MY JUMBO LUMP CRAB CAKES

So many of you love my homemade Maryland Crab Cakes....as a matter of fact, it just might be the most popular recipe here at Welcome Home. Whenever I post it, I can expect hundreds of comments about how wonderful they are. 

Whenever I ask my friends or family what would they like for a special birthday or other special occasion dinner, they always choose my crab cakes. I am told there is nothing else like them. To me, they are a very basic crab cake with big sweet tender succulent jumbo lump crab with very little filler....just enough to hold them together.  In Maryland they say, that's what makes the perfect crab cake.

My Maryland Crab Cakes

1 lb Jumbo Lump crab meat
1 large egg 

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon of  salt
1/2 cup fine breadcrumbs made from white bread
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drain crab meat and put in a bowl and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg, mayo, mustard, Old Bay, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Gently stir in crab meat and breadcrumbs and mix with hands lightly without breaking up the lumps. Mixture will be somewhat wet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or more.

Once chilled, shape the mixture into rounded mounds whatever size you'd like. Do not flatten or make into patties. Place on lightly sprayed baking sheet with sides. Spray the tops very lightly with non-stick spray for browning.   Just look at those big lumps of sweet succulent crab! 

Just before putting crab cakes in the oven, drop two or three ice cubes onto the baking pan in between crab cakes. This will keep the high temperature from burning the bottoms.  Bake in hot 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes depending on the size you made your crab cakes.

In Maryland, the home of the most incredible crab cakes, we judge the perfect crab cake as one that has mostly sweet Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab and very little filler!  And NO PEPPERS or vegetables or any other nonsense that might take away the taste of that sweet wonderful crab!

Just enough filler to hold them together.  Look at that crab! 

Can't you just taste them!  Oh My Goodness.  There is nothing like a Maryland Crab Cake!   This recipe makes 4-5 big jumbo lump crab cakes.

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Country Ham And Bean Soup

Whenever my Mom made ham we could always expect to big bowl of soup the next day for lunch.  She would chop up the ham, throw in the ham hock, and add whatever she had on hand to make the most delicious soup.  Beans are perfect for soup because they soak up the deliciousness of the broth and veggies.  Love this soup....it reminds me of home.

Country Ham And Bean Soup

  

Ham Stock

4 tablespoons butter or use bacon grease 

1 onion diced

3 stalks of celery finely diced

2 large cloves garlic, minced

2 large ham hocks or ham shanks 

4 cups chicken broth

4 cups water

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf

In a large stock pot, melt butter or bacon grease over medium heat.  Add diced onion, garlic, celery to pot and cook until tender.  Next add your ham hock or shank and the water and chicken broth.  Add in thyme and bay leaf and stir well. Cover with lid and bring to boil. Then reduce heat to simmer on low and cook for about three hours. Remove ham hock and set aside.

Pour the stock through a strainer and remove solids.  If using right away, return to pot and prepare to make your soup. If not you can freeze it for later. 

Soup

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 cup chopped carrots

½ cup chopped celery

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (30 oz) can of diced tomatoes 

2 bay leaves

4 whole cloves

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3 teaspoons garlic powder
1 pound of dry great Northern beans, rinsed and soaked overnight
1 teaspoon pepper

Salt to taste

Heat the oil in the bottom of a Dutch oven or large soup pot.  Add chopped onion, celery and carrot; cook over medium until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Remove from heat and add the ham you picked from the ham shank or ham hock.  Add mixture to soup pot and stir well to combine all ingredients. 

Rinse and sort through the beans. Add to the pot, along with prepared ham stock. Add in diced tomatoes, cloves, bay leaves, brown sugar and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce your heat to low and cook for about 3½ hours or until beans are tender, checking every hour to make sure you add enough water to keep beans covered.  Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot with Cornbread! 

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to ©Welcome Home

Sausage, Bean and Kale Soup

 

What is it about winter that makes you want to get up early and put on a pot of homemade soup?  Maybe all those times our Mom's told reminded us that a hearty bowl of soup would stick to your ribs? Maybe because you put so many great veggies and things that are good for you?  Maybe it just says comfort.  Maybe it makes us warmer and more cozy.  Whatever it is, as soon as the first  cold day arrives, you will find me in the kitchen chopping and slicing and filling  my soup pot with goodness!  And this is one of my favorites! 

Sausage, Bean and Kale Soup

     2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound Italian sweet sausage, casing removed

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

2 (15 ounce) cans white cannelini beans, drained and rinsed

2 bunches kale, stems removed and roughly chopped

52 oz. good quality low-sodium chicken stock

1 cup ditalini pasta (or any small pasta)

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage and brown, stirring occasionally to break into smaller pieces, approximately 10 minutes.

Add onion and bay leaves. Season generously with kosher salt and cook until vegetables begin to soften, stirring occasionally, approximately 10 minutes. 

Add pasta, garlic and beans, and cook for another 2-3 minutes. 
Add kale, and cook until it becomes slightly wilted. Add chicken stock, season with salt and pepper, and cover with lid.

Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and keep at a simmer for about 20-30 minutes until pasta is tender, although a bit longer is completely fine. The soup will thicken as the pasta begin to release starch into the soup.  

