A Ladies Lunch In The Garden

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Here in the South, the irises are blooming, the lilacs are blooming, the peonies are blooming and the roses and clematis are starting their show.  What else do you need for a ladies lunch?  Yes, this is it.  If you have a decent garden, this is your time to host a ladies lunch and shine.  The temperature is perfect and the menu...the season for asparagus and strawberries and Meyer lemons.  What's not to like?

Don't be intimidated by the crab cakes.  Trust me, this is a no fail recipe.  You can fry them about an hour before the guests show up and crisp them up in a hot oven just before serving them.

The asparagus vinaigrette can be prepared way ahead.  It is just steamed asparagus in a vinaigrette sauce served cold.  You can substitute Meyer lemon for the vinegar and add finely chopped hard boiled eggs on top for decoration. The biscuits and the pickled shrimp can and should be made two to three days before and the soup and the tart the day before.

I like to serve Bellinis because they are easy to make and different.  When white peaches are not in season, you can substitute with a ready made peach puree mix you can buy at the liquor or grocery store.  I know its not the same but it's good.  Substitute your own favorite cocktail if you wish. Just don't get too complicated.

There is nothing like a French dry rose for a Summer or Spring lunch  Click on the link below for some suggestions.  If you must choose a white wine, go with a Fume or Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley such as a Sancerre.  They are dry, crisp and elegant  and go better with fish than a Chardonnay .

This really is an easy and elegant menu, one that will leave you free to enjoy your lunch and your friends on the day of the party.  Have fun.

A Spring Lunch In The Garden

Bellinis

Cocktail Cheese Biscuits

Pickled Shrimp

Chilled Spring Pea Soup

Maryland Crab Cakes

Cold Asparagus Vinaigrette

Meyer Lemon Tart
 or
Chocolate Torte With Walnuts*

 Fresh Strawberries

********

Domaine Houchart, dry rose

Homemade Iced Tea

*I have given you two desserts to choose from in case you cant find Meyer lemons.  Both go well with this lunch.  Notice I have omitted the word Bourbon in the torte.  To accompany with the strawberries it is best to make the original recipe with vanilla extract.  Serve with home made whipped cream on the side.  It can be made the day before and refrigerated.

Mommy And Me Crab Cakes

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This was one of the very first recipes I posted five years ago.  It is as good today as it was then.  The only difference is we are five years older and the price of crab meat has gone from $16 per pound to $21.  We now live together, we fight and we laugh and she still calls me Mommy. 

If you want a special yet easy recipe to make for your Mom, this is a good bet!

 Have a nice Mother's Day.

My favorite kitchen mate is my daughter, Christina. She will be great cook one of these days. Whenever we get together, we gravitate towards the kitchen; like this afternoon, when she decided to show off my crab cake recipe with a few additions of her own. The ingredients are the same, except she gives it a final dredge in Panko and fries them in sesame oil. I loved it...but what I love the most about my 36 year old daughter is that after all these years and in spite of her independence, she still calls me Mommy. (May 2009)

Ingredients

1 lb lump crab meat

2 TB red or white onion

1 Egg

2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

2 TB Mayonnaise

1 tsp.lemon juice

1 TB mustard

1 TBS melted butter

1 tsp. Parsley Flakes

1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning

1/2 cup Bread Crumbs

Panko for dredging

Crisco or Sesame oil for frying

Combine all ingredients except for crab meat. Gently fold in crab meat. Shape into 8 cakes. Pass through Panko. Pat well. Fry in regular or sesame oil. Serve with tartar sauce.

Tartar Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise

2-3 tsps. relish

Serves 4

Cook's Note: Make sure you get good crab meat, such as Alaska King crab in lump. Otherwise, you will have mediocre crab cakes and will blame the recipe. The quality of the crab meat is 90% of making good crab cakes. Serve with a salad and a dry white or rose for lunch.

All photos Lindaraxa

On A Cold Winter Night...Crabmeat And Roasted Red Pepper Quiche

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After all the holiday food of the last month and a half, I was ready for something new and radically different to make and post...something without the word pie, cookie, leftovers or peppermint bark.  Looking through my drafts for future posts, I came across this quiche.  I looked no more.

This recipe has been in my archives for a long time, waiting for Spring and a ladies lunch.  Together with the Mandarin Salad, and its slightly sweet and sour dressing,  it is the perfect menu for the Ladies Who Lunch any time of the year.  Instead, it was made yesterday, for dinner, on the coldest day we have had so far this winter.

Although there were no ladies in attendance this time, except for us five chicks, we really enjoyed it.  Under the lights of the Christmas tree, a roaring fire and The Remains of the Day on TV it was a great menu for a quiet Friday night.  If you have "real men" in the family who don't eat quiche, call it a pie.  They'll bite.

