10.22.2007

how to win friends & influence people

i firmly believe that everyone - male and female - should have one impressive meal that they can make, start to finish. i think the pressure is really on when you live in manhattan though, cause you can get the best food in the world here. well, most of the best food...

i had no idea that delaware would make me a snob about anything, but when i moved up here, i was amazed at how crappy the crabcakes were... i could go to a brewpub in wilmington and get a crabcake that rivals (and often beats) what you get in a 4 star restaurant in manhattan... therefore, i made it my mission to learn to make crabcakes. (and mexican food, but that's another blog for another day).

so that brings us to friday... one of those chances to show off my kitchen skillz presented itself... the menu i finally chose? crabcakes, dilled red potatoes & green beans with almonds. and wine. lots and lots and lots of wine ;)



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unfortunately, the pictures didnt come out so hot, but hopefully you get the idea.



CrabCakes
courtesy of me

9 oz crab meat. I used 6 oz of Jumbo Lump and 3 oz of Backfin
1/2 c+ diced red bell pepper
1/4 c+ diced onions - i used 2 green onions and vidalia to make up the rest
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 egg
1/6 c mayonnaise
1/4 c plain breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp ground mustard
salt & pepper

1/4 c panko (could use regular breadcrumbs if you dont have panko)
oil for frying

mix all but the last 2 ingredients together. form into 6 patties. coat each patty with some panko. throw in the freezer for an hour or so.

heat up oil over medium heat in a frying pan or on a griddle.
fry patties on medium until browned on both sides and crab appears cooked.

if you are like me and a little nervous about them being cooked thru, they can be thrown into the oven for a few minutes at 400°.

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Dilled Red Potatoes
courtesy of me

8 - 10 small red potatos, cleaned and quartered
1 tbsp chopped shallots
1 tbsp olive oil
1/8 cup fresh chopped dill
white truffle oil - about 1 tsp or so
salt & pepper

heat oven to 500°
mix potatoes, shallots, dill and olive oil together in a bowl
spread out on cookie sheet covered in aluminum foil in a single layer
drizzle truffle oil over the top
sprinkle with salt & pepper
put in oven until tender and edges have gotten a bit browned. about 15 mins.
you may want to mix them around once or twice during cooking, as the part on the foil will brown first.

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Green Beans & Almonds
courtesy of me, based on a cooks.com recipe

1/2 lb green beans, ends trimmed
1 - 2 tbsp butter
1/4 c sliced almonds
salt & pepper

Cook green beans in salted boiling water for 3-4 mins.
drain and immediately rinse in cold water after cooking.

put beans back in sauce pan and add butter and almonds and mix. you may need to put the stove on for a few seconds to melt the butter all the way.
mix to coat the beans and almonds.
salt & pepper to taste

2 comments:

roopa said...

I should learn to proofread comments before I post them! (This is me after just 2 beers, ha ha!) Here's what I MEANT to say:

Well, clearly I'm not going to try this one, what with my not eating crustaceans and all.

Now that I am a resident of Maryland (yes I admitted it), I have to raise a question (not regarding your version): can Delaware really produce better crabcakes than Maryland????

PS. Have you seen that Xbox commercial with a children's choir singing that Poison song "Nothing But A Good Time"??? WTF?

kristen said...

in my personal experience, the crabcakes in DE and MD are about the same. given the fact that we were like, 5 minutes from the MD border, its not really a shock that they would be as good.

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