Serve and enjoy!

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to ©Welcome Home.

Salted Caramel Custard – My Newest Favorite Dessert Ever

Yes, if you asked me right now, this salted caramel custard would be my favorite dessert. These easy “pots de crèmes” are just sweet enough, just salty enough, and just drop-dead gorgeous enough.

I used Maldon sea salt to garnish, which has quite large, but very light crystals, so we’re not adding as much salt as it may appear. Think of a big, fluffy snowflake, floating down onto your warm palm. Stay with me here. As soon as that huge flake lands, it melts into a tiny drop of water. It’s sort of the same thing here.

This recipe will make exactly six (6.5 ounce) ramekins, but you can use any size you want, as long as you monitor the cooking time. Speaking of which, there are many variables effecting how long yours will take, such as ramekin size/shape, and how close they’re packed together, so the times given here are just a guideline.

Simply bake until the custard is just set, and you get that signature “jiggle” when you wiggle. By the way, I wasn’t kidding about eating these cold. I know it’s very hard not to eat a little bit before they’re chilled, but these are so vastly superior in taste and texture when cold, we’re going to need you to be strong. I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for six (6.5 ounce) ramekins:

9 large egg yolks

2/3 cup white sugar

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/4 teaspoon fine salt)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup whole milk

flaky sea salt to garnish

- Bake at 300 F. about 45 min to an hour, or until set.

How to Make Crepinettes – It’s Insane Not to Use this Membrane

Crepinettes are probably my favorite type of sausage, both to make and eat, and that’s all thanks to caul fat; one of the culinary worlds most interesting and useful ingredients. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most bizarre looking ingredients, and that does scare some people off, which is nothing short of tragic.

The food Gods always reward bravery, and here your prize will be a very moist, and extremely flavorful sausage patty, surrounded by a casing that literally melts into the meat. By the way, things like meatloaf, or even whole roasts, can also benefit greatly by being wrapped up in this magical membrane.

As I recommended in the video, be sure to get coarse ground pork from your butcher. The stuff in the meat case is ground too fine, and also probably too lean. I would say a fat content of about 25 to 30% would be ideal here. And yes, of course other ground meats will work using this same technique.

The same butcher you get the pork from should also be able to hook you up with caul fat, but if for whatever reason they can’t, it’s easy to find online. I think it’s well worth the effort, as anyone who has enjoyed these can attest. I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 Crepinettes:

1 1/2 pound coarse ground pork (about 25% fat)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

pinch of cayenne

1/4 cup chopped pistachio

2 tablespoons diced dried apricot

1 rounded teaspoon very finely sliced fresh sage leaves

1/2 pound caul fat (this will be enough for probably 8 crepinettes, with extra to spare)

Caprese on Rosemary Skewers

I love Caprese.  There's just something about tomato and mozzarella cheese drizzled with olive oil that creates a flavor explosion in your mouth. I like putting together a Caprese platter for my guests and watching how quickly they empty the tray.  This time I wanted to add a new twist. I decided to double the explosion of flavors with mozzarella balls marinated in one of my favorite Star Fine Food olive oils and use some grape tomatoes that would pop in your mouth. Instead of basil, this time, I skewered them on rosemary twigs and then I drizzled the whole thing with a wonderful glaze I made with Star's Balsamic Vinegar. This went over big...it made a wonderful presentation and the glaze added perfect touch!    

Caprese on Rosemary Skewers

1 cup Star Balsamic Vinegar of Modena - Gold Edition

2 tablespoons brown sugar

16 small round mozzarella balls

1/2 cup Star Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Garlic

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt and pepper, to taste

16 rosemary twigs

 16 grape or cherry tomatoes

Combine the vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat for about 4 minutes or until sugar has completely dissolved and then bring mixture to a full boil. 

Next, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until liquid has reduced by one-third and is just slightly thick. It will continue to thicken as it cools.  Refrigerate for 1-2 hours (or longer if needed).

Add mozzarella balls to a small bowl.  Pour in garlic olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Trim the leaves off the bottoms of the rosemary branches. Skewer on one to two mozzarella balls, then a tomato. Place onto a platter, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

When you are ready to serve, drizzle your balsamic glaze over your platter and enjoy! 

 Photography is the property of and copyrighted to ©Welcome Home.

You can get Star Balsamic Vinegar of Modena- Gold Edition in select Walmart stores and online at:

http://shop.starfinefoods.com/STAR-Balsamic-Vinegar-of-Modena--Gold-Edition/p/STAR-00216&c=Star@Vinegars.

Star Fine Foods now has a promo code for all Welcome Home fans that will give you a 10% discount on anything you order online. Just enter WELCOMEHOME10 at checkout! 

STAR Roasted Garlic Olive Oil is available at Savemart, select Walmart stores and online at:

http://shop.starfinefoods.com/Roasted-Garlic-Oil-Made-with-Extra-Virgin-Olive-Oil/p/STAR-06156&c=Star@OliveOils





Disclaimer: I have an ongoing relationship with STAR Fine Foods for my recipes and photography using their wonderful products. This post is sponsored by STAR. I am compensated for my time and work and I am sent products as I request them. However, all opinions of the product stated in this post are 100% my own. I truly love their products!