Tomorrow we have Season Four of Downton Abbey and the possibility of snow here in North Georgia.  If you want something lite and special for dinner, run to the store and grab what you need.  Don't forget a good bottle of white wine, preferably a Sauvignon Blanc, although a French Chardonnay would do well if you are serving the Mandarin Salad.

Make sure you buy fresh crabmeat, although you can use  Lump which is more reasonably priced than the Jumbo Lump.  That is what I used and it was perfect.  The recipe calls for six ounces but the container I bought had eight and I used all of it.

There is a recipe for the pie crust below but Mrs. Smith's ready made crust will save you lots of time.  As to the roasted red peppers, ditto, but buy good ones in a jar. We've cooked enough this past holiday season and a few short cuts here and there are well deserved.

 

 Crab Meat And Roasted Red Pepper Quiche

 

YIELD

4 to 6 servings
One 9 and 1/2-inch tart crust

 Ingredients

• Short-crust dough (see recipe), rolled and chilled in a 9 1/2-inch tart pan
• 1 small red pepper
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Pinch cayenne
• 1 and 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 2 teaspoons slivered chives
• 6 ounces cooked crab meat, or use chopped cooked shrimp or lobster

Preparation

1.

Bake prepared dough at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Patch any small holes with leftover dough. Cool.

2.

Set red pepper in the flames of a stovetop gas burner turned to high. Turn with tongs until skin is blackened, 5 to 7 minutes, then cool. Peel, remove seeds and veins, and slice into 1/4-inch strips.

3.

Make the custard: in mixing bowl, beat eggs, mustard, salt, black pepper, paprika and cayenne. Whisk in cream and herbs. Set aside.

4.

Set tart pan on a baking sheet. Spread crab meat evenly over bottom of pastry. Arrange red pepper strips over crab meat. Beat custard once more and carefully pour into tart shell. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, until top is golden and custard is set. Cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 Basic short-crust pastry

Ingredients

• 145 grams all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter (1/4 pound), cut in 1/8-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons ice water

Preparation

Put flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer or food processor. Add butter and quickly cut it into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Add ice water and mix briefly, about 30 seconds, to form a soft dough. Remove dough, shape into a thick disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Bring to cool room temperature before rolling.

To roll, lightly flour dough and counter. Roll out gradually, periodically letting dough rest for a moment before continuing. This makes rolling easier and will keep dough from shrinking back during baking.

Roll dough to a thin round approximately 13 inches in diameter, then trim to make a 12-inch circle (refrigerate and save trimmings for patching). Lay dough loosely into a 9 1/2-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom, letting it relax a bit. Fold overlap back inside to make a double thickness, then press firmly against the pan so the finished edge is slightly higher than the pan. Refrigerate or freeze for an hour before pre-baking.

Adapted from David Tanis New York Times
All photos Lindaraxa

Crab And Avocado Salad On Spring Greens

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The key to this scrumptious salad is to buy the best and freshest crabmeat money can buy.  I have mentioned before that Costco sells a 2lb can of Premium lump crabmeat from Five Star for around $12.  If you are cringing at the price, let me tell you this can serve two people for a Crabmeat Gratin one night and three for a crabmeat salad the next day. Do the numbers, not a bad price for two extraordinary meals.

When you have good ingredients, forget the fancy recipes.  Do as little as possible and enjoy the freshness and quality of the dish.  That is exactly what I did in this case.

Serves 2 to 3 people

Ingredients

1 lbs. best lump crab meat
1 TB. mayonnaise (Hellman's)
1/2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
a few drops Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp. dried tarragon (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste.

1 ripe avocado split in half
Olive Oil
Tarragon Vinegar
Salt and Pepper
Spring Mix

Mix all the ingredients above being careful not to break up the crab meat too much. Set aside.  Split the ripe avocado.  Set on a plate over some of the salad mix.   Drizzle with a little oil and vinegar.  Fill with the crameat salad.

Serve with Iced Tea!

Photos by Lindaraxa

 

A Garden Tour Lunch...Shrimp, Crabmeat and Artichoke Casserole

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Although it's been quite chilly this week here in North Georgia, the daffodils, the forsythias and the cherry trees are already in bloom.  Time to start thinking of getting out of the cave and joining civilization again!

Spring is the nicest time of the year to plan some sort of gathering, particularly if you have a beautiful garden in bloom. Although the nights are still cool, days are warm and perfect for an outdoor lunch with your friends, some of whom you haven't probably seen since Christmas.  All over the South, there are all kinds of house and garden tours and it's fun to gather a group of close friends to go and return to the house afterwards for lunch and some catching up on the latest gossip.  Whatever you make, though, has to be ready to eat on arrival so plan things that can be served room temperature, cold, or require a brief warming in the oven.

