Pip's Plate

We’re still doing Gourmet Club, and the other weekend our theme was Louisiana Creole. It was an excellent theme. I had second course (out of five) and chose to make crab cakes. These were pretty delicious. Surprisingly, the curry sauce makes an excellent combination with the tarter sauce and crab cake.

Spicy Crab Cakes with Caper Tarter Sauce and Creole Curry Sauce
makes 8 crab cakes

Crab Cakes

Ingredients
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat
3/4 cup panko crumbs
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 cup mayonnaise
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce
salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

1. Pick over the crabmeat to remove any shell or cartilage, trying not to break up the chunks too much.
2. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for the butter and olive oil. Moisten hands with a little water and shape the mixture into eight fat ball-like cakes. (They will flatten slightly during cooking.) Place them on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. In a large skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat. Carefully lay the crab cakes into the butter and oil and fry until crusty and browned, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Creole Curry Sauce

Ingredients
3T minced parsley
3T minced shallot
butter
3T flour
3T curry powder
1 cup cream
1 cup milk
1t sugar
1/4 cup sherry

Directions

1. Saute parsley and shallots in butter in double boiler. Add flour and curry powder. Add cream and millk. Stir until thick. Add sugar. Simmer a few minutes. Just before serving, blend in one-fourth cup of sherry.

Roasted Garlic Tartar Sauce

Ingredients
4T mayo
4 cloves garlic, roasted
2 green onions, sliced thin
2T capers
1T caper liquid
1T milk
1/8 t salt
black pepper

Directions

1. To roast the garlic, place the cloves unshelled in a small piece of aluminum foil with a dash of olive oil. Wrap it up and roast it in a 250 degree F oven for about 30 minutes. Take out of the oven and unwrap the garlic to remove the roasted pieces from their shells.
2. Place the mayonnaise in a small mixing bowl and add the roasted garlic. Mash the garlic into the mayonnaise until smooth.
3. Fold in the green onions, capers, caper liquid, milk, salt and pepper.
4. Chill.

To Serve

Place one crab cake on a plate, dollop about 1 T tarter sauce on top of the crab cake. Drizzle 1 1/2 T of curry sauce on the plate next to the crab cake. If you wish, you can garnish with thinly sliced green onions.

This recipe was inspired by this one and this one.

What to do with all of that asparagus? Roasting it will a teeny bit of olive oil and salt makes a perfect side dish, snack or, in this case, component to a delicious breakfast.

Breakfast Salad with Asparagus and Garlicky Croutons
serves 2

Ingredients:
1/2# asparagus, trimmed
olive oil
salt
2 slices bread
1T olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed from a garlic press
1/4 cup crumbled feta
4 eggs

Directions:

1. Heat broiler on high. Coat asparagus with a little olive oil and a dusting of salt (about 1 t). Place on baking sheet and broil for 8-10 minutes.
2. Cut each bread slice into 1-inch pieces. Heat a skillet over medium heat, add 1T oil and immediately add garlic. Saute garlic for 15 seconds then add bread slices. Coat bread pieces in oil and garlic. Saute on each side for about 3 minutes or until crispy.
3. While croutons are cooking, heat a medium non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Coat with cooking spray if you wish and fry eggs in two batches (2 at a time). For over easy eggs, cook about 3 minutes per side.
4. To assemble: on two plates, place asparagus, then croutons, then feta, then eggs. Dust with salt and pepper.

If you’re looking for a different take on the classic chicken noodle soup recipe, this Asian Chicken Noodle Soup is a great one to try. This is an easy recipe, it makes a considerable amount, and the leftovers are even better. If you’re a vegetarian, you can substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth, substitute tofu for the chicken. This recipe comes from Donna Hay’s Off The Shelf cookbook (a favorite of mine).

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup
serves 4

Ingredients
5 oz dried thin egg noodles
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
2 whole star anise
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cinnamon stick
3 slices ginger
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3/4 pound)
4 scallions, shredded

Directions

1. Place the noodles in boiling water and allow to stand for 5 minutes, then drain and set aside.
2. Place the stock, water, star anise, soy, cinnamon and ginger into a saucepan and cover. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the chicken and cook for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan, allow to cool for a couple minutes then shred using 2 forks or your hands.
3. Return the chicken to the saucepan with the noodles and spring onions. Cook for 3 minutes or until the noodles are heated through. Serve in deep bowls with spoons and chopsticks.