Today's news, just in time for my departure

Watch this and weep with me: http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=11283578&ch=4226713&src=news

Calling All Wine Lovers

Friends, we are a mere 12 days from Crabfest. The shirts have arrived, the catering order has been placed (serve ware and table linens, not food), the menu is set, the grocery list is made, the crab count is in, the babysitting arrangements are in place, and the appetites are whetted! Two days prior to crabfest, I will prepare the granita and some of the sauces. The day before Kate and I will purchase the ingredients, set the table, and post the recipes on the recipe board. On January 03, I will rise bright and early because Mary will leave me no choice. But, since I'm up, I'll begin the kitchen preparations. I'll send RLT out for ice and coffee. After that, it's all about the crab and the company. We will be poised to cook, eat, drink, and be merry....

Something is missing! A stone left unturned! A spreadsheet not yet created! The wine pairings, people! Who can help me with this? I turn now to a discussion of each course and challenge you, my fellow crabbies, epicureans, and sippers of the grape to generate some answers.

With the exception of the wonton cups, the appetizers have an element of spice (e.g. horseradish, Tobasco, spicy peanut sauce) The wonton cups will have a hint of lime, but will have a more neutral taste. In the past we paired a spicy crab dip with a dry Riesling, didn't we? Mmm.. that was good. Please submit suggestions for the appetizer course in the comments.

The wine choice for the the salad course, Dungeness Crab Salad with Spiced Lime Curd, should be easier, but has the additional challenge of progressing from the first wine. The lime curd will be citrusy, a little sweet, but also peppery. The frisee will have a bitter quality. Suggestions?

Ah, the cioppino. Garlic, tomatoes, parsley, clams, herbs, perhaps a red or green pepper.... I almost want to go with water so that nothing stands in the way of this dish. Fortunately we will have ample San Francisco sour dough bread to neutralize the palate (and sop up the juices) should any disastrous pairing occur. Exercise caution and make a suggestion please.

Finally, the Thai Garlic Crab will carry a slight essence of summer with it's gingerly grilled flavor. Underlying the initial Eau du grille, will come pungent samples of cilantro, coconut milk, lime, lemongrass, and basil. Maybe we can just drink the marinade. The crab flavor will dominate this dish despite the array of flavors infusing it. One still has the option of making a nice mound of crab and dousing it with lemon or butter (and then simply licking the shells!) What wine can be the maestro to this orchestra of goodness?

This is no time to be silent, shy, or unopinionated (except for you, Mike... but then again remember that Kate's total happiness is on the line here... you might want to ask others and submit a suggestion.) Paul, Dad, and Kate... put all those years of wine study to use! Heather, what are you serving with your cioppino? If you drink what your guests bring, what did they bring and how did you like it?

Perhaps we could each take a course and choose the wine, unveiling our choices on the day of the event? We could taste them blind and guess what they are! Suggesting this leads me to believe that I might be more competitive than I realize, as I also suggested the Crabfest V Dip Off. Regardless of how the wines are chosen, I will make it a point this year to write down what we drink and consider the quality of the match. After all, crab will never change and it will most likely be adorned with lemon, lime, butter, herbs and spices in the future. In that future I want to sniff, swirl, swish, and swallow more confidently.

Cilantro, scallions, and soy sauce, oh my!

Today I generated the first draft of the grocery list for crabfest 2009. There are a few items that appear multiple times, indicating that they must be good compliments to crab. From the produce section, we will need two healthy sized bunches of cilantro, and, surprisingly, no parsley. I should add that the first shopping draft does not include ingredients for the Cioppino because that recipe is being perfected this week. Surely it has parsley. We will need almost two cups of chopped scallions, 6 stalks of celery, and a full cup of freshly squeezed lime juice, but no lemon juice. The absence of lemon has me scratching my head in confusion. Is it not lemon that I liberally squeeze over my fresh cracked crab? Is lime a better accompaniment? Perhaps the reason that lime is used instead of lemon is the ethnic origin of the recipes; the lime is needed in the wonton cups, the spring rolls, and the Thai garlic crab.

In the rhelm of general seasonings, we will only need 1/2 cup of mayonaise, and as much soy sauce. All other ingredients, such as mustard, spices, coconut milk, vinegars, and oil, also do not amount to much. What this tells me is that the ratio of crab to other ingredients is balanced in the right direction!