This casserole is perfect.  It comes from Susan Mason, the premier caterer of Savannah, Georgia, legendary for its garden tours in the Spring.  Warm it up while you are having drinks on the porch.

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

1 14 ounce can artichokes, drained
1 lbs medium shrimp, peeled, deveined with tails removed
1 lbs white backfin crabmeat, picked over for shells
4 1/2 TB butter
4 1/2 TB flour
1 1/2 Cup half and half
1 TB Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and white pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 Cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. paprika

White rice to accompany

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 and butter a 3 quart baking dish.

Cook shrimp in boiling water for about 3 minutes, until they turn pink.

Arrange the artichokes in the baking dish.  Spread shrimp and crabmeat over the artichokes.

In a large heavy saucepan melt butter and whisk in flour to a smooth paste.  Cook and stir for 3 minutes.  Add half and half slowly and stir until thickened and smooth.  Add Worcestershire sauce, sherry, lemon juice, salt, and peppers.  Pour over ingredients in the baking dish.  Sprinkle with cheese and paprika. 

Bake for 20 minutes and serve hot with rice

Crab And Corn Chowder

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This is another one of those recipes conceived when you have nothing on hand and it's dinner time.  You may have noticed that the most recent recipes on Lindaraxa's Garden and the country blog have included crabmeat or corn which is in abundance right now and cheap, cheap, cheap!  This recipe is a byproduct of cleaning the refrigerator before the weekend guests arrived and a cup of leftover crabmeat from last night's crab cakes waiting to be put to good use.  The good news is I am saturated with corn and I have sworn I will not buy another ear, no matter how cheap, until next summer.  We'll see how long that lasts...

You can substitute chicken for the crabmeat, but in my estimation, it's not even close!  This is the one time of the year when crab and corn  are in season and can be bought for a reasonable price.  Actually, the crab is reasonable, the corn they are giving away!  Take advantage of it.

Printable Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

4-6 ears sweet white corn, such as Silver Queen , shucked
OR 3 cups

4 pieces thick-sliced bacon, chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 stalks celery chopped fine

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups good fish stock**

2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup white breadcrumbs, firmly packed

1 cup crab meat

Dry Sherry (optional)

chopped parsley

chopped chives


Method

Schuck, wash and cut enough corn from the ears to equal 3 cups.

Sautee the bacon until most of the fat is rendered.  Remove to a paper towel to drain and chop in 1/2 inch piece.

Add the onions and celery to pan. Saute until tender and translucent, about 5 - 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the broth and corn.  Bring to a boil, reduce to medium and simmer for about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Add the nutmeg and cayenne. Add the cream, and the crabmeat.  Cook for another 5 minutes.  If you opt to add sherry, do it now and simmer another 5 minutes.  Add the dry breadcrumbs and cook until the are incorporated, about another 5 minutes. Remove from stove and add chopped parsley and chives.. Pour into a serving bowl and garnish with the reserved  parsley and chive.*

*I like to rest the soup rest for about 30 minutes to absorb all the flavor.  You can reheat if it cools.

** You can make a quick fish broth by boiling some white fish, celery, onion, bay leaf, parsley, carrot and salt and pepper for about 30 minutes in about 4 cups of water.  Freeze what you don't use.  It will come in handy when you make the Simple Paella for Sunday Lunch

Adapted from Lee Damon Fowler,
The Savannah Cookbook

Maryland Crabmeat Cannelloni With Leeks And Saffron Scented Sauce

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If you live in the New York City area and have never visited the Homestead Inn in Greenwich Connecticut you MUST.  It is one of the most charming inns in the world and believe me, I have been to quite a few, especially in Europe.  Although I haven't been there in almost 15 years, I am sure none of the charm has disappeared and, if nothing else, the food is better than ever, thanks to the presence of Chef Thomas Henkelmann who in the late 1990's acquired the 1799 inn together with his wife Theresa.  Chef Henkelmann did his internship at the Auberge de L'Ill in Illhausern, Alsace which, in my time, was considered one of the best restaurants in the world.  For years it was in my short list of places to visit and finally in the 1990's I was able to get there for a fabulous lunch.  It is not the easiest place to get to as it is in a small town on the border with Germany and you must have a car and a deep sense of commitment.  If you do get there someday,  the first thing you must look for are the storks whose nests are visible on the chimneys and who parade themselves in the garden while you are having lunch. We spent a delightful afternoon not only enjoying a fabulous meal but also having coffee in the garden by the river.

