A Crabfest to Remember

All Crabfests are memorable,but this one was exceptional. However, before I can really dive in to the details of what will undoubtedly be known as the Great Fest of '09, I feel we must have a moment of silence for RLT's taste buds.

Poor Dad. If you can even imagine that life could be this cruel, RLT lost his sense of taste the day before Crabfest due to the relentless near-bronchial-pneumonia illness, of which he still suffers. His coughing is so violent he decided to retreat to the far corner of the house so that he wouldn't disturb the crab fete happening below. Nor did he want to squander crab when those with eager taste buds were available to enjoy the bounty. Yet, he dutifully stayed on hand to assist me with the set up, mix up some cocktails and retrieve wine from the cellar. What a pal! What a Crabfest devotee! We salute you RLT.

And now, a moment of silence.

Sad to say, he really missed out on a great year. Paul came through with all the seafood that we required (despite the bad crab season); Kate and Mike made the morning grocery runs and provided some surprise entertainment; Heather--who shall heretofore be known as the Master of Peanut Sauce--was a crab enthusiast extraordinaire, despite having made cioppino for nearly 30 people the night before; and I prepped the kitchen and set the scene for a great day of boiling, shelling, chopping, pouring, sipping, mixing, sipping, stuffing, spooning, and sipping again! And again.

Every year prior to Crabfest, I ask myself, "Self, are you taking this crab thing too far? Maybe you could go out to dinner and grab some crab in San Fransisco? Is it really necessary to print aprons and t-shirts in celebration of a Pacific food? Does one really need seven courses of crab? I mean, really?" I confess that I worry just a little bit that I am obsessed, and that my obsession is affecting the lives of others who love me too much to tell me that I've gone too far. The spreadsheets alone could warrant concern. I'm waiting for some sort of intervention. My loved ones will sit me down and say, "Caroline, we know it's hard for you to live in that land locked tundra--we'll even go along with your denial of Lake Michigan as a source of water--but we have to cut you off from this crazy obsession with a crustacean." Perhaps they'll suggest a course of therapy involving systematic desensitization where I only eat 3 courses of crab, then 2, then just a bowl of cioppino. Maybe I'll only be permitted to go to California in the off season.

But then a glorious thing happens. Crabfest day arrives and my faithful fellow crab loving friends call to say, "Happy Crabfest Day!" as if it is a national holiday. The beautiful sisters from Holy Names College that I met the day before write to let me know that that my friends and our feast are in their prayers. Friends and family of Crabfest attendants smile and send us well wishes from their corner of the world, knowing that we are coming together in celebration of local seafood and produce, in tribute to the amazing offerings of California, and in honor of friendship. Forecasts of rain give way to sunshine and happiness abounds. Crabfest doesn't require therapy. Crabfest is good therapy!

Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be writing posts about each dish and the wines that we paired with them. Since we all enjoy cooking we modified the recipes as we went along. I can tell you that each dish we made this year was outstanding. In past years there has been a dish that fell short in some way. Perhaps it overpowered the crab, such as the crab corn chowder of '06. Or perhaps the dish was too heavy or rich considering the amount of food we were eating, such as the chilled avocado soup with crab relish of '07. Or the dish was underwhelming considering its placement in the stream of menu items (e.g., the cracked crab last year followed the appetizers and crab cakes, which carried so much flavor, that the cracked crab with butter felt like it needed something). This year, we hit the mark with the ordering of the dishes, the escalation of the wines, and the richness of the ingredients. If we were to prepare the same menu next year, I would happily cry, "Bib me!"