Crab Cake results

IMPORTANT NOTE: Special thanks to Christine for the MARVELOUS crab cake recipe. Although exact specifications are a secret.




Well...tonight was interesting. Lets just say i'm only typing w/ 4 fingers on my right hand as the other one is bandaged up from nearly cutting it off (lesson DONT COOK rushed).

I started out tonight w/ Bruchetta. Used pico but then added some shallots and fresh basil. Turned out pretty well overall.

Potatoes: I actually really liked this recipe. It was the perfect side for the crab cakes as it was nice and creamy and just complemented the crab cakes really well. Only note would be to watch how much cream you add to the potatoes, some were a little liquidy. Would definitely make them again (easy to make especially w/ a mandoline...just be careful!)


Crab Cakes:
Overall i was really happy with how these turned out. They were pretty spicy, perfect for me but maybe too much for some other people. Basically be careful w/ the sriracha sauce. Although considering i gave no measurements, hard to say was "less" would be. I did cook them in oil in the pan. I think this worked pretty well. If i had more time, maybe i'd cooking in the pan then put in the oven for a bit (only because they stayed a little oily out of the pan, so maybe a little oven time would get rid of that).



Mango salsa:
was interesting cutting mangos. only note would be make sure the mangos are nice and soft when you buy them, mine weren't quite ripe, which hurt the flavor.

Crab cakes & Potatoes Au Gratin

Scalloped Potato Gratin Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence Show: How To Boil Water Episode: Christmas Made Easy

1 1/2 cups heavy cream 1 sprig fresh thyme 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg Butter 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for broilingPreheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a saucepan, heat up the cream with a sprig of thyme, chopped garlic and nutmeg. While cream is heating up, butter a casserole dish. Place a layer of potato in an overlapping pattern and season with salt and pepper. Remove cream from heat, then pour a little over the potatoes. Top with some grated Parmesan. Make 2 more layers. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Sprinkle some more Parmesan and broil until cheese browns, about 5 minutes. CRAB CAKES & Mango Salsa Jumbo lump crab cake Panko bread crumbs Tony c creole seasoning (green can w/ chef) (low sodium) Red bell pepper Sweet onion (odalla) (half for cake, 1/3 for salsa) basil cilantro mayo (low fat) mango 2-3 lime (2) sriacha (int’l) (clear, red/green twisty – rooster, white text) Salsa: Mix fine onions/peppers/lime juice, then mix in Mangos Crab Cakes: Sautee onions/red peppers Then mixing bowl, add chopped basil and cilantro (mix w/ hand) Add crab meat Add panko bread crumbs (3/4 of bag) (mix all in) Add mayo (to have it stick together) (more than you would think—more is better than less) Form to little balls and flatten out, (can coat outside here w/ bread crumbs), can stick in pan or oven (if in pan use a lot of oil)

sorry

sorry to the 2 people that actually read my blog (gotta love parents), but recently i haven't done a lot of cooking. First law school sucks for cooking, but second the recent cooking i have done has been more experimental, w/out recipes. So anyways, before my new post...sorry.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon table salt
2 lbs chicken breasts
1 cp plain whole-milk yogurt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium garlic cloves
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Masala Sauce:
3 tablespoons veggie oil
1 medium onion, diced fine
2 medium garlic cloves
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 serrano chile
2 tblspoon tomato paste
1 tblspoon garam masal
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1) For the chicken: combine cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken w/ spice mixture pressing gently so mixture adheres (***after-note...had to almost triple these spices, but chicken turned out more seasoned and tasted better...would recommend adding much more than the recipe calls for***). Place chicken on plate, cover w/ plastic wrap, and refridge for 30-60 mins. In large bowl, whisk yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger; set aside

2) For the sauce: Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering (***ummm who has a dutch oven??***). Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8-10 mins. Add garlic, ginger, chile, tomato paste, and garam masala; cook, stirring frequently, until fragarant, about 3 mins. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 mins, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.

3) While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from top) and heat broiler. Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture (***i used hands, was fine***), (chicken should be coated w/ thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on wire rack set in foil lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Broil chicken until exterior is lightly charred in sports, 10-18 mins, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.

4) Let chicken rest 5 mins, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce). Stir in cilantro, adjust seasoning with salt, and serve.

**Other notes. I didn't use cilantro, which i think it could have probably used (used oregano instead, which served as a fine substitute). Considering this dish tasted a lot better whenever it was leftovers the next day, I disagree that you shouldn't let the chicken simmer in the sauce. If anything, I would cook it less in the broiler then finish the cooking in the sauce so the juices really soak in. Overall, this turned out really well and was one of the more complex things i've done.

Potato Wedges update

I cooked the potato wedges again for the football game last night. I changed one thing...i added the olive oil and all the spices/seasoning onto a baking sheet first. Then after I cut up the potatoes, I rolled them around in that mixture. This really helped get the potatoes more crispy (although the outsides got very crispy, this insides were a little soft). They came out really oily, so i might roll the potatoes on one sheet, then cook on another. But they were mmm mmm good.

Shrimp Fettuccini

So I decided to get a little adventurous/use up what I had left at my apt. So I cooked some shrimp in olive oil. I first cooked some garlic and shallots to get that sweet smell going. Then i added the shrimp with some red peppers and serrano chilies. I seasoned the shrimp with some cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, and some a little bit of Emril's Essence. I also added some broccoli to the final dish. It was really good, good kick to the meal. Not sure how else to make this better in the future, but i'm sure i'll play w/ it later.

Tofu Results

I was SHOCKED how good this was. I actually wanted to eat the leftovers. Crazy right??? It almost tasted like how paella would taste (so in the future can definitely easily switch w/ meat or seafood)

A few notes:
- get rid of the celery, doesn't really add anything and wasn't that good.
- DEFINITELY use beans again, made it good. I used red beans and they actually worked beautifully, so i would keep it the same in the future.
- I added more spices/made it spicier. I like a little more kick, so this was good. Depends who is eating it but it was good.
- Lastly, just watch with the rice, you can tell how much you'll need to soak up the juices, i used a little more than the recipe called for.

YUM!