The Homestead Inn

The Homestead Inn, a member of Relais & Chateaux,  is less than an hour's drive from New York or you can get there by train to Greenwich and a short cab ride from the station to the inn.  It is a wonderful place to visit for Sunday lunch or, better yet,  come on Saturday for dinner and stay overnight.  I guarantee you won't be disappointed.   Do check for Sunday lunch service though, as it is not available year round.  In my day, you could eat in the enclosed air conditioned porch.  If this is still the case, I highly recommend it.

The porch at the Inn where cocktails are served

In this recipe, I recommend using the ready to bake Barilla lasagna sheets or ready made crepes.  If you have frozen lobster stock, like I do from the lobster risotto, you are halfway there.  This is why I always tell you to keep and freeze everything, especially stock.  If not, buy a lobster tail and make the stock with some onion, celery, tarragon, saffron and parsley. Whisk in the butter.

Printable Recipe

Total time: 1hr to 2hr

Preheat the oven at 200° C. (400° F)

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 30-40 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

.
Ingredients

Ingredients for 8 servings

- 500 g (18 oz.) jumbo lump Crabmeat

- 100 g (3 1/2 oz.) diced blanched Leeks

- 100 ml (6 tbsp.) Béchamel sauce

- 20 g (2/3 oz.) fresh chopped tarragon

- Salt, pepper and cayenne

- 8 crêpes or cooked pasta sheets

- 125 ml (1/2 cup) heavy cream + 125 ml (1/2 cup) water

- 200 ml (3/4 cup) lobster stock flavored with tarragon and Saffron

- 80 g (1/3 cup) butter to whisk into the lobster stock

- + 20 g (4 tsp.) to sauté the spinach

- 50 g (2 tbsp.) Parmigiano Reggiano

- 300 g (10 oz.) spinach

- 8 sprigs of tarragon and some diced tomato for garnish


Method

1.Combine the crabmeat with the warm béchamel sauce, leeks and tarragon. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne.

2.Place 1/8 of the crabmeat mixture onto each pasta sheet and roll into a tight cannelloni.

3.Place the cannelloni side by side in a deep ovenproof dish. Pour a mixture of half cream and half water into the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the grated cheese over top.

4.Place the cannelloni into a preheated 200° C (400° F) oven and bake for approximately 10-15 minutes until the top is lightly browned.

5.Sauté the leaf spinach in butter, season with salt and pepper and place in the centre of a warm serving dish.

6.Place the cannelloni on top of the spinach. Garnish with a tarragon sprig and some diced tomato. Carefully spoon the saffron-scented lobster jus around it.

Chef's Note

Try preparing the cannelloni with crêpes instead of pasta

Adapted from The Worldwide Gourmet

Stuffed Crabs...A Delightful Summer Lunch

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 Don't confuse this recipe with crabmeat au gratin which has a white sauce and is slightly richer. This is the Southern version and one of my favorite ways to cook crab when you have the freshest or the very best.  If you don't want to fiddle around with cooking and cleaning crabs, purchase the meat from the fishmonger, but only if it is very fresh.  Costco also sells a tin of lump crabmeat that is outstanding.  I think the name is Red Star and comes in a large blue and white tin box. Be careful, they have two tins, one more expensive than the other.  For this recipe, definitely buy the former.  There is nothing, however, like fresh crabmeat so caveat emptor!

 To replace the crab shells that are traditionally used as cooking and serving vessels, use scallop shells, which can also be used for Coquilles St. Jacques, another favorite.

This makes for a delicious summer lunch, accompanied with a simple green salad and cantaloupe gelato for dessert!


Printable Recipe

Ingredients

For 4 servings

- 12 small crabs

- 1 clove of garlic, minced

- 1 onion, finely chopped

- 1 shallot, finely chopped

- 2 tbsp. oil

- 2 tbsp. lemon juice

- 1 tsp. hot pepper sauce

- 4 tbsp. bread crumbs

- 2 tbsp. butter


Method

1.Clean the crabs; place them into a large pot and cover with cold water; boil for 30 minutes;

2.Cool the crabs in cold water; shell them and remove the meat; clean the shells to use for serving;

3.Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil; add the flaked crab; season with salt and pepper; cook for about 5 minutes;

4.Add the shallot, lemon juice, hot sauce, half the bread crumbs and 1 tbsp. butter;

5.Combine well; let cool for 10 minutes;

6.Fill the shells with this mixture; combine the remaining bread crumbs and butter and place on top of the crab mixture;

7.Place into a 350 °F  oven for 15-20 minutes;

8.Garnish the plate with strips of hot pepper and bunches of parsley.