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.