Upcoming events: May 27-29, 2011 Brentwood PAL presents "Blues, Brews & BBQ's" at THE STREETS of Brentwood Kansas City Barbeque Society is sanctioning this great event. Check out the event site for more details www.palbbq.net (there will also be non-professional categories for our favorite BBQ friends). Categories include Chili, Salsa, Desserts, and more, so pull out the stops and join the fun! Any of you that enter the event qualify for a discount on items purchased at BSO2 for that contest. Please contact me for more information and check to see, we might be your competition too! Also check out our blog at www.spiceandoils.blogspot.com. June 12, we will be hosting the Contra Costa Winegrowers Association(CCWA) Summer Celebration here at the shop, food (we will be roasting a pig) and wine, talk to the wine makers and have a great time. Join us and add to the fun. We will be having a contest, bring your Mexican or Latin, side dish, appetizer or salsa. Call for details, top prize in each category. Entry into the event for participants will be free. We are hoping for200 attendees for this event so please plan to share your dishes. September 24, @nd Annual VintageFaire at BSO2; October 23 Co Co Wine Store will be hosting the CCWA Fall Celebration, keep your eye open for more info. Entry to the event will be $5 less in advance than at the door, more info next month. Tickets will be available at most all CCWA member locations and will be available at eventbright.com very soon.
Strawberries cherry and corn are just around the corner. Place your orders now for cherry pitters, corn strippers and strawberry hullers. I’m not much of a “gadget” person any more but I love these.
This Month’s Tip …Need a pastry bag and don’t have one? Take a plastic storage bag and cut the tip off to the size you need and squeeze away.
DID YOU KNOW…Saffron one of the most expensive spices, is a useful for those with irregular menstruation and menstrual pains. Take 1 cup a day unsweetened. Saffron is also prized for its aphrodisiac qualities.
De-mystifying the Dungeness Crab; We are ever so fortunate to have access to fresh seafood anytime we want. As part of this good fortune is the Dungeness crab, available most of the year the season is from November 15 thru May every year. The best crab I have ever had is live crab cooked just before we are ready to eat. No magic in this just a little garlic and lemon in the water and 15 minutes of cooking. If you are of the faint of heart, the next portion may not be for you, however if you are willing to get your hands dirty, follow along…
Before you set off on this tasteful episode, you have to learn what to look for when shopping for the perfect crustacean. As with other seafood, it should be lively, and smell like to ocean, not stinky, most fish mongers will allow you to choose the one that you want. Crab weight 1.5 to 2.5 pounds, anything on the small side is left at the time of catch, as are all females to continue to reproduce, to grow to an acceptable size. Each 2.5 pound crab should produce about a cup of meat. Though the standard rule of thumb is .25 pound of boneless meat per person, crab is a delicacy for many; no one can eat just one. In our house when we have crab we try to have a salad, bread, and steamer clams and we STILL can each eat a whole shelled crab.
Once you get your catch home, you want to keep the crab in the refrigerator until ready to cook – no tap water; they could suffocate in the tap water. Keeping them cold slows them down until you are ready to submerge them in the boiling water. Crab must be cooked the same day they are purchased and within a few hours.
The most important organ in the crustacean is what we usually call the "liver." This is the source of enzymes that flow into the digestive tube and break down ingested foods. It's thus one of the richest, most flavorful parts of the body, and is especially prized in lobster and crab. But it's also what makes crustaceans spoil so readily. The gland is made up of tiny fragile tubes; and when the animal is killed, the tubules are readily attacked and damaged by their own enzymes, which then spread into the muscle tissue and break it down into mush. There are several ways to avoid this spoilage. Lobster and crab are sold either live, their digestive system intact, or fully cooked, their enzymes inactivated by the cooking.
Cooking… find a pot large enough to hold the crab, fill with enough water to cover the crab completely when inserted. Bring the eater to a boil; add some garlic and lemon juice to brighten the flavors. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes over medium heat. When time is up remove the crab and allow to cool to a point where you can handle them. The outside of the crab will change color after about 5 minutes, don’t be fooled by the color change, it needs to go a little longer.
The next step…now we get to cleaning them
The first step is to turn the crab upside down. Then pull the tab back, next, pull the hard shell off the back by putting your thumb in the opening left by pulling the tab back. The tab will break off.
