Corn and Crab Cake over Cheese Grits

Plowing through post-holiday depression is like overcoming inertia: the longer you let things lie, the harder it is to get off that couch, or out of the cozy confines of your bed and move. Part of it is no doubt the result of being bogged down by the excesses of rich food from Thanksgiving until New Year's Eve. To that end, as a sort of detox program, I often dive into vegan recipes in the beginning of January, only to find myself with an insane craving for bloody meat and creamy cheese after about 10 days. I imagine a Paleolithic Me hunkered over a fresh kill by the light of some fire, hands and mouth dripping with blood as I howl to the moon.

Yeah ok, I know. Over the top.

So, the vegan interlude over, I am back to my normal routine of cooking anything I like from scratch, and trying to delve back into the realm of Cooking As Therapy. The girls wanted a little plate of "something fancy," so I thought what better way to use the crab and  leftover corn than as a crab cake. I have been attempting to broaden their horizons when it comes to starches and grains, and figured that cheesy polenta would provide a nice counterpoint to the crab. A dollop of sweet red pepper relish (bought, I'm afraid, and no doubt including that evil of all evils, high-fructose corn syrup) rounded it out.

Corn and Crab Cake over Cheese Grits

Makes 8 small or 4 large servings 

Ingredients:

For the corn and crab cakes:

• 8 oz. lump crabmeat, precooked
• 1/2 cup corn kernels
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 - 3 heaping tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Old Bay
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
• panko
• peanut oil for frying

For the cheese grits:

• 1/2 cup corn grits or polenta - I like Bob's Red Mill Corn Grits
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shredded white cheddar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon cream
• sweet red pepper relish (optional)

Directions:

For the cheese grits:

1. Place the corn grits, water and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and stir occasionally to be sure that it isn't going to stick and burn on the bottom. After 10 minutes, give a little taste to check for seasoning and add more salt if needed. I like to use homemade chicken stock which has no salt in it, so I usually add a bit more salt. If you are using chicken broth from a base, granules or a carton, you may be all set for salt. The gits will thicken up as you go. If you really prefer looser, more runny grits, add more stock or water as you go.
2. After another 15 minutes, stir in the shredded cheese until it has melted, then add the butter and cream to taste. Set aside as you make the corn and crab cakes. You can quickly reheat them once you are ready to serve, or you can keep them over a very low heat as long as you check it frequently to make sure that it isn't scorching on the bottom. If you are really talented, you can make the corn and crab cakes as the grits are cooking. :)

For the corn and crab cakes:

1. Saute the minced onion in olive oil over medium-high heat until translucent. Add the red onion and corn and saute for another 5 minutes or until the pepper is soft. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, mix together the lump crab meat and sauteed veggies. Fold in the mayo, Old Bay and granulated garlic until everything is nicely mixed. Feel free to taste a little bit to check that you like the amount of seasoning and adjust as needed.
3. Crack the egg into a small bowl and beat slightly and then add to the crab mixture, stirring well. Gradually add the soft breadcrumbs and mix well. 
4. Pour panko crumbs into a pie tin or a large shallow bowl.
5. Shape the mixture into 8 patties and dredge in the panko crumbs, slightly pressing them into the surface. Set each crab cake aside on another plate to rest while you make the rest. Once they're done, you can cover them with plastic wrap and let them sit in the fridge or you can fry them right away. I've done it both ways with good results.
6. Heat some peanut oil in a large skillet and fry the crab cakes in batches until golden brown on both sides.
7. Serve on a bed  of the cheese grits and top with a dollop of sweet red pepper relish.

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Crab Tartlets

We love finger foods here. I am always on the hunt for new appetizers to serve at the various family functions. Puff pastry is always a good place to start. You can create strudels out of it, layer it with ingredients and fold it over, cut it into rounds and place them in muffin tins, it provides a near infinite variety of snacks and dishes.

The family also goes nutso over seafood, particularly crab, so any opportunity to fold together something crabby with something creamy is always welcome in this house.

Crab Tartlets

Makes 12 tartlets

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed and cut into rounds with a 3 inch biscuit cutter
• ½ cup lump crab meat, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons of mayo
• 2 tablespoons garlic and herb Boursin cheese
• ½ teaspoon sriracha more or less to taste 
• 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
• 1½ teaspoons minced shallot
• 1½ teaspoons minced celery
• ¼ cup shredded cheese - I used a mixture of extra-sharp cheddar, parm and romano
• Old Bay to taste
• ¼ cup soft, unseasoned bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F.
2. Place the rounds of puff pastry into the bottom of a 12-well muffin pan.*
3. Mix together the crab, mayo, sriracha, mustard and Boursin in a bowl, then add the minced shallot and celery and the shredded cheese. Stir well to combine.
4. Taste and then season with salt, pepper and Old Bay to suit your taste.
5. Add the bread crumbs and toss to combine well.
6. Put a heaping teaspoon on top of each pastry round in the muffin pans and then bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the pastry starts to get golden brown. 
7. Carefully pry the tartlets from the muffin pan and let cool on a wire rack and then serve.

