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.

If I’m not making tacos, I’m thinking about tacos. And if I’m thinking tacos aren’t quite the right dinner option, I’ll figure something else out along the same lines: enchiladas, burritos, quesadillas. Last night, quesadillas won!

These quesadillas have a great balance of smoky, spicy, sweet and savory. Plus, there’s extra peach salsa left over to dip chips in. This recipe is a pretty healthy quesadilla if you make sure you purchase part skim mozzarella cheese.

Peach Salsa

Chipotle Chicken and Peach Salsa Quesadilla
Makes 2 quesadillas

Ingredients
Chipotle Chicken
1/2 pound hormone-free, skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 Tablespoon canola oil
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, diced
1 Tablespoon adobo sauce
2 teaspoon ground cumin

Peach Salsa
1 ripe peach, diced
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
1/2 jalapeno, minced (remove seeds for less spice)
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Quesadillas
2 8-inch tortilla shells (flour or spelt)
1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
olive oil cooking spray

Directions
1. Cut 1/2 pound of hormone-free, skinless, boneless chicken breasts into 1/2-inch dice.

2. Heat 1/2 tablespoon canola oil in a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat. When canola oil is shimmering, add diced chicken breast. Cook chicken breasts until cooked through, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes.

3. When chicken is about done, add 1 diced chipotle pepper, 1 tablespoon adobo sauce, and 1 teaspoon cumin to the skillet. Stir to combine and cook an additional minute. Salt and pepper the chicken mixture to taste.

4. While the chicken is cooking, make the salsa. Combine 1 diced peach, 1 diced tomato, 1/2 minced jalapeno, 1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro, juice of half a lemon, and salt and pepper to taste. Combine and let sit to allow flavors to meld. (This is a good opportunity to snack with chips too.)

5. Once the chicken is done cooking with the spices, remove from heat. Heat a medium-sized nonstick skillet over medium heat. Assemble the quesadillas like this:

• Lay tortilla on a flat surface
• Add 1 handful of cheese to half of the tortilla
• Add half of the chicken on top of the cheese
• Add 2-3 tablespoons of salsa on the chicken
• Add 1 handful of cheese over the salsa
• Fold the other half of the tortilla over
• Spray with cooking spray

6. When the nonstick skillet is hot, add one quesadilla to the pan, cooking spray side down. Lightly spray the top of the quesadilla (this is the half without the cooking spray). Cook the quesadilla for about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from heat and repeat with the second one.

7. Allow the warm quesadilla to sit for a couple of minutes to let the cheese hold everything together. Enjoy!

note: peach salsa recipe inspired by this recipe

We served this along side the Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps as part of the first course.

served in ramekins so the juice wouldn't run into the lettuce wraps

Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad

makes: 12 servings (about 1 cup each)

3 cups 2-inch chunks fresh watermelon

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 T chopped fresh mint

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients together in a bowl then serve. It’s that easy.

recipe adapted from epicurious

We served this with the Watermelon Feta and Mint Salad in a little ramekin side bowl.

This is a great summer salad recipe, too. You don’t have to put it in the lettuce wraps – instead, you can just mix it up, leave it in the fridge and have it around for a satisfying and pretty healthy snack.

Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps

makes: 36 lettuce wraps (plus some leftover salad for later)

Peanut Dressing

8 large garlic cloves

1/2 cup soy sauce

2/3 cup fresh lime juice

4 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons peanut butter (smooth or chunky – it doesn’t matter)

4 teaspoons chopped peeled fresh ginger root

1 Tablespoon chili garlic sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Salad

9 oz rice stick noodles (vermicelli size – very thin)

2 pounds boneless, skinless hormone-free chicken breasts

3 medium carrots, peeled and julienned (cut into about 3-inch long pieces)

3 medium cucumbers, peeled seeded and julienned (cut into about 3-inch long pieces)

1 cup shelled edamame (soy beans)

1/3 cup coarsely chopped roasted salted peanuts

2 heads Boston or Bibb lettuce, washed

Directions

1. To make the dressing, combine garlic through pepper in a food processor. Process until smooth, then add oil to combine all ingredients. Put half aside for the salad dressing, and use the remaining half to marinate the chicken breasts.

2. Cook rice noodles according to package. When drained, cut the noodles into 3-4 inch pieces using a scissors then add to a large mixing bowl.

3. Cook the chicken. You may grill or roast the chicken. We grilled the chicken since it was such a beautiful day and we didn’t want to heat the house too much before the guests came over.

• To Grill: Heat grill to medium-high heat. Cook chicken for about 10-12 minutes, turning once.
• To Roast: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken in a roasting pan and roast for about 12-15 minutes.

When chicken is cooked through, move to a cutting board and slice. Add chicken to the noodle bowl.

4. Add carrots, cucumbers and edamame to the noodle and chicken bowl. Toss with the reserved peanut dressing.

5. To assemble, put about 1/2 cup of the noodle salad into one leave of lettuce. Serve with crushed peanuts as a garnish.

recipe adapted from epicurious

I made these for a book club brunch, and they were met with rave reviews. Because these are so lean, you may need to use more breadcrumbs than what I’ve listed here – just work with the consistency until it will form a patty. I know they look somewhat like crab cakes or fish cakes, but there’s nothing fishy about them – just herby savoriness.

Turkey Sausages with Apricot Mustard Sauce

Makes: about 2 dozen 3-inch patties

Time: under 60 minutes

Get the recipe when you

Ingredients

Sausages

3/4 pound ground turkey breast

3/4 pound ground turkey thigh

2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and grated

1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley

2 T finely chopped fresh sage leaves

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

1 egg, slightly beaten

about 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Apricot Mustard Sauce

1/2 cup apricot preserves

1/4 cup hot Chinese mustard

2 t freshly chopped rosemary

salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Combine all of the ingredients up through the egg into a bowl. Combine with your hands until thoroughly mixed. Judging by the consistency, you may need to add breadcrumbs to make the mixture form into patties. (Due to the runniness of the pears, the breadcrumbs will hold it all together.) Form into patties and set on a plate.

2. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add a teeny bit of oil in the pan, then add 4 to 5 sausages at a time. Fry on each side until done, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from pan, set aside and cover with foil to keep warm.

3. Meanwhile, heat a small saucepan over medium heat with the apricot preserves. Whisk for about 1 minute or until melted and runny. Add the mustard and continue to whisk until combined (about 30 seconds). Remove from heat, add rosemary, salt and pepper.

4. Serve turkey sausage patties with apricot mustard sauce. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from this recipe and this recipe both from epicurious.com

I said I’d bring something over and decided to make spring rolls (which were mediocre so I’m not even going to include the recipe here) and the recipe I’m about to talk about.

These were quite good, and you can make them gluten free if you want. Just use a gluten free flour. These were great because they were easy to eat in your hand but not greasy. These would be great as a brunch item too.

The recipe calls for a regular size muffin tin. If I were to make these again, I would make them in a mini muffin pan so there were more. In this case, I would cut the zucchini smaller instead of sliced, but keep a few sliced ones for the garnish.

Little Zucchini and Basil Fritattas

Total Time: 35 min

Active Time: 15 min

Makes: 12

Ingredients

2 T dry breadcrumbs*

2 T olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic, thickly sliced

2-3 zucchini, sliced into 4mm-thick rounds

8 eggs

8 basil leaves, sliced

3/4 cup grated parmesan

100 g feta (preferrably marinated)

1/2 cup self-rising flour**

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Butter a 12 hole nonstick muffin pan. Dust each hole with crumbs then tap out the excess.

Place the olive oil in a large skillet. Gently head the oil over medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes until the garlic starts to sizzle. Remove garlic and discard.

Increase heat to medium-high. Fry zucchini on both sides until golden. Drain on absorbent paper.

In a large bowl, lightly whisk eggs with a fork with the basil, salt and freshly ground pepper (enough to cover the surface of the mixture) until just combined. Stir in the Parmesan and flour until combined.

Divide the fried zucchini and feta throughout the muffin tin. Place 12 pieces of zucchini aside as a garnish.

Pour the egg mixture into each muffin hole (about 1/4 cup) and top with a slice of zucchini.

Gently tap the sides of the muffin tray to ensure the mixture has spread throughout the muffin hole.

Bake for 20-25 minutes – until the the fritattas feel firm when gently pressed and spring back.

Remove from oven and allow them to settle in the pan for about 10 minutes before gently easing them out.

based off of this chow.com recipe

*I typically bake in stoneware, so I don’t need to grease anything. I skipped the breadcrumb step altogether. If you don’t have stoneware, I use rice breadcrumbs as a GF alternative.

**Use gluten free flour here instead if you wish to make these GF.

My friend and I created this variation a couple years ago for her annual holiday party. It combines some of our favorite flavors into a pretty tasty appetizer.

You can keep them warm in a 200/warm oven or just serve them right away (they’re best if they’re warm but we’ve also served them at room temp for an hour or so – they usually don’t last that long anyway). They’re good with sweet and sour sauce or hot mustard.

Curried Cranberry Wontons

makes approx 40

8 oz cream cheese, at room temp

4 oz chevre goat cheese

2 scallions, sliced green and white parts

1 T red curry paste

1/3 c dried cranberries (try to avoid Craisins as they’re overly sweet – I like the organic ones from my local coop that I can buy in bulk – but if Craisins are all you can buy, go for it)

1 jalapeno, diced (use the seeds if you want the wontons spicy)

wonton skins

water

oil for frying

Combine the cream cheese, goat cheese, scallions, curry paste, cranberries, and jalapeno, in a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly.

In a heavy skillet heat 1/4″ of oil until hot. While the oil is heating up, put some water in a little dish and lay out wonton skins on a working surface. Place about 1 1/2 t of mixture on each of the wontons. Using your finger or a pastry brush, wet two sides of a wonton and then fold over into a triangle. The water should seal each side.

You may stop at this point with triangles or you may go one step further and wet the two long ends of the triangle and fold into the middle to form a little pouch. This is a great way to mark whether or not they’re are spicy or not spicy if making a double batch.

Continue folding wontons until they are all put together. (This is a great way to get helpers involved too.)

Test to make sure the oil is hot enough by placing one wonton in the oil. It should make popping and sizzling sounds right away. If it’s hot enough, fry 4-6 wontons at a time. Fry them until slightly brown on each side (they will continue to cook once out of the oil) – and make sure you turn them once. When done, place them on a paper towel-lined tray.

Serve when ready.

If you’re looking for a beverage to serve this with, sake is always a good choice or a nice Gewurtzeminer would go well with it too.

Steamed Pork Dumplings

1/2# ground pork

1 1/2 t grated fresh ginger root

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 small carrot, grated

1/2 c grated purple cabbage

1 T tamari

1 1/2 t sesame oil

1 egg beaten

salt + pepper

optional spicy version: add 1/2 t Sriracha

40 wonton skins

Boil water in a large pot with a bamboo steamer on top.

Mix together pork through salt + pepper. Put some warm water in a small dish. Lay out wonton skins on flat surface. Spoon about 1-2 t of pork mixture onto wonton skin. Wet your finger and run it along the edges of the wonton. Grab two opposite ends of the wonton and pull them up and connect them (the water will bind it together). Then grab the other two ends and pull them up and bind them with the other 2 sides. It will create a sqaure with a fluted top.

Place prepared dumplings onto bamboo steamer. Steam for about 12-15 minutes.

Serve with a teriyaki or sesame/ginger/soy dipping sauce.

If you’re looking to pair this with wine, try a Gewurtzaminer or Riesling. Those wines match very well with Asian foods.

Proscuitto, Gorgonzola & Fig Crostini

1 French baguette

2 garlic cloves, crushed

extra virgin olive oil

8 oz high quality blue cheese (Stilton, Gorgonzola, etc.)

1 package fresh figs (we used black mission figs)

6 oz proscuitto

Preheat oven to 350. Slice the baguette into 1/4″-1/2″ slices on the diagonal. With the crushed garlic, rub each of the pieces of bread. Place on a baking sheet and brush each side with olive oil. Bake for about 6-8 minutes just until lightly toasted (these will go back in the oven, so the longer they cook now, the crispier they will become). Cool and place in ziplock back if making a day ahead, or set aside if continuing directly.

Preheat the broiler.

Slice the blue cheese and place slices on each piece of crostini. Slice the figs into thin slices (cut off the top stem, then slice lengthwise – discard the ends and keep the beautiful fleshy middle pieces). Place the figs (1-2) on each piece of crostini. Place a small piece of proscuitto on top – just enough to cover the top.

Broil for 5 minutes until the proscuitto is crispy but not browned.

Enjoy! This hors d’oeuvre goes very well with the classic Champagne Cocktail.

Tzatziki

2 medium cucumbers, peeled

4 garlic cloves

1/4 c fresh dill (you can add fresh mint too if you like)

2 cups yogurt (the best kind of yogurt to use is Labna which I get at Hold Land Deli & Bakery – the thicker, yogurt-like spread is the best; it makes the tzatziki very thick and easy to dip)

Puree all the ingredients together and chill. This tzatziki recipe is always better at least 1 day after you make it so the flavors can meld together. To serve, heat a saute pan with olive oil over med-low heat. Place a pita bread in the pan and warm on both sides. When the pita starts to brown and bubble up, it’s ready to go.