Insert your thumb and pull the body away from the “Box”. This should separate very easily.
Remove the lungs (left) and clean the inside of the crab. There is a green creamy substance, some find this something to treasure, and I just rinse it away.
The next part is to separate the two halves of the body, I hold the hollow body up and the connected back down and smack it on the side of the sink.
How to serve the wondrous crab.
Many options exist, our favorites at this point are drizzle generously with our lemon olive oil and to melt butter and dip the sweet meat into the butter. Homemade cocktail sauce from ketchup and fresh horse radish, marinade in garlic, red wine vinegar and horseradish are several options. Don’t’ be afraid to make a couple of extra crab, left over crab meat makes the best crab cakes and served or breakfast in a crab cake eggs benedict is to die for. (for pictures of this process check out our Facebook site for copies of our newsletter for April and print for your perusal).
Monthly Recipe(s)
Crab Cakes (for Eggs Benedict)
Spray
2 tsp lemon olive oil
2 scallions
1 bell pepper
1 jalapeno
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
2 cloves garlic
1 egg beaten
8 eggs poached
1 pound cooked crab meat, picked thru
1 tsp grated lime zest
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
¼ cup chopped cilantro
½ cup Panko or unseasoned bread crumbs,
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
½ cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Thinly slice the scallions, finely dice the peppers and garlic, and grate the ginger and lime. In a non-stick pan heat the oil over medium heat. Add the peppers and scallions and cook until 3 mins. or until tender. Add the ginger and garlic and toss for about a minute. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine the mix, crab, and the remaining ingredients and Hometown for flavor. Place 1/3 to ½ cup of breadcrumbs of your choosing on a plate. Form 8 cakes and roll each on the breadcrumbs and place on prepared baking sheet. Spray the tops of the cakes lightly coating. (Check out the refillable misters we have at the shop to fill with the olive oil of your choice). Bake at 425⁰ for 10 minutes and the turn. Cakes should be golden brown and cook times may vary from oven to oven.
Blend mayonnaise and lemon juice mixing well, some cilantro chopped is a nice add for this dish, season as you like. This will become your sauce for the top of your eggs.
Poach the eggs, a good way to make great looking eggs is to place ramekins in the bottom of a pot, fill so the water is just over the top of the ramekins (ramekins being full). Bring to a gentle boil add 3 tablespoons of white vinegar. Break the eggs one at a time into a small dish and slowly pour the egg into the water into the ramekin. Cook for 2 to 5 minutes (for soft to firm yolks). Remove early if they are to be reheated but cook at least for the 2 minutes to start. Remove with slotted spoon draining all water before placing on cakes.
Place 2 crab cakes per plate, place one egg on each cake, top with cilantro mayonnaise and a leaf or two of cilantro to garnish.
Bar Tool cheating...
Whether we are young or old, at some point in our lives we have to “limit” the number of gadgets we own or just don’t have something and would like to for that special event or party. Starting at the 12 o’clock position list the tools, the answer lies below, no cheating guess than check your answers J
When you are is a pinch and want a special tool to replace the everyday kitchen tools, here are a few ideas: need an ice scoop for the day? Get the largest slotted spoon from your service ware and use that, you can only fit so many cubes in a glass; you can use this same tool to strain your drink too. Need a muddles, grab the nearest wooden spoon and use the handle end, many muddlers are wooden. Skip the stirrer and grab your long handled tea spoon. Bar knife – any paring knife will do. Jiggers? Really, if you don’t have a shot glass, 1/8 cut = an ounce an 1/4 cup = 2 or impress your friends, bartenders count 1 count 1/4 ounce (you might want to practice first). Juicer, in the kitchen or in the bar, roll it, slice it, and squeeeeze with all your might, flesh up to keep the seeds in the flesh. Zesters come in all sizes and types, I still prefer my Microplane to anything else and if I need a strip – I go back to my trusty pairing knife.
In a large pot with a strainer, bring 2 quart of water to boil. Add the chopped swiss chard and blanch for 2 minutes. Pull out strainer and put immediately into a container of ice cold water. Once cold, spin or pat dry. In a heavy sauce pan, over medium heat, sauté the garlic in 2 tablespoons of basil olive oil, add the cream, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves, taste and add royal pepper. Cook over medium low heat and reduce by half. Add the 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and swiss chard and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to warm up.
