Over the past week I have been in Boulder, enjoying mountain views, dry air, and an abundance of good eats. My good friend Dana, otherwise known as The Kitchen Witch, invited me to stay and play with her while attending the Food and Light conference. Her sharp wit, warm heart, and fantastic family made it a great trip.

Oatmeal raisin cookies are one of the first foods I learned to cook. Was this because they were my favorite cookie? No. Was this because we have a cherished family recipe that inspired me to bake? Nope. I learned at a very early age to make oatmeal raisin cookies for one reason: my dad loves them. A wise man, my father figured that if his daughter was showing an interest in the kitchen he would ensure she knew how to make his favorite cookie. Marathon baking sessions followed as my dad taught me me to bake cookies.

Now these were not cutesy kid on a stool afternoons, no sir, these were manly baking sessions. My dad would look at the recipe for 2 dozen cookies and declare “Why that is not nearly enough cookies! We’ll have to double it.” Or he’d read the instructions which called for teaspoon-size scoops of cookie dough and say, “Who wants to eat tiny cookies? Let’s make them as big as golf balls.” We would measure and mix, scoop and scrape, turning the kitchen into a disaster zone with flakes of oatmeal littering the floor and a cloud of flour lingering in the air. In the end, every square inch of counter space was covered with cooling racks lined with big craggy oatmeal raisin cookies. The scent of warm cinnamon filled the house and dishes overflowed in the sink. We would have enough cookies to last several weeks. There were so many cookies my mom instituted a two cookie daily limit for fear that the kids would be on a month-long sugar high.

So this last week when my parents were moving all of their belongings cross-country in a moving truck so slow and bouncy it made a horse and buggy sound appealing, I knew just what to make for their arrival- oatmeal raisin cookies. The recipe comes from the cookbook “Great Cookies, Secrets to Sensational Sweets“, a winner of the James Beard Award. My Aunt sent me this marvelous cookbook last month and I haven’t stopped dreaming of cookies since. The fact that these cookies are the very first recipe in the book was not lost on me. Two things set the recipe apart from any other oatmeal raisin cookie recipe I’ve tried (and trust me, I’ve tried a lot!). First, the raisins are soaked in boiling water for 20 minutes to help “plump” them up before they are mixed into the dough. It is an excellent method that eliminates any chance of biting into a soft cookie only to then hit a hard shriveled up raisin. Second, the recipe mixes grated orange peel in the batter. Now this is simply a stroke of brilliance. Background notes of orange add a whole new dimension to oatmeal raisin cookies, pulling all the ingredients together into a marvelous mix of spice and fruit that tastes like no other oatmeal raisin cookie.

When my dad walked into our house after days of driving and road food he couldn’t keep from grinning when I handed him a big container of oatmeal raisin cookies. Biting into one, he declared that they were my best version yet. Now that my parents are just up the street I have a feeling that they won’t be my last!

Orange Kissed Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (Printable Recipe)

Adapted from Great Cookies, Secrets to Sensational Sweets by Carole Walter

Makes Approximately 4 dozen 3-inch cookies

Note: If you don’t like nuts in your cookies (hi dad!) then leave them out and increase the oatmeal and raisins by 1/2 cup each.

Ingredients:

2 cups All-purpose flour, spooned into the measuring cup and leveled

1 1/2 teaspoons ground Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Salt

1 cup (2 sticks) Unsalted butter, slightly firm

1 teaspoon grated Navel Orange Zest (I increased this using the zest from 1 orange)

2/3 cup lightly packed Dark Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

1/4 cup Dark Unsulfured Molasses

2 large Eggs

2 teaspoons pure Vanilla extract

2 cups Old Fashioned Oatmeal

1 cup broken, toasted pecans or walnuts

1 cup dark Raisins, plumped, drained, and patted dry on paper towels*

*To plump the raisins, place them in a heat proof bowl, and pour enough boiling water on top to cover the raisins by one inch. Let sit for 10 minutes, then drain off the water and dry the raisins.

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees with a shelf in the upper and lower third of the oven. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpats.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set the bowl aside.

Place the orange zest and butter in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat the two together for about one minute until the butter is smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and continue beating on medium speed for one minute. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture is a light color, about 2-3 minutes. Next pour in the molasses, mixing to combine. Add the eggs one at a time, then pour in the vanilla, mixing for one minute until everything is incorporated into the batter.