By the way, today's picture is from our shopping trip for Crabfest I, taken at the San Francisco Ferry Market. I've already mentioned that the market makes me weepy. As I write this entry the temperatures are approaching -15 degrees. Oh, how I long to be in the fresh open air of the San Francisco Bay, my little nose having to choose between the salty scents of the sea, the aromatic produce from the market, and the hints of tasty goodness from the pier restuarants. When we hit the markets this year, it will take me a solid half hour to stop squinting at the beautiful, bright colors of the produce. Then I will gleefully fill recyleable plastic bags with bunches of cilantro, basil, mint, and pounds of limes, lemons, strawberries, and grapefruit. I will buy a bunch of other pretty greens that I will vow to cook for my grandmother before I board the plane back to the God-forsaken-land-locked-tundra as previously described in past posts. After my imagination has completely binged in the produce section, my arms lose cirulation with the weight of the bags, and Kate is the last customer out of the store, a hunger that can only be satisfied by 8 rounds of sushi will urge me forward to my next destination: Kirala!

How to Cook and Clean a Fresh Dungeness Crab - More cool how to projects

Dip! Dip!

Today's topic is dipping sauces. Kate said today: "I wish we had a picture of last fest's dipping sauces." In fact, we do have such a picture! Did you think the sauces would escape the food cam? I dare say NOT! For the Fest of '07 we decided that it would be great to enjoy pure and simple cracked crab. To make it interesting we decided to whip up some dipping sauces to compliment the freshly boiled delicacy. Kate and I stayed up into the wee hours of the morn mixing up mustard-horseradish, red chili, soy-ginger, classic cocktail, and (Emeril's) spicy cocktail sauces. My parent's kitchen counter looked like an amateur chemistry lab, with Kate and I willy-nilly adding more hot sauce here, more more salt there. Aprons are really not that different than lab coats. With some spiky hair we could have looked like mad scientists! Muahahahhah!

We probably only had one dip of each sauce when crab dipping time came, but it was a fun prospect nonetheless. You hold up a succulent piece of crab on your fork and you prepare to dive it into a flavor. What will it be? I bet a hidden camera would show that we most often chose drawn butter or straight lemon. Why disturb what is already pure? No doubt, the best part of the sauces was making them. If I had to chose a favorite, I'd go with Emeril's-- it had just the right combination of heat and spice without drowning the flavor of the crab, which has a little something to do with how aggressively one dips one's crab-laden fork into the sauce.

This year we will have some interesting sauces! Accompanying the Crab Spring Rolls is a spicy peanut sauce. I already know how I will approach this. I will take my first bite of spring roll virgin-style: no sauce. Next I will ask myself, "How will it taste with the sauce?" Dip, dip. Bite. Hm.... tasty, yes. But necessary? Further dipped and non-dipped bites will be required to settle the debate. The other two dipping sauces might come as a bit of a surprise to you. They accompany the Thai Garlic Crab entree! The last time we had this dish we did not make the sauces. The recommended sauces are: Chinese style mustard sauce and ginger butter! I can't wait to try ginger butter. The mere mention of ginger butter makes me worry that people will be lining up outside 205 Appalachian Drive hoping to dip grilled crab with an essence of coconut milk, lemon grass, and cilantro into ginger butter. I want to get on the plane right now.

So, that's the scoop on dipping sauces, past and future. I will put a question to you: if you were making your own dipping sauce--the perfect compliment to crab--what would it be? Mine would definitely have a citrus component. Maybe for Crabfest V we could have a dip-off! (Paul, I have three words for you: DIP! Mary! DIP! See if you can conjure a memory). Sorry for that little inside joke. Alas, the hour is late and the mind is doing a little dipping of its own into some good memories. Crabfest eve is just two weeks away and I am anxiously awaiting dip lab. Ready your aprons!

Bloody Mary: A pampered and ambivalent lady

Tonight I had a Bloody Mary. I decided to wing it with my preparation, meaning I did not look up a recipe. I got a tall glass, filled it with ice, added some Vodka and filled the rest of the glass with Mrs. T's Bloody Mary mix. Then I tossed in some creamed horseradish, a little celery salt, a dash of Tabasco, a few loving shakes of Worcestershire sauce, and a non aggressive squeeze of half a lemon. It took about 2 minutes to make, including walking to the bar and back to the kitchen.

