SatGourmet: Crab Cakes and Cheese Puffs!

Been a wild week around here.  So my special thanks for us for a couple of readers who have generously shared from great ideas to roll with this weekend.

First up, our star gem cutter up in  Albuquerque checks in with?

“Nancy’s Most Excellent Crab Cake Recipe”

First, I use a 10 1/2 inch seasoned iron skillet to make my cornbread. Many recipes for crab cakes call for bread crumbs, but I like to use homemade cornbread instead.

To make my cornbread, I put in a large mixing bowl:

• 2 and 1/4 cups of white flour and
• 2 and 1/4 cups of yellow corn meal, with some
• salt and black pepper plus three large eggs.
• heavy cream and
• distilled water for the liquid, along with
• two sticks of melted butter.

After the cornbread has baked, I divide it into four sections.

One section is used to make the crab cakes. I freeze the other three sections separately (each one in aluminum foil first and then in freezer bags) for later usage.

To make the crab cakes, first dice a small onion and cook it in a sauce pan with extra virgin olive oil and butter.

In a large mixing bowl, place one of the sections of cornbread with the dry ingredients first:

• some salt and black pepper,
• some red pepper flakes and red chili powder,
• some parsley flakes,

Then I mix all those ingredients together. (I usually cook for New Mexicans, who like their food spicy.)

I also add some scoops of mayo, stone ground mustard, Durkee’s Famous Sauce, Wasabi Sauce, one large egg, and a few splashes of A-1 Sauce all mixed with the dry ingredients.

I then drain and rinse a 16-ounce container of real lump crab meat that I purchase from Costco.

I mix it all together and then roll into balls onto a cookie pan or sheet. I can usually get between 17 and 20 crab cakes on the sheet, depending upon how small I make them.

Once you position the balls on the baking sheet, you gently flatten them so that they bake more evenly. Bake in the oven for about twenty minutes at 400 degrees.”

A Seafood Note

I was talking to a long-time reader/subscriber who used to live in Boston and he’s now moved up to the Kennebunkport, Maine area.  Got to asking him about seafood prices up there.  Turns out lobster is still easily had locally for about $6.99 a pound.  During the worst of lockdowns?  Specials at $3.99.

Down here, in Texas, it costs a sawbuck just to say the word “Lobster.” Let alone buying any.  That’s up to the refi department of the mortgage company, for most folks.

Except for the politicians up that way (who are nuts) and the weather (sucking largely until April, or better), I understand his move to Maine.  Closer to maple syrup grounds and with lobstering just a boat-ride away, how do you beat that?  77F for a high in July and 58 for an average July stroll in the evening.  About half of what the South offers.

So, let’s add it up:  Cheap Lobster, less expensive housing than Boston, more syrup, and safer streets…yeah!  Hell yes, we understand location, location, location!  Well, until the highs in Feb ran 35 which we were basking in 65.

See, most people live their lives in what we call “Plug & Stuck” mode.  Our parents lived in [name of state and town]  therefore, I will remain stuck to their ideas of how a good place this is.

My HR buddy – working for home out of Maine – offers a great lesson here:  If you like peanuts, move to Georgia.  If you like beef?  We got em all over down here in Texas.  Seafood means where the fleets are (Seattle, Vancouver are best on a mass commercial basis.  But don’t rule-out Southeast Alaska – just don’t buy on former native lands because that’s in process of blowing up a bit…).

Oh, and if you like fruits and vegetables, your locations of choice would be either Central California, the Midwest, or (come to think of it) Washington, D.C.

(rimshot)

Did Someone Say “Cheeseballs”?

Long-time reader “Looking Outside Of the Box” missed his true calling.  He should’ve hosted a practical cooking show.  This week he’s serving up more treats for the family…

Cheese Puffs!!!

Line up:

• 4 Tbsp. Butter
• 1 Cup cooked and cooled cornmeal
• 2 Tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 Tbsp Flour
• 1Tsp. buttermilk powder.. ( I have used regular buttermilk)
• 1 Tsp. Onion Powder
• 1 Tsp Garlic powder
• A sprinkle of cayenne pepper
• 4 Tbsp cheese powder.

Mix into a dough in the mixer.. then pipe the dough out onto a smooth surface with corn starch on it.. dust with corn starch cut into two inch long pieces.. then deep fat fry.

( I use soybean oil or coconut oil, or peanut oil )

Drain and dry. ( the oil should be hot.. it takes about two minutes.. soybean oil and coconut oil doesn’t feel greasy) put in a bag with cheese powder.. or what ever flavoring you prefer I like ranch…the daughter likes the powder for movie popcorn.. (we also use the cheese powder in mac and cheese..)

What I use… is a little mini meat grinder pasta machine.. when I had eight grandkids running around all the time it was a favorite past time to make all kinds of home made pasta and cheap to make… if you take the insert out for the bigger macaroni and that will give you a really nice half inch dough… almost like a gnocchi.

Crank that onto the surface with the corn starch then dust.. the kids always fought over who got to cut the pieces.. or you can just use a cake decorators pipping…I have one like this one..

When you make a batch of pasta.. the thing is you end up with a large amount.. this way you can make the dough cut it in to four or five pieces and put in bags in the fridge then crank out what you want for a smaller group…. for one of my pasta makers.. ( I have a few..) when the grandkids get married each one gets a pasta maker.. ( we have a lot of pleasant memories making pasta and chips etc…).

Anyway there there was time last weekend before the game to make a nice batch of cheese puffs.. Enjoy. you can get the popcorn seasoning for cheese corn or a multitude of flavors..

But Wait, There’s More!

LOOB is much more prolific than me…he continued into…

“Here is another one of the favorite recipes for the kids.. it is easy and quick.. I can’t find a web page for the spaetzle maker that we have.. it came from Germany.. it makes great noodles for soups…or a kick butt mac and cheese.. my wife is the cheese sauce specialist… don’t know what she puts in it but it is dam good…

Spaetzle

• Ingredients 2 c. flour
  1 tsp. salt 2 eggs, slightly beaten
  3/4 c. milk

Instructions

Mix flour and salt in a bowl.

• Create a well in the middle.
• Add eggs and milk. Stir well.
• Add more milk if dough is too stiff.
• Over a large pan or pot of slightly boiling water, push dough through a Spaetzle maker or cut off of a plate.
• Allow fallen pieces to cook for a couple of minutes.

When they float to the surface, they are generally done.

Scoop out with a slotted spoon or spider.

Place in a dish with some butter to keep Spaetzle from sticking together.
Repeat until all of dough is cooked.

Quick Notes

• Can be served plain or with herbs, cheese, gravy, sugar, cinnamon sugar, or a variety of other sauces.
• Make sure the water is boiling when you press the dough into it.. salt the water and put a little oil or butter in it…

I love cooked spaetzle with just salt and butter on it…a little pepper…

Spaetzle making gear here...”

When Elaine is more mobile, I reckon we will hook up the noodle-maker to the big Kitchen Aid mixer.  Makes things like bread and noodle-making a walk in the park.  Figure if you have every tool on Earth in your shop, no reason not to take the same draw on the kitchen.

Our profound thanks to LOOB and Ms. Nancy for their fine contributions this week to the girth and breadth of our household, lol… (Zeus included.  He loves any seafood…)

Write when you get full of it,  (I am)

George@Ure.net