Tag Archives: appetizers

Crisp Crab Cakes – Ellie Krieger via Terry

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1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 large egg — lightly beaten
2 tablespoon nonfat milk
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice — plus lemon wedges for serving
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
several dashes of hot sauce
1 lbs lump crab or crab claw meat — picked over
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Olive-oil cooking spray
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 scallions — thinly sliced–optional
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper–optional

Mix 1/2 cup panko, the egg and milk in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, lemon juice, Old Bay and hot sauce; fold in the crab meat, panko mixture, scallion, bell pepper mixture, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Shape into 8 patties and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Optional ingredients — I did not use scallions or peppers but here are the directions if you choose to use them.  Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallions and bell pepper and cook until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly.

Coat the crab cakes with the remaining 1/2 cup panko. Place on baking sheet, put a pat of butter on each cake. Bake at 400 for 15 min. Serve with lemon wedges.

Optional method of preparation –Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Mist the crab cakes with cooking spray and cook, sprayed-side down, 3 to 4 minutes. Spray the tops, flip and cook 3 to 4 more minutes.

Yield: 6 crab cakes

Serve with Avocado Sauce

Tofu Spread my version

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tofu-1 pkg firm
lemon zest 1 tsp
cilantro a few tbsp minces
aleppo pepper flakes a few shakes
crystal 3 shakes
3 scallions minced
1 carrot grated
1 tbsp miso mixed
2 tbsp tahini
2-3 tbps lemon juice
black pepper to taste

1.Press tofu to remove excess water: Place tofu on a flat surface. Cover with a cutting board, and place an iron skillet or a similarly heavy object on top. Allow it to sit for about 30 minutes.

2.Crumble tofu into a medium bowl. Mix in miso and tahini with lemon juice. Stir in onion, carrot, and other ingredients. Refrigerate.

Buttermilk Fresh Cheese, Lee brothers

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  • 1 quart whole milk
  • 1 1/2 cups whole or low-fat buttermilk
  • 2 teaspoons coarse salt
  1. Cut out three pieces of cheesecloth into 12-inch squares. Line a colander or medium strainer with all three layers of cheesecloth. Set colander in sink.
  2. Combine milk, buttermilk, and salt in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, and heat over medium-high heat until mixture has separated into white curds and translucent whey, about 8 minutes. If using lowfat buttermilk, separation occurs at about 180 degrees and the curds will clump together readily. If using whole buttermilk, separation occurs closer to the boiling point, about 212 degrees, and the curds are finer-grained. When using whole buttermilk, let curds and whey stand off heat for about 3 minutes after separation, so the curds cling together and facilitate the straining step.)
  3. Ladle the contents of the saucepan into the prepared colander. Let the whey drain, 1 to 2 minutes. Lift the four corners of the cheesecloth and gather them together. Gently twist the gathered cloth over the cheese and press out any excess whey.
  4. Cheese can be unwrapped immediately and served warm, or let stand until cooled to room temperature, about 10 minutes more. To serve a firmer cheese, transfer cheese, in its cloth, to a small flat-bottomed dish or pie plate; refrigerate until cool, about 10 minutes. Unwrap cheese and gently invert onto plate; discard cloth. Tent cheese with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated up to 2 days. Remove from refrigerator and let stand for 10 minutes at room temperature before serving.

    Flavorings

Pepper-add 1 tsp of pepper in step 2

Lemon -add 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest in step 2

Herb – add1 teaspoon dried herbs, such as tarragon, oregano, or basil in step 2

Vanilla -add 1 teaspoon pure vanilla ext in step 2

Makes 1 6-ounce round; serves 4 as a snack with crackers

Fromage Fort – Jacques Pepin

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IMG_2278
any leftover cheese bits – I used brie, jarlsburg and havarti.
1/4 cup white wine
2 cloves garlic
black pepper

“Making fromage fort is the ultimate way of using your leftover cheese. When I think about my father, I can still see the old earthenware crock that he used for marinating his fromage fort, or “strong cheese.” Now, my wife usually makes this at the house. I’m sure that our friends are tired of it, because when Gloria makes it she makes a big batch and freezes it in half-cup ramekins. It freezes well, and defrosted under refrigeration can be served on toast with drinks. Alternatively, we slide the ramekin into the lower part of a very hot oven or under the broiler for five or six minutes
for a bubbly, crusty, and fragrant appetizer or salad garnish.”

Put about 1/2 pound of cheese in the bowl of a food processor, add a couple cloves of garlic, about 1/4 cup of dry white wine, and a big grinding of black pepper. Salt is usually not needed, but taste the mixture, and add some if it is needed.

Process for 30 seconds or so, until the mixture is creamy but not too soft, and then pack it into small containers. The fromage fort is ready to use now, either as a generous cold spread for bread, or you can run the coated bread under the broiler for a few minutes to melt
the cheese, brown it, and make it wonderfully fragrant.