As I sipped my delicious concoction I wondered, "Did I do it right?" It certainly tasted good. I looked up a few recipes. Let me tell you, recipes for this little lady are all over the map! There is the two minute version (like mine) or there is this crazy version where you blend all sorts of spices and juices in a blender and then let them blend on their own in the fridge for 24 hours. Who could wait that long? Some are to be shaken vigorously while others are stirred lazily. Some include orange juice and orange zest. Some only call for a tablespoon of tomato paste, no juice. Almost all of them include Tobasco, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish (fresh, never creamed-- oops, I guess I committed a BM crime), celery salt, and pepper (black or cayenne). For the most part, I got the recipe right, except that mine included spices in addition to the one's provided in the Bloody Mary mix. My acid sensitive stomach is going to love my choices.

If you want to get really crazy with Bloody Mary variation, consider the toppings! Some of these things look like a hat designed for Beach Blanket Babylon, so overloaded are they with vegetables and twists and sticks and such. Others just have simple celery stalk. Some include a small army of meat, fish, and pickled treats, making it somewhat unclear as to how one's lips are ever able to reach the well-guarded beverage. (I'm reminded of that great scene in Auntie Maime where Maime prepares a flaming cocktail and nobody knows how to drink it.) Anyway, once your lips make contact with the glass you have another choice of preparation: seasoned rim or not? You can put some great spices around the rim, barely escaping lip blisters, and then cooling your mouth off with a beer chaser--a shot of beer that is supposed to soothe whatever pain comes from the heat. I vote for the beer chaser regardless of the rim fire.

So, my question to the Crabfest crew is: How would you like it? Got any favorite recipes? Preferred garnishes? A flare for the artistic? Is this a case of less is more?

Hm... now I'm craving a simple grapefruit based cocktail. I also have a great recipe for a little number called "The Bridesmaid", which has gin, gingerale, simple syrup, and some kind of fruit. Alas, we start boiling the crabs early and somehow a Bloody Mary seems appropriate for a brunchy crab boil. Perhaps I'll leave all the fuss and decision making to the bartender.

Desperately Seeking Crabfest, Or Just Home

Oh boy. Today was a day to end with a glass of wine. I woke up to icy roads and a wind chill that Chris described as "knives being thrown at your skin." Chris likes the cold, so if he complains it must be really cold. I took Mary to school, wearing a coat that is 3 sizes too big for me because it's the only one that goes to my ankles. At the school I learned that the teachers think I'm somehow neglecting Mary's developing asthma. Then I trotted/skidded off to the UPS depot with the Christmas present loaded packages that Must Be Sent Today. Not being one to forsake fashion in cold weather, I ever so gingerly sidestepped the ice covered parking lot in my heeled boots, carrying my boxes. When I got inside I realized I forgot Chris's parents address AND my cell phone. No addresses and no phone with which to research the addresses. Great. Back over the ice field, back into the car, mission unaccomplished. The day went on like this. I'll spare you all the details, but I will tell you that it included watching a 4 year old swing from a chandelier, trying to buy bread from a bakery whose cash register was out of service, begging Mary to come face to face with her poop, and picking up Garrett from school with 3 plastic grocery bags stuffed in my coat hood. I could explain, but why?

Why is this pathetic day detailed on my precious joy-filled crabfest blog? Because today I said a special prayer: Please God, grant me your mercy. Deliver me from this forsaken tundra-land-locked-toddler hell and giveth me thy bounty from the Pacific Ocean. I don't need much. Just 7 live crabs and 32 ounces of lump crabmeat, on a sunny day if you can manage it. Bringeth me my adult friends from across the land and let one of them be ladling a bowl of Cioppino. Let also my father, son of his father, and his father's father before him bestow upon me a cocktail--I don't care what kind. Wait... let it have an olive. Remove from my vision, oh great Master of the Universe, Seer of All that is Good and Evil, diapers and damaged personal belongings. Let me see only crustaceans, forks, plates, spoons, wine glasses, and smiling tipsy faces. I ask for this with a humble, frozen heart. Thy will be done, and hopefully mine too.

I definitely think I should extend my ticket. I need more time to thaw.