Turn down the mixing speed to low and slowly pour in the mix of dry ingredients. Mix the batter only enough to incorporate the flour (do not over beat), then blend in the oatmeal. Turn off the mixer and remove the paddle attachment from the bowl. Fold in the raisins and pecans (if using) with a large rubber spatula. Place the batter in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to chill slightly.

Drop rounded tablespoons of dough spaced 3 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Bake the cookies for 15-17 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown. Rotate the pans from the top rack to the bottom rack about half-way through the cooking time. Do not over bake the cookies or they will be too crisp and hard to remove from the pan. The bottoms of the cookies will brown faster than the top, so do not wait for a dark golden top before removing the cookies from the oven. Let the cookies stand on the sheets for 2 minutes before using a thin spatula to loosen them from the sheets. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container layered between pieces of wax paper for up to one week. You can also freeze the cookies, but who wants to wait that long?!

Whenever I think about bourbon I remember a story my grandmother used to tell me when I lived with them during my time in graduate school. It was the early 1950′s, and my grandmother lived in the Delta Gamma sorority house on the campus of the University of Colorado in Boulder. The house was run with precision by an eagle-eyed house mother who allowed no boys, no drinking, and no shenanigans on the premises. Girls who wanted to “live a little” had to either do it before 9 pm and feign innocence when walking past her desk or try (often unsuccessfully) to sneak out after hours. There was, however, one exception. A girl in the house had a doctor’s note prescribing a shot of bourbon for her monthly “female troubles”. She would lie in bed sipping a glass of bourbon while the other girls looked on with envy. This story always makes me laugh, because while bourbon can definitely cure what ails you, what doctor would prescribe it for a 1950′s sorority sister, and why didn’t everyone in the house track him down?

In the summertime my bourbon bottle often migrates to the back of the cabinet. Warm weather calls for gin, vodka, tequila, and other “cooling” spirits. However when added to a slow cooked barbecue sauce, bourbon sheds its warm winter coat and can party hard with pork and pineapple. This recipe for apple bourbon smoked pork chops comes from the incredible cookbook Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ Book. Written by legendary pitmaster Chris Lilly, it is a masterpiece of incredible BBQ recipes which came to my attention when Todd & Diane, Jen, and other bloggers attended a weekend “grilling university” featuring his instruction and recipes.

The dish begins with quality pork chops, cut in the thick Iowa Chop style, with a moisture locking ring of fat and big meaty bone. The meat is rubbed with mix of classic BBQ spices including brown sugar, paprika, cumin, and ginger. A base sauce recipe is sweetened by sautéed apples and kissed with caramel notes of bourbon. When slowly cooked over coals spiked by smoking pieces of apple wood the pork chops turn into succulent slabs of porcine perfection. Moist, tender, and running with sweetly flavored juices no one will dispute that these are award winning pork chops.

Apple Bourbon Smoked Pork Chops (Printable Recipe)

Serves 8

Ingredients:

Dry Rub:

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

6 1/2 teaspoons Salt

2 Tablespoons Paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons Garlic Powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground Cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons Onion Powder

1 teaspoon Black Pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground Cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground Ginger

8 Thick-cut Pork Chops, about 5 1/2 lbs

1/2 cup apple wood chips

Apple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce (Recipe Below)

Directions:

Combine all of the dry rub ingredients together in a small bowl until well mixed. Rinse pork chops, pat them dry with paper towels and set them on a large plate. Generously sprinkle the dry rub on top of the pork chops. Pat the rub gently into the meat. Flip the pork chops over and repeat to add rub on the other side. Cover the pork chops with plastic wrap and place them in the fridge until ready to use (up to 1 day ahead).

Soak the apple wood chips in water for at least 1 hour before using.

When ready to cook the chops, prepare a charcoal or wood fired grill for indirect cooking. This means that the coals will be on one side of the grill and you will put the food on the other side, not directly above the coals. Pre-heat the grill until it maintains 250 degrees. Use a grill tool to lift up one of the racks and add the soaked apple wood chips. Replace the rack and set the pork chops on the grill, leaving a little space between the chops for air circulation. Close the lid and cook the chops for 2-3 hours, until they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees.

le='font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;'>Once the chops reach 145 degrees, paint both sides generously with the apple bourbon barbecue sauce. Continue to cook the chops over indirect heat until they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Remove the chops from heat, and serve immediately with any extra sauce on the side.

