Crab Cake Eggs Benedict

I love crab cakes and I love Eggs Benedict so the thought of combining both of them had me hooked.  I made some simple crab cakes which I baked in the oven and placed them on a bed of sauteed spinach.  The crab cakes were then topped with a perfectly poached egg and finally smothered with Hollandaise sauce.  YUM!

Crab Cake Eggs Benedict
Makes 4 Crab Cakes

For the crab cakes:
12 ounces fresh lump crab meat
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon minced chives
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of sea salt
A few drops (or more) of your favorite hot sauce

Spinach
Ghee, Coconut oil or olive oil

For the Hollandaise Sauce:
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or other fat of your choice)
2 tablespoons hot water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper

For the poached eggs:
4 eggs
1 tablespoon white vinegar

For the crab cakes:
Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, crumble in the crab meat, picking through to pick out any shells ad break apart into small pieces.

Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well.

Make small cakes by using a ring mold or by simply forming them into small patties firmly with your fingers.

Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until the tops start to turn a light golden brown.

While the crab cakes are cooking, saute some spinach in some ghee or coconut oil and set aside.

For the Hollandaise Sauce:
In a double boiler or medium metal mixing bowl, gently whisk the egg yolks.
continue whisking the yolks while adding the hot water, oil/fat, lemon juice, salt and cayenne pepper to the bowl.  Place the double boiler or metal bowl over boiling water (not in the boiling water if using a bowl) just set the bowl over the simmering water so the steam hits the bottom of the bowl, not the water.  Whisk constantly until the sauce begins to thicken (about 30 seconds to 1 minute).

Poach the eggs:
 Bring a pan of water to a gentle simmer, add the tablespoon of vinegar.  Break each egg into a liquid measuring cup or a custard cup.  Gently slip the egg into the water by holding the custard close to the water and just tipping the cup so the egg gently tumbles into the water.  Poach at a bare simmer for 4 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon and gently dry with a folded paper towel.

To plate:
Start with a spoonful of the cooked spinach, top with a crab cake, top with a poached egg, and finally spoon some of the sauce on top.


From Everyday Paleo

Our rating:

1/2

Mini Cream Cheese Crab Cakes

For those of you who have been following my blog, you know my recent delight with crab meat.  I love crab cakes and dishes made with crab meat and have often been disappointed with the quality of the seafood.  Within the past year, I found that buying jumbo lump crab meat at Central Market gave me superb results and buying crab meat from a little street side fish market in Port Aransas, also brought me wonderful results.  This week we tried a few fish items from our local grocery store and since all the fish we purchased was quite fresh, I decided to try the crab meat.  Once again the results were good but not as spectacular as I would have hoped.  It all comes down to the impeccable freshness of the ingredients.  I will try this recipe again with better crab meat since I believe the recipe to be sound.

Mini Cream Cheese Crab Cakes
Makes 24

6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, divided
1 large egg
1/4 cup sour cream, light or full fat
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, plus more for garnish
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more to taste
8 ounces fresh lump or special crabmeat, picked over, patted dry if overly wet
1 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs, divided
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan, melted
Lemon wedges
Tabasco

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand held mixer until smooth.  Add 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and egg; beat to blend.  Beat in sour cream, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of chives, salt, and cayenne pepper.  Fold in crabmeat.  (Mixture can be made 1 day ahead; cover and refrigerate).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Generously butter a 24-cup mini muffin pan; set aside .

In a medium bowl, toss together the panko, the remaining Parmesan, and the remaining 2 tablespoons chopped chives.  Drizzle the 5 tablespoons of melted butter over, tossing with a fork until evenly moistened.  Press 1 tablespoon of the panko mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup, pressing down with the back of the tablespoon forming a shallow cup.  Divide the crab mixture (about 1 tablespoon) evenly into each muffin cup.  Sprinkle the remaining panko mixture over each cup.