A Match Made in Heaven: Bloody Marys and Crab

Kate and I were chatting about the menu this afternoon, and I expressed my discontent with the crab crostini as a third appetizer. She said, "Well, did you see the Bloody Mary appetizer I sent you?" No, I did not! I quickly looked up the recipe she was referencing and I think it is the answer to our problem! This delicious looking spoonful of goodness is supposed to be made with shrimp, but Kate and I see no reason why it can't be made with crab. In the recipe, you toss the crab with a little celery and scallions and put a dollop on a Chinese soup spoon. Then you make a Bloody Mary conconction and spoon the liquid on top of the crab. I love the presentation! Plus, the recipe reminds me of my tradition to have Bloody Marys on holidays and special occasions.

Speaking of the Bloody Mary Shrimp/Crab recipe gave Kate another great idea. Why not make Bloody Marys for our crab prep cocktail? Post a comment if you have opinions about this. Maybe a Bloody Mary cocktail overlaps too much with the appetizer. But, then again, maybe the cocktail will be a nice foreshadowing to the delicous spoonful of crab yet to come.

Crabfest Shirts Ordered Today!

Today I ordered the Crabfest 2009 t-shirts! I'm so excited about them, although it will be difficult to top the apron of '07. I'm imagining my post Crabfest t-shirt with battle wounds, such as splatters of Paoli cioppino. We will have bibs of course, but you never know (some of you will recall that Kate's butter warmer exploded in '07). This reminds me that I need to add steamed hand towels to the list of serveware. But, I digress. The t-shirts feature a chef-crab logo with our motto Bib Me, so aptly stated by Kate when describing her readiness for this year's fest. I plan to wear mine to the gym after crabfest so that people can wonder, "What is this fun and delicious crabfest that I see depicted on that woman's shirt?" I debated putting the menu on the back of the shirt, but decided it just would not be fair to those who can't attend. I do like the idea of documenting the menu. Remember those high school t-shirts that people used to wear that had all the members of the class on the back? One day, I might make a shirt that has a long list of all the crab dishes we've prepared. Yes, I just might do that.

Photo of the Day: Heavenly Crab Cakes

This year we will not be making the heavenly crab cakes that have graced our table at Crabfest I, II, and III. We love them, but it's too tempting to try new recipes. I hope that one year we can do a "Best of Crabfest" menu, and these crab cakes would certainly make the cut.

Whenever I have the opportunity, I order crab cakes at restaurants, only to be disappointed by the quality of the cake. They are often too bready, too fried, too small, and over seasoned. The flavor and texture of the crab gets lost and you might as well have ordered a tater tot. I have experienced two amazing crab cakes dining out. One was at the late great Le Virage in Walnut Creek. This thing was so delightful it defies description. It sat on the center of the plate and just barely had a tan. I think it must have been seared quickly in a skillet, rather than deep fried. Its best feature was that it was a solid cake of crab, with a very minimal amount of other ingredients, such as egg and bread crumbs, required to hold it together. The plate was decorated with an accent sauce and garnishes that complemented the cake... bits of capers, red onion, and diced potato of all things. As a special treat, the sauce often changed, so you could order the same dependable crab cake with an element of surprise.

I experienced the second amazing crab cake at Ruth Chris Steakhouse. This cake was a no frills cake, but it was the largest cake I've ever seen! And it was solid crab. It came on a sizzling plate of butter like a steak and was ever so slightly crispy on the outside. Man, I want one right now!


The crab cakes we make at crab fest have a good crab to bread crumb ratio and we are able to shape them as we like. I like size of the patty-- not too small, which allows for enough juicy crab in the middle that is not fried. The crab flakes off the cake nicely. Some years they have come out a little more brown than we'd like, but I think that was a pan issue. They always taste delicious. We serve them on a bed of greens with a lemon vinaigrette that accompanies the recipe. Seeing them now tempts me to add them to the menu for the fourth year.... but that crab salad with the lime curd is calling to me. Any thoughts on this matter? The link for the recipe for Crab Cakes of Crabfest Past is posted on the right.

Photo of the day: No sympathy

There's no nice way to put it. We're killing crabs. If this is not your cup of tea, you are respectfully not invited to crabfest. Here is a photo of a perfectly nice crab. We really appreciate his sacrifice.

This particular crab was purchased from a live tank at the San Francisco Ferry Market, a place that makes me weep with joy, and then with sadness, as California markets are apt to do. You see, I don't have the beautiful veggies and fresh seafood here in the landlocked cornfields that they have in the Bay Area. Last year Kate introduced me to some produce markets in Berkeley that put me in a state of shock. Who knew you could buy 17 different varieties of radishes?

