Down South Crab Cakes With Collard Greens And Roasted Garlic Beurre Blanc Food

CRAB CAKES WITH CRYSTAL BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• For the crab cakes: In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for crab cakes. Gently mix to combine. Using an ice cream scoop, make 8 balls and place on a baking sheet or large plate. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (If crab is very fresh, this may be done a day ahead of time.)
• For the Crystal beurre blanc: In a small saucepan, combine hot sauce, lemon and wine. Bring to boil over high heat, then simmer until reduced by a third, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cream and again reduce by a third, about 5 minutes. Lower heat and whisk in butter a few pieces at a time, making sure each addition is incorporated before adding next. Pour sauce through a fine-mesh strainer and add salt to taste. If desired, keep warm over a double-boiler.
• For the spinach base: For the spinach base: Place a large skillet over medium heat, and heat butter and olive oil in it. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add spinach in batches, stirring and adding more until it all cooks down. Season to taste with salt and pepper, set aside and keep warm.
• For frying: Line up three shallow bowls. Place flour in one and season to taste with salt and pepper. Place eggs and milk in the second bowl; beat until mixed. Put bread crumbs in the third. Pat crab cakes into thick disks, like oversize scallops. Dip each into flour mixture, then egg mixture, then roll in bread crumbs. Set on a plate and chill for 30 minutes.
• Place a large sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in enough oil to come 1/2 inch up side of pan. When oil shimmers, add crab cakes. Cook, turning once, until light golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes a side. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• To serve, place a mound of spinach on each of four serving plates. Place 2 crab cakes next to spinach and pour sauce around them. If desired, serve with more hot sauce.

GARLIC-GOOD CRAB "CAKES"

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Take 3 sheets of phyllo at a time, butter and roll up, jelly-roll style. Cut into fourths. Press, cut side down, into muffin pan cups. Press with fingers to flatten and work slightly up the sides of cup. Brush cups with melted butter. Repeat with remaining phyllo sheets, for a total of 24 cups.
• To prepare filling, place garlic, with tough bottoms cut off, in a plastic bag. Pound with the side of a meat cleaver. Remove skins and place crushed garlic in a deep microwave safe bowl. Add lemon juice and water. Cover and microwave for 2 minutes.
• Add cream cheese to garlic and cream together. Add beaten eggs, feta, crab, and 1 cup of the bread crumbs and mix well. Add cayenne pepper and mix again. Spoon mixture into each phyllo cup, distributing evenly, about 1 tablespoon of mixture per phyllo cup. Sprinkle remaining bread crumbs over the crab mixture (about 1 teaspoon per phyllo cup) and lightly dust the top of each with paprika.
• Bake for 25 minutes. Carefully remove each phyllo cup/crab "cake" onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

ROASTED GARLIC AND HERB BEURRE BLANC - AN AMAZING SAUCE

Steps:

• In a saucepan over medium temperature, combine the wine, shallots, and garlic, and reduce until the wine just covers the shallots.
• Add the cream or half and half and reduce again until the mixture is thick and syrupy, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce the temperature to very low and gradually whisk the pieces of butter into the mixture, one cube at a time (alternately, you can remove it from the heat and - using an immersion blender - emulsify the butter into it one piece at a time; this is the method we used during class).
• Do not allow the sauce to become either too hot or too cold or it will break.
• Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper, stir in the remaining ingredients (the herbs), and serve immediately.
• Note: we've served this over pork, chicken, rabbit, and vegetables - delicious!
• Also, feel free to experiment with other herbs than listed above.

DUNGENESS CRAB CAKES & TOMATO BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• For the Crab Cake:.
• Carefully clean the crabmeat to remove any shell fragments. You may use the refrigerated canned lump crab if desired.
• Gently fold in the red pepper, lemon zest, chive, tarragon, mayo, mustard and breadcrumbs until combined.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Form the cakes into 6-8 individual patties; gently pressing into a circular form. Refrigerate while preparing the buerre blanc.
• Tomato Beurre Blanc: Sauté the tomato, shallot, chive and olive oil until tender. Add chicken stock, peppercorns and bay leaf and cook over medium heat.
• Reduce by about 50%.
• Add the balsamic vinegar and heavy cream.
• Continue to cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Reduce heat to low. Add the cold butter a little at a time while continually stirring.
• When all of the butter is incorporated remove from heat and strain.
• Season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.
• To Finish Crabcakes: Preheat a large skillet or griddle on medium high.
• Melt a little butter/olive oil in the the skillet. Reduce heat to medium.
• Place crab cakes on the heated pan and cook until golden brown.
• Turn and brown other side.
• To Plate: Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the sauce in the middle of the plate. Place the crab cake on top.
• Lightly toss lemon and oil with the baby greens. Top crabcake with a small amount of salad and serve.

DOWN EAST CRAB CAKES

Steps:

• Combine crabmeat, breadcrumbs, mustard, hot sauce, bell pepper, scallions, celery and egg in a large bowl.
• Add just enough mayonnaise to hold the ingredients together, being careful not to make it so moist that the mixture will fall apart.
• Divide into 8 patties.
• Coat with additional bread crumbs, then fry, four at a time, in hot oil until crispy and brown on all sides.
• ***Patties can be made ahead of time and frozen- they freeze very well.

LEMON CRAB CAKES OVER GREENS

Steps:

• Pulse bread in blender to make 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs.
• Grate yellow rind of lemon to make 1 tsp zest.
• Cut lemon in 2- 6 pieces and squeeze to make 2 tbsp juice.
• Blend mayonnaise with lemon zest, juice and seasonings in a medium size bowl.
• Stir in crab meat, breadcrumbs and onions.
• Shape mixture into eight 3 inch"cakes" on a sheet of wax paper.
• Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
• Melt 1 tbsp butter (or non-stick spray).
• Cook crab cakes in skillet 4 minutes.
• Add the other tbsp butter (or more spray), turn the cakes carefully, and cook another 4 minutes.
• Cook in batches, if necessary, you don't want to crowd them in the pan.
• Meanwhile, toss greens with dressing in a large bowl.
• Divide greens onto 4 plates.
• Lay crab cakes over greens and serve with fresh tomato slices and hot garlic bread.

CRAB CAKES WITH ROASTED RED PEPPER SAUCE

Steps:

• To make sauce: Combine peppers, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper.
• Blend in blender until smooth.
• To make crab cakes: Combine dill, diced pepper, 2 Tbsp bread crumbs, pepper and salt.
• Add crab meat and stir together.
• Mix egg, mayonnaise, mustard and lemon juice together and fold into crab mixture.
• Shape into 6 or 8 cakes and press into bread crumbs to give light coating.
• Add clarified butter to frying pan and heat over medium heat.
• Add crab cakes and brown each side.
• Serve on individual plates topped with roasted red pepper sauce.

DOWN HOME COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Put collard greens in a pot full of lightly salted water; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until tender, about 1 hour. Drain.
• Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon on paper towels.
• Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir onion in melted butter until tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir bacon, chicken bouillon, water, garlic, oregano, thyme, and savory into the onion; bring to a boil. Stir collard greens into the mixture and simmer 5 minutes. Pour milk over the mixture, stir, and cook another 5 minutes.