Bake crab cakes until golden on top and set, about 30 minutes.  Cool in the pan for 5 minutes.  Run a knife around each cake and gently life out of the pan.  (Crab cakes can be made 2 hours ahead.  arrange on a baking sheet; let stand at room temperature.  Rewarm in a 350 degree oven for 6-8 minutes)

Arrange crab cakes on a serving platter; garnish with chives.  Serve with lemon wedges and Tabasco.

Recipe from The Galley Gourmet.net

Our rating:

Crab Cakes

I am a huge fan of a good crab cake but the problem is they often don't live up to my expectations.  I am very cautious when ordering them in a restaurant unless I have a first hand recommendation from someone I know well.  A fishy tasting, dry crab cake is just not a fun thing to eat.  I am in heaven, however, when I find a good one.  I have had the same problem with trying to make them at home for a couple of reasons.  The first issue is with the crab meat which must be impeccably fresh (grocery store containers haven't cut it until now).  The crab meat I used tonight was from Central Market which I bought on June 29 (our anniversary).  I had used a little bit of it that night and stuck the rest in the freezer.  Imagine my delight when I realized this crab meat was just as delicious as the first night we had some.  The other key to a good crab cake is the binding ingredients and this recipe was just right.  It had the usual breadcrumbs and green specks of scallions and parsley, but it was held together by a mixture of heavy cream and eggs.  It might sound unusual, but trust me, it worked.

I served these with what we call "Pink Sauce" which is a combination of mayonnaise and chili sauce mixed together.  We often used this as a dipping sauce for vegetables as well.  I also served the rest of the French green beans that I had made the night before.

Crab Cakes
Makes 4 servings

3-4 slices French or Italian bread
Panko bread crumbs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup green onions, minced
1 pound fresh lump crabmeat
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 eggs
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Lemon wedges for serving

Remove the crusts from the bread and discard.  Cut or tear the bread into small pieces and put into a food processor fitted with the metal blade or into a blender.  Pulse a few times to make coarse crumbs.  Measure breadcrumbs and add enough Panko breadcrumbs if necessary to total 2 cups of bread crumbs.

In a small saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter.  Add the green onions and saute until softened, 1 to 2 minutes.  Add the onions to the breadcrumbs along with the crab meat and parsley.  Mix well.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the cream and eggs until well blended.  Whisk in the lemon juice, mustard, salt and cayenne pepper.  Slowly add to the crab mixture, stirring continuously so the breadcrumbs are evenly moistened.  Gently form into 8 or 9 oval or round cakes about 1 inch thick (I used a 1/3 cup measuring cup and liked the size of these cakes).  Put the flour on a plate or on a piece of waxed paper.  Lightly and evenly coat each crab cake with the flour, shaking off the excess.

In a large saute pan or fry pan over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter with 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil.  When hot, fry the first batch of cakes, turning once, until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side.  Repeat procedure with remaining butter and oil to fry remaining cakes.  Transfer to a warmed plate and keep warm until all the cakes are cooked.  Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Slightly adapted from Annie's Eats

My rating:

Willamette Valley

After spending a couple of weeks in the Portland area, we decided to explore the Willamette valley for a bit.  We have tried several Willamette Valley wines over the years and since we are now in the area we knew we had to explore the area.  Willamette valley is known for its Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris wines and make a variety of other really good wines.  We found a RV park that is located in the heart of the Willamette valley and appropriately named Willamette Wine Country RV Park since there are almost 200 wineries in this particular valley. 

 We visited the Willamette Valley Vineyards tasting room and had a tasting flight which was a fun way to spend an hour or so.  The wines were wonderful and we walked away with 4 bottles of wine.  

We drove through the countryside on Saturday on our way to Salem to explore the city a little and just stumbled across the Willamette Valley Cheese Company.  This cheese company was in the middle of the countryside with the cows close enough to see and touch.  We did a tasting of several cheeses and they were all fabulous.  We ended up leaving with three different cheeses, a creamy Havarti, a toasted cumin Gouda, and a raw milk Cheddar.  We are looking forward to a cheese and wine tasting evening. 

