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This weekend I decided to splurge. :)
***************************************Crab Cakes********************************************
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons green onion (I like green onion.. but taste them first and make sure they arent strong, adjust per preference)
2 tablespoons minced celery
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 pound lump crabmeat
4 teaspoons milk (or reserved crabmeat liquid)
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
5 saltine crackers, finely crushed
3 tablespoons olive oil, for frying
3 tablespoons butter, for frying
Lemon wedges, for serving
**optional - 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs (if you use these cut the saltines in half)
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine crabmeat, beaten egg, lemon zest, celery, green onions, milk (or reserved crab liquid), Old Bay Seasoning, bread crumbs, crushed crackers and mayonnaise. Mix thoroughly. Form crab cakes 3-4 inches in diameter, 1/2 inch thick.
***optional step - coat in panko bread crumbs
2. Chill for 30 minutes.
3. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over and 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.(split the butter and oil between batches if your skillet wont fit them all at once. Should make 8 cakes)
4. Saute the crab cakes for 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
Serve with lemon wedge garnish and a side salad of Greenleaf, tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots with:
*****************************************Honey Lavender Dijon Dressing*****************************
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
2 teaspoons dried culinary lavender buds, finely ground in spice grinder (I like the Provence strain Lavender)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Honey
Combine all of the ingredients except for the olive oil in a food processor or blender. Stream the olive oil in while blending/processing until creamy. Optionally, you can put it all in a container with a tight fitting lid and shake it but it wont be creamy.
Since I made dinner for 2, I had alot of dressing left over. So I used it in a California Lavendar Pasta Salad for lunch the next day. I also found it was pretty darn good drizzled on a crab cake.
************************************California Pasta Salad***************************************
1/2 lb farfarelle (bow tie) pasta
1 cup fresh broccoli florettes (I use two, but acknowledge that everyone may not love broccolli as much as I do), cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup sliced California black olives
1/2 package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and quartered
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (blot the oil off them), julienned
1/8 cup fresh lemon thyme (or thyme)
Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
In a large pot of salted boiling water, add broccoli and cook for about 3-4 minutes until tender but still crisp. Transfer into a collander and immediately run cold water over them until cooled, add to small tupperware and set in fridge (you will add this just before serving or it will turn brown). Add pasta to pot and cook al dente according to package instructions. Drain (do not rinse) and transer to a large bowl. Add half of the dressing, Toss and refrigerate until cold ( approximately 1 hours) Add the bell peppers, celery, onion, olives, artichokes, tomatoes, thyme and remaining dressing. Toss well and season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, stir in the broccoli.
***Optionally, you can pan fry a chicken breast that has been seasoned with a tablespoon of Herbs de Provence, liberal amount of garlic powder and pinch of salt and pepper, let it cool then cube it and add it to the salad.
*******************************************Lavender Scones******************************************
1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender
1 cup plus 1/3 cup heavy cream
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 lb cold unsalted butter cut into 1/4 inch slices
Lavender Sugar (recipe follows)
Combine the lavender and one cup of cream in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and let cool.. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (preferably over night) Strain the cream into a bowl and discard the lavender (You could also put the lavender in a tied cheese cloth pouch making sure to press down on it, squeezing to release the juices often).
Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with silpat, parchment or grease with shortening.
In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Pulse to mix well. Scatte the butter over the flour and pulse to make pea- sized pieces. With the machine running pour in the lavender cream. When mixture comes together to form a dough, stop the machine.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll to 3/4 inch thick. Using a 3 inch round cookie cutter, cut out as many rounds as possible. Reserve the dough scraps, combined into a ball, roll again and cut more rounds. Only roll the scraps once.
Arrange the rounds 1 inch apart on a prepared backing sheet. Brush with the remaining 1/3 cup cream and sprinkle with lavender sugar. Bake for 13 minutes until puffed and golden brown.
*************************************Lavender Sugar***********************************************
1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender
2 cups granulated sugar
In spice grinder, pulse the lavender with 1 tablespoon of sugar until very finely ground. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the remaining sugar. Transfer to a jar, cover tightly and let stand for atleast 3 days before using.
Keeps for a year and can be used on sugar cookies, in lemonade, makes an awesome mojito rim garnish.. etc.
Served with:
*********************************************Lemon Curd******************************************
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (For the Lavender Scones I like to have a lemon curd that isnt super strong. If you like lemons alot, add up to 3/4 cup lemon juice. You can also sub in 1/4 cup no pulp orange or pineapple juice for an awesome twist)
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed
Combine the juice and zest in a double boiler and heat until hot, not boiling. If you don't have a double boiler, a metal bowl atop a saucepan filled with water works just fine, just make sure it's stable. Have the eggs in a separate bowl, and mix in the sugar just before adding the juice. When the juice is hot, SLOWLY pour some over the eggs and sugar while whisking. This may take two people, but a towel under the egg bowl will help it from moving around. You don't have to pour all the juice, just enough to make the egg mixture the same temperature as the juice. Pour the egg mixture back into the juice over a strainer. This will get rid of any eggs that may have curdled. Then cook over medium-low heat until thick enough to hold the marks from the whisk. Finally remove the curd from the heat and add the butter a little at a time, stirring to help it melt.
****All the lavender recipes that contain lavender are from Sharon Shipley's "The Lavender Cookbook" which I HIGHLY recommend. She has a recipe for Lavender brownies that is to die for.
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