The second photo is a picture of our SF friend after he has been lovingly boiled for about 12-15 mintues. Nice, use of tongs, Paul! Into the ice bath he goes!

Crabfest: A Brief History

We are about to embark on our fourth and much anticipated Crabfest--an event that was born out of my desire to eat the amount of crab that I would normally eat in one year if I was still living in California. One day I was lamenting my Midwest address to Kate and said, "When I come home, I'm going to eat a year's worth of crab!" She said, "I'll help." Such a good friend. I knew I could also count on Paul and my dad to support my gluttonous goal.

Kate began researching the acquisition of live crab. I was accustomed to buying it at the grocery store, and picking it clean. But Kate had read that cooking it live at home produced the most succulent crab! It's true! Once you go live, it's hard to go back.

Traditionally we toss around recipe ideas until we settle on a menu. Then we start making lists of everything: cooking apparatus required, pounds of crab required, produce and other ingredients required, number of plates, forks, spoons, etc. Then we delegate tasks. Paul is the Excel pro, and his crabfest spreadsheets are a work of art!

Paul usually gets the job of picking up the crab since he lives in SF, although Kate and I have also purchased it live at other markets. Kate got some huge ones last time! The crab that we buy is either live or purchased very fresh. Paul and I usually boil the crabs and my dad and I crack and clean it (Paul and Kate have done this too, but then shift to recipe prep as soon as there is enough crab ready to go). Originally, we had a rule that ALL the crab we used in the recipes had to be obtained by boiling our own crab, but that got to be too time consuming. We made the executive decision to buy some freshly prepared at the Ferry Market in an effort to maximize our crab consumption.

Once the crab is shelled, we are assigned recipes and we each begin working on something. Traditionally, Paul has worked on the crab cakes and the soup. Kate and Mike have worked on anything that requires a dressing or a marinade (Kate likes tinkering with sauces). I work on a recipe, but I am also the kitchen manager of sorts since we have the fest at my parents house and I know where things are. I also man the recipe board and make sure that things are on track. And I make sure the serving pieces are in place. My dad is a crab cracker and cleaner, cocktail preparer, head wine steward, and official taster!

We take breaks and eat as the dishes are ready. Usually, 3 recipes are ready at a time and we have 2 seatings.

At Crabfest 2007 we realized we had too much going on. We had 7 filling courses! We were stuffed by the 4th course (I think the chilled avocado soup with crab relish was way too rich). At that time we decided that the next crabfest should only include 3 or 4 courses. Sometimes we pick recipes by going through cookbooks or looking online, and sometimes we try to recreate dishes that we've had at restaurants during the year, such as the Louis Lettuce Cups from Strip Steak in Vegas. They were delicious and small! And they were served on escargot-style plates, each cup filling a little hole. I love the aesthetic of that.

For Crabfest 2007 (the most recent fest, since 2008 was abysmal for crab), we had aprons made with our own logos! This year I'm planning on designing t-shirts and kitchen towels. Yes, it's over the top, but that's the whole idea. Too much crab, too much champagne, too much fun!

"Can you have too much cioppino? I mean really?"

Just got off the phone with Heather who called to chat about the pending crabfest decisions. Heather revealed that she's not a big fan of the mayo-crab combination. Good to know! But, she's flexible, so we'll see how the recipe vote goes. The crab martini only has 1 TB, so I think that would be okay. We also discussed the inclusion of a cioppino for the soup course. She's in favor of using her grandfather's recipe with that lovable ingredient: two glasses of wine (one for the pot, one for the chef!) I know that Heather's grandfather must have been a great, great man. It turns out that Heather will be making the cioppino 3 times this Christmas season. I asked her, "Are you sure you want to have it at crabfest? Maybe that's too much cioppino." She replied, "Can you have too much cioppino? I mean really? Can you? I can't." I can't either. How stupid of me to ask. Heather is going to send the recipe when she gives it a test run. Grandpa wasn't too specific on some measurements, so Heather's going to take notes on her first Cioppino of the season. Thanks for sharing the family recipe, Heather!

Welcome to Crabfest 2009!

So excited to start a crabfest blog! I'll be posting recipes and pictures from past crabfests soon.