We also explored an actual vineyard and tasting room and from the numerous ones available, we chose to visit Anne Amie Vineyards and Tasting room in Carlton which is just around the corner from our RV park.  There is something very satisfying about seeing the vineyards from where the wine is coming from.  We did a tasting flight at this vineyard as well and walked away with another bottle of Pinot Noir.  The vineyards and tasting room were lovely with a view of the Cascade Mountains in the background from the vineyards.

For dinner on Saturday night we decided to try a local restaurant called Red Hills Provincial Dining which was just around the corner from our RV park.  Their philosophy is to use locally grown produce and meats and highlight the meal with locally produced wines.  It turned out to be a wonderful evening of food and wine in a very comfortable restaurant with an attentive wait staff.

We started our meal with Shrimp Cakes for Gerry and Crab Cakes for Me.  I snapped a picture of the Crab Cakes.  We each had a glass of white wine with our appetizers, a local Chardonnay for Gerry and a Pinot Gris for me which complemented our food beautifully.

 For our entrees Gerry chose the pan seared Salmon with a Dill and Thyme Cream Sauce over Rice with a saute of fresh vegetables and he though everything was superb.  The salmon was cooked perfectly, just done so it was still moist.

 I had the Braised Short Ribs served over Polenta with the same side of sauteed vegetables which was fabulous.  The meat was fork tender and full of flavor and everything else on the plate was done to perfection.  A glass of Pinot Noir for both of us worked well with our entrees.

We actually decided to order desserts which is pretty rare for us.  Gerry opted for the local fresh Berry Cobbler topped with a homemade ice cream.

I opted for the Creme Brulee since it is one of my favorites and a test for me to see how a restaurant measures up to my standards.  This one did not disappoint.  It was a classic creme brulee, done well with a simple garnish of fresh berries.  I feel if this dessert is done well, it doesn't need to be messed with too much.  This one was done perfectly; a nice crunchy, sugary crust that needed to be broken through to get to the creamy, eggy custard underneath.  A nice fresh cup of coffee with dessert rounded out our evening.

This restaurant was in an old craftsman style house, with the original wide plank floors and the decor was done perfectly creating a delightful ambiance.  I highly recommend this restaurant!

We are looking forward to exploring this area a little more this week.

Crab, Grapefruit and Avocado Salad

The inspiration for tonight's dinner was the 1 pound container of Jumbo Lump Crab meat that I purchased from my local fish guy today.  I used half of it in the in today's featured recipe for Crab salad and I used the other half in my favorite crab cakes which recipe I have previously posted.  The crab meat was perfectly fresh and that is always the basis to a great recipe.  Start with the freshest ingredients possible to get the best possible results.  It was a thoroughly crabby evening!

Crab, Grapefruit and Avocado Salad
Makes 2 Servings

1/2 Ruby Red grapefruit
1/2 pound lump crabmeat, picked through for shells and cartilage
1 1-inch piece of a seedless cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into 1/4-ince dice
1/4 red or orange bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 scallion, white and light green parts, only, quartered lengthwise, thinly sliced
1/2 small jalapeno, very finely minced (optional)
1/2 avocado, diced, sprinkled with a little reserved grapefruit juice and seasoned with salt and pepper
About 3/4 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tabasco
Fresh lemon juice

Cut the grapefruit crosswise in half and carefully cut out the half-segments, slicing along the membranes to release the fruit.  Squeeze the juice from the hollowed-out half and keep it covered in the refrigerator (discard the rind).  Put a double layer of paper towels on a plate or cutting board and arrange the grapefruit segments on the paper.  Cover with another double layer of towels and pat the segments lightly.  Discard the paper towels, arrange the fruit on a new layer of towels, and cover again.  Let the segments sit for at least 2 hous, or for as long as 5 hours, if the towels are very wet, change them again.

