eggs with Blue Crab -- not sure why), chopped parsley, and a couple TB of mayonnaise (don't tell James -- he loves crab cakes but thinks he hates mayo). The crab meat along with some bread crumbs (I usually use cracker crumbs and just the bare minimum possible) was folded into the waiting sauce and I formed the mixture into neat little cakes. For blue crab cakes I pan fry them just as is but for these Dungeness cakes I padded the outside with Panko bread crumbs for extra crunch. From what I read online it seems to be the usual method for West Coast crab.

After I fried the cakes in a mixture of peanut oil and butter I laid them on a bed of lettuce, next to fried potatoes and topped them with a spoonful of homemade tangy cocktail sauce.

"Honey," James said while still swallowing his first few bites. "You're going to have to make these again."

Pasta Dinner

"Hamburger Helper, Honey?" James said as he sat down to dinner. I figured he was just trying to rattle me a bit and then I glanced back and well -- it did kind of look like those skillet dinners. Little did he know it was fresh crab meat with pancetta in an olive oil, butter and wine sauce. After that first bite I didn't hear any more about the box from the friendly hand.

Vacation Dinner

Miles away from home on the first day of our vacation.
Nothing to think about but the wind and the water and what to have for dinner.
Just off the ferry we popped into the grocery store on our beloved Island and came up with fresh dungeness crab plucked from the still icy Puget Sound waters, With onion, garlic, locally made butter, and plenty of broth that quickly became a "luxurious" (that's what James called it), easy crab meat risotto.
For a little peppery crunch I topped the rice with a salad of upland cress (watercress' dry land cousin -- quite a surprise to find in the store), Parmesan cheese (no apologies to supposed Italian purists) and tangy balsamic vinaigrette.
That's our kind of island style.

Tony's Seafood

More Marin food travels.
There is something I love about Tony's Seafood. I don't think it's the food. The slightly battered seaside roadhouse has been serving up fresh seafood (well some of it) since the late 40's.

There is a trick to Tony's. Don't waver, stay strong, only order two things. The barbecued oysters, a bit tangy a bit sweet and covered in melted butter and chopped garlic come steaming hot off the grill 5 to a flimsy paper plate. The cracked dungeness crab -- when they have it (it's not really on the menu but ask for it), pretty much late November to late May, is perfectly cooked, expertly cracked and delicious.

You can look at the specials or the rest of the menu but pretty much it's a non chain Long John Silver's -- a seafood denny's at best. Stick to the real deal.

Hometown Favorite

About 2 months ago the Hungry Cat in Hollywood had their last crab feast of the summer. The chef/ owner, like me, is from Maryland and for us crabs are a summer ritual -- nay a summer necessity. So, we splurged (actually we ended up being treated by our dear friend Shari -- I happily stuck her with the pick up and ended up profiting in two ways :-)) and carried out a couple dozen for a Franklin Hills crab feast complete with steamed corn and newspaper covered tables. I get pretty excited when there are crabs on the table and I generally don't stop to open the claws. As any good Marylander would, I save them (tucked away in the freezer usually) for the follow up pot of crab soup.

Instead of starting my soup with water, as many hometown cooks do, I made a quick crab stock with the claws and a bit of reserved crab fat simmered for 30 minutes with onion, celery, chopped tomatoes, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and thyme. I made the stock the day before. When it was time for dinner, I added cubed potatoes, chopped green beans, frozen peas, lima beans (some frozen and some fresh from our garden), onion, celery, carrot, fresh corn kernels, worcestershire sauce, old bay, dry mustard, red pepper flakes and a can (home canned of course) of tomatoes to the drained stock. I brought that to a boil and allowed to simmer slowly for 30 minutes. I added in a pound of crab meat and let the pot to bubble slowly about 30 minutes longer.

With plenty of crackers and a side salad, beautiful swimmers make a beautiful, easy dinner.

Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head? Bad Advice!

While surfing and searching for food options in Toronto I came across a picture (well, actually it was linked by my friend Sha) of this dish -- Vancouver (Dungeness) Crab Steamed in Lotus Leaf over Seafood Fried Rice. The delicate meat stays tender and sweet while the fat from the crab adds flavor to the rice. The LA area has some of the best Chinese food in North America. But I've never seen anything like this. Lo and behold Xam Yu was walking distance from our hotel and steamed crab along with tender sautéed pea greens became Saturday lunch.