Notes:

• I put the pastry rounds into an ungreased muffin pan and then stuck like hell, but for some reason, with this particular muffin pan, that is always the case. Next time I might try greasing it liberally with Crisco or even resorting to muffin liner papers or using my new silicone muffin cups.
• Any leftover crab mixture makes a wonderful crab cake mixture with the addition of a bit more soft bread crumbs. The resulting texture is soft and somewhat bready, like what you get with baked stuffed clams. It was an unexpected delight.

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Butternut Squash and Crab Bisque

I had this recipe in mind when I first got my hands on a butternut squash at the farmers' market back in September. I went so far as to make my own shellfish stock by simmering crab shells and leftover shrimp tails with white wine, onions, celery and carrots and a hit of tomato paste. The house smelled like a crab house down by a Maryland pier, and the cat was going out of his mind, taunted by the smells of seafood.

As it turned out, by the time the stock had finished simmering and I had cleared out the detritus of stock-making, I lost my will to live and felt no urgency to clean, roast and then puree the squash, so I ended up freezing the stock for "some other time."

Well, that time came, and was it ever worth it!

Butternut Squash and Crab Bisque

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1 medium onion and 1 small shallot, chopped - about 1 cup, total
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot - I also tossed in some leftover parsnip
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 cups butternut squash - I used already roasted cubes and puree
• 2 - 3 quarts of stock, simmering - I used homemade shellfish stock, but chicken or vegetable  will work nicely too*
• Old Bay
• salt
• pepper
• crab meat
• cracker crumbs (optional)
• heavy cream (optional)
• sherry (optional)

Directions:

1. Saute the chopped onion and shallot in olive oil over medium heat until softened, then add the carrots, parsnip (if using) and celery and cook until the vegetables are soft.
2. Add the butternut squash and 2 cups of the warmed stock and bring to a boil, then add another 2 cups of stock and simmer, covered until the squash is fully cooked, adding more stock as needed.
3. Puree the soup with a stick blender or in batches in a blender, adding more warm stock as needed to reach the consistency you like.
4. Season with salt, pepper and Old Bay. You can be generous with the Old Bay. This soup can accept a lot of seasoning. 
5. Ladle into bowls, hit with a shot of cream and/or sherry and top with lump crab meat and cracker crumbs and another dusting of Old Bay.

Notes:

• When I make pureed soups like these, I generally keep a large pot of stock simmering on the back burner. I can never say with certainty how much stock goes into these soups, but I'd rather err on the side of having too much stock at hand than not enough. Any remaining stock gets refrigerated or frozen in ice trays for other uses, so stock never has to go down the drain.

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Crab-stuffed Mushrooms

These make a nice appetizer if you use the smaller cremini/baby bella mushrooms, but I like to make these with large portobello caps and have them for dinner with a green salad.

Crab-stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 1 8-oz container crabmeat
• 1 package of shallot and chive flavor Boursin® cheese
• 2 T mayo (or more to achieve the desired consistency)
  
• ½ onion, finely diced
• Old Bay® seasoning
• ½ cup of soft bread crumbs or cracker crumbs (Ritz or saltines work well)
• 6 large portobello mushroom caps or 20 smaller cremini/baby bellas
  
• Panko crumbs
• freshly grated parmesan or romano
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


2. In a large bowl, mix together the crab meat, Boursin® cheese and mayo. Mix well.


3. Fold in the diced onion and cracker or bread crumbs, stirring until everything is incorporated well.


4. Clean the mushroom caps by removing the stems and gills and brushing off any accumulated dirt.


5. Place the caps on a baking sheet.


6. Put a healthy dollop of the crab mixture in the cavity of each mushroom cap and sprinkle generously with Old Bay®. Top with grated cheese and panko crumbs.
   


7. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the tops are nicely browned and the filling is slightly bubbly on the sides. The larger portobello caps take longer.
   


8. Serve hot.

Note:

• If watching carbs is a concern for you, omit the bread crumbs or cracker crumbs to the crab meat mixture in the bowl and top the mushrooms with just the freshly grated parmesan and no panko bread crumbs.
  

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