When you're ready to make the salad, drain the crabmeat if necessary, turn it out onto a double thickness of paper towels, and pat it dry.  Put it in a bowl and add the cucumber, bell pepper, scallion, and jalapeno (if you're using it).

Cut the grapefruit segments into very small pieces, add them to the bowl, and using a fork (or your fingers), gently toss the ingredients together.  Don't overdo it - you want the crab to stay in largish pieces if possible.  Add  tablespoon of the oil and 1 tablespoon of the reserved grapefruit juice and season with salt and pepper and, if you'd like, a couple of shakes of Tabasco.  Add the cubed avocado seasoned with grapefruit juice and salt and pepper.  Taste the salad and decide what you'd like to add, if anything.  I usually add a squirt or two of lemon juice for extra pop, or you may need a little more oil.  Just pay attention to the amount of liquid you add - you don't want the salad to be wet.  When you've got it just the way you want it, stir in the mint and serve.

Recipe from Around my French Table

Our rating:

1/2

Simple Crab Salad

Happy Mother's Day!  This recipe made a nice lunch for my mother's day celebration.  Crab is a relatively recent food love for me.  I used to love to order crab cakes when out at restaurants but only if I knew someone who recommended them from that particular establishment, until I figured out the best places to buy packaged fresh lump crabmeat.  Now I love all things crab.  I love this particular recipe because you start with a luscious ingredient and simply toss it with a few other ingredients to create a wonderfully satisfying lunch.  Beautiful ingredients simply treated make some of the best meals.

Simple Crab Salad
Makes 2 servings

8 ounces jumbo lump crabmeat (I got mine at Costco)
1 scallion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons red pepper, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3-4 cups mixed baby salad greens
Extra virgin olive oil
Halved grape tomatoes
1 small avocado, cubed
Lemon wedges

Pick through the crabmeat in a bowl making sure there are no bits of shell.   Add red peppers, scallions, mayonnaise and 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice.  Mix everything to combine, add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.  Toss salad greens with remaining lemon juice and drizzle with olive oil just to moisten the lettuce.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Divide salad between two plates top with crabmeat and garnish with tomatoes and avocado cubes.  Serve with lemon wedges.


Slightly adapted from Nom Nom Paleo

My rating:

Pancetta Green Beans

I thoroughly enjoyed my birthday today by simply doing the things that I love.  We moved to a new location yesterday in our motor home so we are in a wooded site by Lake Lewisville.  We have the benefit of a shady site and a view of the lake.  It is a very peaceful place to spend a few days.  I started my day with breakfast followed by 2 classes of Jazzercise (which is my absolute favorite work-out routine).  I stopped at my favorite grocery store for seafood and produce (Central Market) on my way back to our RV park and picked up sushi from the market for lunch.  I watched some Netflix after my shower and then spent a couple of hours outside reading on my Kindle. 

I decided it was the perfect day for a repeat performance of the Crab Cakes I had made back in July for dinner.  This is my absolute favorite crab recipe ever!!!  We had a side of Pancetta Green Beans to go with them which is another favorite recipe since I have made these twice in the past week.

Pancetta Green Beans
Makes 2 servings

1/2 pound green beans, trimmed
1 ounce pancetta, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Walnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and fill a bowl with ice cubes and cold water.  Toss the beans into the boiling water and cook just until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.  Drain, transfer to the ice-water bath, and cool for 2 minutes, drain and pat dry.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the pancetta and saute until frizzled and crisp, about 2 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon , transfer the pancetta to a plate lined with paper towels and pat dry.  Drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet.

Return the skillet to medium heat and add the butter.  When the fat is hot, toss in the beans and cook, stirring, until heated through.  Season with salt and pepper and stir in the pancetta.  Remove from the heat and drizzle the beans with a little oil.

From Around my French Table

My rating: