Blue Crab And Melon Soup With Nori Crème Fraîche Food

BLUE CRAB AND MELON SOUP WITH NORI CRèME FRAîCHE

Steps:

• Pour enough water into a large stockpot fitted with a strainer basket to reach bottom of strainer. Bring to a boil, and add crabs. Cover and steam for five minutes. Transfer steamed crabs in strainer to sink to cool.
• Working in batches, purée melon in a food processor until smooth, and reserve (you should have six and a half cups purée).
• When crabs are cool enough to handle, clean them: with kitchen scissors, cut off eyes and mouth, and remove and discard top shells and spongy, pointed gills beneath. From underside of each crab, remove cape of shell that tapers to a point, and discard. With a large sharp chef's knife, chop crabs into small pieces, and reserve.
• In a large soup pot, melt butter over medium-low heat, add leeks and salt, and sauté, stirring, until tender but not browned, six minutes. Add chopped crabs, and cook over medium heat about 8 minutes, or until pan is nearly dry and crabs are very fragrant. Pour 1/4 cup chardonnay into pan and continue to cook, stirring, two minutes. Pour melon purée over crabs and leeks, and add seeds. Simmer over medium-low heat for a half-hour, stirring occasionally.
• Place crème fraîche in a small bowl, and set it in a medium bowl filled with ice. Whip with a whisk until thick, about two minutes.
• Tear seaweed paper into pieces about 1-inch-square. Working in batches, process them to a powder in a spice grinder or coffee mill. Fold one tablespoon of powder into thickened crème fraîche.
• Strain soup through a fine mesh strainer. Add remaining chardonnay, lump crab meat and chives. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper, and divide evenly among six bowls. Garnish with dollops of nori crème fraîche and serve immediately.

SHRIMP BURGERS

Steps:

• Boil shrimp for 2 minutes. Drain in a colander, and place ice on top until cool enough to handle. Peel and devein shrimp, and chop into small dice.
• In a large bowl, mix shrimp with scallions, celery, parsley and lemon zest. Stir in mayonnaise, cornbread crumbs and the egg, and beat with a whisk or wooden spoon until evenly distributed. Season with salt, pepper and Tabasco to taste.
• With your hands, form 6 patties about 3 inches in diameter. Sauté, 3 at a time, in peanut oil until both sides are nicely browned. Drain on paper towels. Serve on hamburger buns with lettuce, tomato and tartar sauce.

CHILLED CORN-MELON SOUP WITH CRAB

Steps:

• Soup: Remove corn kernels from the cob by placing corn upright in a large, deep mixing bowl. Run a knife from top to bottom, all the way around, allowing the kernels to fall into the bowl. Repeat with remaining corn. (Note: Corn cobs may be discarded, or saved for another use such as corn stock.) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and a pinch of salt. Cook shallots until lightly caramelized, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Stir in corn and another pinch of salt; cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
• Place melon on a flat work surface. Slice off top and bottom, and place upright. Remove rind by cutting along the edge of the melon from top to bottom; repeat all the way around until the rind is completely removed. Cut the melon in half, discard the seeds, then roughly chop; set aside 1 cup for garnish and place the rest in a large bowl.Cut away and discard tomato stems; chop tomatoes and add to the melon. Slice off the top and bottom of the pepper and discard the stem. Slice the pepper from top to bottom to open it up. Then "unroll" the pepper on the cutting surface; cut away the central core of seeds and discard. Chop the pepper and add to the melon and tomato; repeat with second pepper. Add 2 large pinches of salt and toss well. Stir in the corn mixture and refrigerate, 2 hours.
• Place chilled corn mixture into a blender. Cover and purée on high speed until smooth and frothy, about 30 seconds. Taste for seasoning, and add more salt as necessary. (Note: You'll need to do this in 2 batches.) Set soup aside while making the garnish.
• Garnish: Preheat broiler. Place corn on a rack fitted over a rimmed baking sheet. Rub with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt. Place sheet 6 inches under the heat source and broil 6-8 minutes, turning occasionally to lightly char all sides. Meanwhile, in a bowl, add crab meat, cherry tomatoes, gooseberries (optional), reserved cantaloupe, lime zest and juice, and remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. (Note: Garnish in the video is for 1 serving; the written recipe is for 6 servings.) Mix gently to combine, keeping crab pieces whole. Chiffonade the basil: Roll leaves together like a cigar, then slice into thin strips. Add to the garnish. Remove corn from the oven; when cool enough to handle, cut off kernels as in Step 1. Add corn to the garnish and toss.
• Assembly: Divide garnish into 6 bowls. Slowly pour soup over half of the garnish for a dramatic presentation. Serve cold or at room temperature.

CRAB & SWEETCORN CHOWDER

Steps:

• Put the onion, white part of the leek and carrots in a large pan and pour on a few tbsp of the stock. Cook over a medium heat for about 10 mins, stirring regularly until soft. Add a splash more stock if the vegetables start to stick.
• Add the potato, green leek and most of the stock, and simmer for 10-15 mins, until the potato is tender. Tip in the sweetcorn and crab meat, then cook for a further 1-2 mins. Remove from the heat and stir in the crème fraîche and some seasoning. Add the rest of the stock if the soup is too thick. Sprinkle with the chives and serve with brown bread, if you like.

COLD UDON NOODLES WITH CARROT AND EGG

Steps:

• In small saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water to boil. Add udon, return to boil and lower heat to gentle simmer. Crack egg gently into nest of noodles, and cook 5 minutes.
• Add soy soup base and carrot, submerge egg beneath noodles and cook 6 minutes more. Adjust seasoning to taste, remove from heat and let cool. Transfer noodles, egg and carrot to plastic container; add desired amount of broth, and chill. Pack nori garnish in sandwich bag.

SMOKED MASHED POTATOES

Steps:

• Put 1 gallon of water in six-quart stockpot, add 1 tablespoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Add potatoes and cook until fork-tender, about 25 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking water.
• Smoke potatoes to taste in a smoker, according to manufacturer's instructions. If you do not have a smoker, set a 13-by-16-inch aluminum roasting pan with a rack on the stove top so that it spans 2 burners. Scatter 2 tablespoons ground hickory, apple or cherry wood chips (designed for stove-top smokers) evenly in pan. Lay a double thickness of aluminum foil over rack, and crimp any overhanging foil around edges. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on foil. Cover pan tightly with 2 sheets of aluminum foil laid side by side, if necessary. Turn both burners to medium-low, and smoke potatoes for 15 minutes.
• Transfer potatoes to a large bowl, and mash them with a fork or pass them through a ricer or food mill. Add 1 teaspoon salt, butter, cream and 1/2 cup potato cooking water, whip until thoroughly combined. Add more cooking water, 2 tablespoons at a time, until potatoes reach a smooth, fluffy consistency. Season with salt and ground pepper to taste.