Makes 3 cups

(Don’t be afraid of the long list of ingredients, this sauce comes together in 15 minutes.)

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Butter

1/4 cup diced Sweet Onion

1 firm apple, peeled and coarsely grated (about 3/4 cup)

3 Tablespoons Bourbon

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/4 Cayenne Pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground Cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground Cumin

2 cups Ketchup

1/2 cup Distilled White Vinegar

1/2 cup Cola

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

6 Tablespoons pure Maple Syrup

1 Tablespoon Molasses

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

2 1/2 teaspoons Liquid Smoke

Directions:

Place a small skillet over medium heat and add the butter. When the butter is melted, add the onion and saute for 4 minutes, until the onion is soft. Next add the grated apple, bourbon, salt, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and cumin, and saute for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and set it aside.

Place a large non-reactive saucepan over medium-low heat. Add all of the remaining ingredients, stirring until they are well combined. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the apple onion mixture to the sauce and continue to simmer for another 2 minutes. The sauce should be thick and fragrant. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool. Once the sauce is cool transfer it to a sealed container and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

If you have been reading along for some time then you are fully aware of my long standing love affair with soup. If you are new here, well, consider yourself warned. The soup never stops! Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer- every season is good season for soup. Now admittedly, Summer brings on a few challenges for even the most stalwart soup lover. When the mercury rises and humidity wilts your hair into limp submission the last thing anyone wants is a hot bowl of soup. But wait! How about a bowl of cold soup?

For some reason you can’t take just any warm soup and serve it cold with much success. Cold minestrone? Cold pho? Cold crab bisque? Um yeah, no thanks. But if you break out a chilled gazpacho, a frigid melon puree, or an icy borscht, then you might get a few takers. This recipe for a chilled white bean soup with pesto, uses the best of a hearty winter soup (beans and potatoes) and swaps a sweater for a sun dress by adding a swirl of fresh pesto on top. The use of an easy homemade vegetable stock enhances the overall soup lending a subtle vegetable flavor to every bite. By keeping the potatoes in small chunks the soup maintains a substantial texture and will feel like a meal despite the fact that it only has 125 calories per half-cup serving. If the heat has you looking for relief and your soup pot is feeling neglected, then a chilled white bean soup topped with vibrant pesto may be just what you need.

Chilled White Bean Soup with Pesto (Printable Recipe)

Adapted from: Canyon Ranch Cooking, Bringing the Spa Home by Jeanne Jones

(If you are looking for a healthy and inspiring cookbook this one is my favorite!)

Serves 8 (With 1/2 cup servings)

Ingredients:

Soup

3/4 cup dried white beans, soaked overnight in water, rinsed, and drained

2 1/2 teaspoons canola oil

3 Tablespoons chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 small leek, white part only, chopped

7 cups vegetable stock (homemade recipe here)

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced (about two cups)

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon sodium-reduced soy sauce

pinch freshly ground black pepper

Pesto

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves (plus a few more for garnish)

2 garlic cloves

2 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon chopped shallot

1 1/2 Tablespoons water

Directions:

Make the Soup

Place a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the oil, onion, garlic, and leek. Cook stirring frequently until the onion is soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Do not burn or brown the onions. Add the beans and the vegetable stock to the pot and bring the liquid to a simmer. Cook, maintaining a gentle simmer, until the beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Once the beans are tender, add the potatoes, thyme, soy sauce, and pepper to the pot. Continue to cook the soup for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.

When the potatoes are cooked through, transfer 3/4 cup of the soup to a blender and puree until smooth. Add the puree back into the soup pot and stir to combine. Remove the pot from the heat, and let the soup come to room temperature before placing it in the fridge to chill, covered.

Make the Pesto

Place all of the pesto ingredients into a food processor and blend until the pesto is smooth. Transfer the pesto to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and keep in the fridge until ready to use

Assemble the Soup

Once the soup is cold, ladle 1/2 cup of soup in to a bowl and top with 2 teaspoons of pesto. Garnish with a basil leaf.

When we were waiting for our drinks at the Daily Juice in Austin I entertained myself by watching the action in the galley kitchen, which was on the other side of a small half-wall. At one end of the kitchen, a burly man kept several blenders running, adding bits of this and that as he went. On the other end a young woman set a large box on the counter and pulled out an oddly shaped white object. It had a smooth exterior, was flat on one side, and on the opposite side it resembled a sharpened pencil. Perplexed, I watched her closely trying to figure out what I was looking at. She picked up a large blunt-ended knife, and hacked into the object with force. Bits of the exterior flew everywhere and she continued to hack away until a hole appeared. Once the hole was the size of a golf ball, she picked up the object and upended it, pouring out liquid into a waiting pitcher. Then she tossed the object in the trash, reached for another, and repeated the process. Curious, I stepped closer and was able to recognize that the bits of fiber coming off the object were coconut fibers. Ah ha! She was pouring out coconut water for drinks!

Back home from our trip to Austin, I decided to look up coconut water and see how it is different from coconut milk. It turns out that coconut water comes from young green coconuts. Before mass distribution, the large green shells are shaved down to the oddly shaped white objects I saw at the Daily Juice. As the coconuts grow, the water is replaced with meat and air, turning them into the familiar brown coconuts we know and love. The water is fat free, low in calories, and very high in potassium and electrolytes. It is even purported that in World War II, coconut water was used as an emergency intravenous hydration fluid when a soldier was injured in the field and IV fluid was nowhere to be found. Coconut IV anyone? Given all of these health benefits it is no surprise that a few enterprising individuals have started to sell coconut water on the mass market. My small town has not hit the distribution radar screen for sexy new sports drinks, but I was fortunate enough to find young coconuts at an ethnic grocery store. (Note- A few people I have talked to who have tried the packaged coconut water thought it tasted awful. I wonder if something gets lost in the packaging and distribution process?)

I brought a few young coconuts home and decided to turn them into a healthy breakfast smoothie. It took a bit of work to hack into the coconut (there’s nothing like flying bits of shell and juice to wake you up in the morning) but once I worked my way in, I was rewarded with about 2 cups of liquid. Coconut water must be used within 24 hours of exposing it to air as the nutritional qualities decline after that point. So, like most things in life, it is better to enjoy this drink while it is fresh. If you are feeling ambitious you can also work at peeling the tender coconut meat out of the shell and either add it to the smoothie or save it for another use.

A small taste of the water revealed a clean sweet flavor reminiscent of almond milk. The coconut water only tasted slightly of coconuts and was a thin and refreshing liquid. Blended with bananas, strawberries, fresh mangoes, and a touch of yogurt it created a fabulous breakfast smoothie. Creamy, floral, and a little nutty, Mr. B and I loved the blend of tropical fruit flavors and the coconut water. If you are looking to mix up your morning smoothie routine with a highly nutritious liquid then look for the oddly shaped young coconuts and hack away!

Coconut Water Smoothie with Mango, Banana, & Strawberries (Printable Recipe)

Serves 2
Note: I think this is the shortest recipe I’ve ever posted!

Ingredients:

Liquid from 1 young coconut (about 2 cups)

2 Bananas

2 Mangos

1 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen)

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (use a low-sugar variety if you can find it)

2 Tablespoons honey (omit if the yogurt is sweet)

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth. Serve immediately.

It’s time for another Daring Kitchen challenge!

When faced with the June Daring Kitchen challenge, I decided to opt for the veggie version of pate. I consider myself an adventurous eater but liver often gives me pause. Considering the function of a liver, I want to make sure that the animal it comes from was raised in decent way without any chemical or pharmaceutical additives. Because life is moving at warp speed this month it was much easier to reach for a bunch of basil than to source chicken livers.

The pate came together quickly, with a base layer of pureed white beans, a second layer of roasted red bell peppers and ricotta, and a third layer of pesto. Once assembled the pate went into the fridge to chill overnight.

The French baguettes also cooperated, rising into big beautiful puffy loaves. A year ago I never would have thought that I would be able to bake bread without breaking a sweat. I still consider it a minor miracle when a new recipe actually rises and browns! I guess what they say about practice paying of in the long run actually has some merit.

But it wouldn’t be a Daring Kitchen challenge without something going awry. As I went to unmold the pate, things began to fall apart. Quite literally. No matter how hard I inverted the pate onto a plate, or tapped on the bottom of the pan, it wouldn’t budge. I tried running warm water around the bottom of the pan to loosen it a touch. I tried using a thin knife to separate the sides. No luck. Finally I left the pan upside down on top of the plate and walked away exasperated. A few minutes later I heard a thump. Gingerly picking up the pan I hoped to find a beautiful cube of pate. Instead I saw a pile of pate that looked anything but appetizing. Drat. Mr. B and I dug in anyways, enjoying the vibrant pesto flavor and soft warm bread. It is a good thing that food doesn’t have to be beautiful to also be tasty. This recipe and others for traditional pate can be found at The Daring Kitchen. 

Uchi Restaurant

Last month Mr. B and I had the opportunity to spend a weekend exploring and eating our way through Austin, Texas. The defiant phrase “Keep Austin Weird” is the city’s unofficial motto, telling you up front that Austin is not your ordinary Texas town. A population made up of college students, high tech workers, organic food proponents, and live music aficionados gives the city a colorful and happening vibe, infecting even weekend visitors with a sense of energy and excitement.

Once we landed in Texas, we made a beeline for an early dinner reservation at Uchi. This nationally acclaimed sushi restaurant is tucked off the street in a cozy red bungalow. Inside vintage Japanese patterns meet modern textures providing a vibrant backdrop for some seriously beautiful fish. Maguro sashimi with goat cheese, fuji apple, and pumpkin seed oil combines familiar and unusual textures with fantastic results. Sake is served in tiny wooden boxes instead of glasses lending a woodsy note to the clean crisp finish. Velvety fresh slices of hamachi slip across your tongue leaving a lingering sweetness representative of carefully prepared sashimi. Our favorite dish was Walu Walu- oak grilled escolar with candied citrus, yuzupon, and myoga. Mr. B and I ate with gusto, savoring the experience and celebrating the bounty of fresh fish found at Uchi.

Continued after the jump »

June in the Midwest is a month for outdoor bands playing late into the evening while people dance on the grass, for watching fluffy white puffs of cotton from cottonwood trees float through the air, and for lunchtime picnics on warm green grass. One of my favorite parts about living in a small town is that it doesn’t take very long to drive anywhere. If I plan ahead and our schedules align this makes it possible for Mr. B and I to occasionally meet in the park for a lunch-time picnic. If our picnic is spontaneous I will swing by a local sandwich shop and pick up a turkey on pumpernickel to go. However if time allows, nothing tastes better at a picnic than a cold noodle salad (well except for a cold beer, but we save that for the weekend!).

Since June also marks the official start of swimsuit season, I have been burying my nose in every health cookbook I own, trying to find inspiration and virtue to combat our inevitable summer cravings for homemade ice cream. I stumbled across a recipe for a cold soba noodle salad with a spicy peanut sauce and knew it would be perfect for a lunch-time picnic.

Buckwheat soba noodles provide a heart-healthy whole grain base in this quick cooking recipe. Judicious use of sesame oil and a slurry of cornstarch and water create the thick velvety sauce which makes Asian noodle dishes so tempting, while also keeping the calories and fat to a minimum. A sprinkle of chopped peanuts, fresh green onions, and sweet red bell peppers brighten up the flavor and bring a delightful crunch to the sticky noodles. You can make your own peanut butter as the base for the spicy peanut sauce, or save time and reach for a store-bought jar. Either way, the result is a nutty, spicy, and satisfying cold salad, perfect for outdoor eating. With only 330 calories per serving, you’ll even be able to pack a few cookies for dessert!

Do you have a favorite cold salad recipe? If so, I’d like to hear it! I’ve been on a serious cold salad jag and would love more ideas!

Cold Soba Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce (Printable Recipe)

Adapted from Canyon Ranch Cooking: Bringing the Spa Home by Jeanne Jones

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Spicy Peanut Sauce (Also excellent as a dip for satays or spring rolls)

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

2/3 cup water

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup unhomogenized smooth peanut butter (store bought or make your own)

2 Tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon dark sesame oil

4 garlic cloves

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (less if you don’t like spicy food)

10 ounces dry Soba Noodles (4 cups cooked)

1 1/2 teaspoons dark sesame oil

1 cup spicy peanut sauce (recipe below)

1/2 cup chopped scallion tops, for garnish

1 red bell pepper, diced, for garnish

1/4 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped

Directions:

Place a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Combine the cornstarch and water in the pan, whisking until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Bring the mix to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and whisk constantly until thickened. It should resemble the consistency of egg whites when finished. Turn off the heat, and set the pan as
ide to cool to room temperature. The mixture will continue to gel up while cooling.

Meanwhile, combine rice vinegar, peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, sugar, and red pepper flakes in a blender. Blend until all the ingredients are smooth and well combined. Transfer the puree to a medium bowl and whisk in the cooled cornstarch mixture. Cover the bowl with a lid or saran wrap and keep in the fridge until ready to use.

Cook the soba noodles according to the package directions until they are al dente. Drain the noodles and rinse them with cold running water until they are cool. Drain the noodles again, then place them in a bowl. Drizzle the sesame oil on top of the noodles, and toss to coat all of the noodles with the oil. Cover the bowl with a lid or saran wrap and place it in the fridge to chill slightly. When you are ready to serve the salad, place 1 cup of noodles on each serving plate and pour 1/4 cup of the spicy peanut sauce on top. Garnish with chopped scallions, diced red peppers, and chopped peanuts. Serve cold or at room temperature. (Note: Sauce and Noodles can be made 1-2 days ahead of time and assembled just before serving.)

When the weather hovers in the mid-80′s for weeks on end my thoughts inevitably turn to the beach. Daydreams of cool blue waves, harsh sunshine bouncing off the sand, and the smell of hot sunscreen make me long for an afternoon out of the office (and a jet plane to whisk me 1,000 miles to the nearest ocean). Ah, the fantasies of summer.

With no beach nearby I instead content myself with sock free weekdays (hooray for sandals!), dinners on the porch, and as much fresh seafood as I can get. The traveling fishmongers who come through our town during summer months resumed their schedule last week. I originally was quite worried that we would be without fresh shrimp and crab this summer. Thankfully their boats are based out of Texas, West of the tragic oil spill. Yet with the significant loss of habitat and sea-life in the region, the gulf seafood we can still purchase is now all the more precious.

The lump crab meat sold by our fishmongers is actually Maryland crab, but is still quite a treat. To celebrate the start of summer and further my beach fantasies I decided to make classic crab cakes with the shelled claw meat. Inspiration came from the king of simple recipes, Mark Bittman. His crabby crab cakes, combine shallots, egg, dijon mustard and flour with the crab, for a basic yet absolutely delicious crab cake. The cakes come together in a few minutes, and can be prepared ahead of time, making them perfect for a leisurely weekend or an easy summer dinner party. If you are looking for a homemade cocktail sauce to pair with the cakes, Deb’s recipe is a solid base from which you can tweak away to match your tastes. So break out the flip flops, turn on a little Bob Marley, and chill out on the deck with crab cakes this summer!

Classic Crab Cakes (Printable Recipe)

Barely Adapted from Mark Bittman, NY Times

Time: 1 hour, largely unattended

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh lump crab meat

1 shallot, finely diced

1 egg

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons flour, more for dredging

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or neutral oil, like canola or grape-seed

4 tablespoons butter (or use a total of 4 tablespoons oil)

Lemon wedges

Directions:

In a medium bowl, gently mix together the crab, egg, mustard, salt, pepper, and 2 Tablespoons of flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for 5 minutes to chill.

After 5 minutes, line a plate with plastic wrap, and shape the mixture into 4 hamburger-shaped patties. Set each patty on the plastic wrap and cover them with additional plastic wrap. Place the plate with the patties into the fridge and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to one day. If you are in a rush, place the plate in the freezer for 15 minutes instead.

Place flour for dredging in a shallow bowl. Place a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, and add oil and butter to the skillet. When the butter is melted and stops foaming, quickly dredge a crab cake in the flour. Gently tap off any excess flour and add the crab cake to the skillet. Repeat this process with remaining crab cakes. Turn up the heat to medium-high. Cook the cakes, browning the first side for 5-8 minutes, or until golden. Turn the cakes over and cook the other side, which will take less time, about 4-5 minutes. When the cakes are brown on both sides, remove them from the pan and set them on paper towels to drain. Serve hot, with lemon slices to squeeze on top and a side of cocktail sauce or tartar sauce.