Crawfish Love Dip

Yes, it is Easter and I am still doing deviled eggs. In fact, when something comes up at church such as a funeral or a special coffee hour, I am asked to do deviled eggs. I don’t know what that says about me and my cooking but I am doing an Easter coffer hour, and yes, I am doing deviled eggs.

I began writing for this paper 9 years ago at Easter and am beginning my 10^th year. Can’t believe it! I began with deviled eggs and continue on to this day to find new ways to prepare them and decorate them.

Deviled eggs are an easy and delicious option for those who love to entertain. They are always a crowd pleasing party snack and it is easy to make them look nice.

These deviled eggs are as tasty as they are pretty, but just as important they have some surprising health benefits. Packed with 13 essential nutrients, vitamins, and high-quality protein, eggs are naturally nutritious. (‘Free range’ are the healthiest although I recently read this really needs to be ‘pasture raised’ which is what I thought free range meant. Apparently not according to the regulators. I like to buy my eggs from my favorite farmer.) This recipe is kept light by replacing mayonnaise with Greek yogurt and adding crabmeat, which is naturally nutrient rich and low-calorie.

Serve this Southern staple as a passed appetizer at a Good Friday crawfish boil or as a side on your Easter brunch table. The beauty of this recipe is its simplicity. Whip them up 30 minutes ahead of time and have them ready to enjoy at your party.

Crab Deviled Eggs

Makes 12 servings

12 large hard-cooked eggs

5 tablespoons Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons finely chopped celery

2 tablespoons minced green onion

1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh dill

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning

½ cup jumbo lump crabmeat, drained and picked free of shell

Garnish: fresh dill

Peel eggs, and halve lengthwise. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, add egg yolks, and mash with a fork. Add yogurt, mustard, celery, green onion, dill, lemon juice, and Cajun seasoning, stirring to combine. Gently fold in crabmeat. Spoon yolk mixture into egg whites.

Garnish with dill, if desired. (I go out and pick edible flowers, micro greens, whatever I can find.)

Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 2 days.

 

‘Coastal Living’ magazine had another version of deviled eggs in their Easter menu. These have the traditional butter and mayonnaise in their recipe. It is your call which recipe you choose.

 ‘Coastal Living’ April 2016

Buttery Deviled Eggs

Serves 8

8 large eggs

2 tsp. Champagne vinegar

1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

¼ tsp. Kosher salt, divided

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided

2 medium radishes, finely diced, about ½ cup

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

¼ cup mayonnaise

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

¼ cup microgreens

Arrange eggs in a single layer in a large saucepan with enough salted water to cover. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Cover pan: remove from heat. Let stand 8 minutes; drain.

Place eggs under cold running water until just cool enough to handle. Tap eggs on a hard surface until cracks form; peel. Discard shells.

Combine vinegar, oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and radishes in a small bowl; toss to coat. Set aside.

Slice eggs in half lengthwise; carefully remove yolks. Combine egg yolks, butter, mayonnaise, and mustard in the bowl of a food processor, process until smooth and light, scraping bowl as needed. Stir in remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Spoon or pipe yolk mixture evenly into egg white halves (about 1 tablespoon per egg half). Top filled eggs evenly with radish mixture. Arrange egg halves on a serving place; sprinkle evenly with microgreens.

Happy Easter to all of you!

 

Easter 2016

Yes, it is Easter and I am still doing deviled eggs. In fact, when something comes up at church such as a funeral or a special coffee hour, I am asked to do deviled eggs. I don’t know what that says about me and my cooking but I am doing an Easter coffer hour, and yes, I am doing deviled eggs.

I began writing for this paper 9 years ago at Easter and am beginning my 10^th year. Can’t believe it! I began with deviled eggs and continue on to this day to find new ways to prepare them and decorate them.

Deviled eggs are an easy and delicious option for those who love to entertain. They are always a crowd pleasing party snack and it is easy to make them look nice.

These deviled eggs are as tasty as they are pretty, but just as important they have some surprising health benefits. Packed with 13 essential nutrients, vitamins, and high-quality protein, eggs are naturally nutritious. (‘Free range’ are the healthiest although I recently read this really needs to be ‘pasture raised’ which is what I thought free range meant. Apparently not according to the regulators. I like to buy my eggs from my favorite farmer.) This recipe is kept light by replacing mayonnaise with Greek yogurt and adding crabmeat, which is naturally nutrient rich and low-calorie.

Serve this Southern staple as a passed appetizer at a Good Friday crawfish boil or as a side on your Easter brunch table. The beauty of this recipe is its simplicity. Whip them up 30 minutes ahead of time and have them ready to enjoy at your party.

Crab Deviled Eggs

Makes 12 servings

12 large hard-cooked eggs

5 tablespoons Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons finely chopped celery

2 tablespoons minced green onion

1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh dill

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning

½ cup jumbo lump crabmeat, drained and picked free of shell

Garnish: fresh dill

Peel eggs, and halve lengthwise. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, add egg yolks, and mash with a fork. Add yogurt, mustard, celery, green onion, dill, lemon juice, and Cajun seasoning, stirring to combine. Gently fold in crabmeat. Spoon yolk mixture into egg whites.

Garnish with dill, if desired. (I go out and pick edible flowers, micro greens, whatever I can find.)

Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 2 days.

 

‘Coastal Living’ magazine had another version of deviled eggs in their Easter menu. These have the traditional butter and mayonnaise in their recipe. It is your call which recipe you choose.

 ‘Coastal Living’ April 2016

Buttery Deviled Eggs

Serves 8

8 large eggs

2 tsp. Champagne vinegar

1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

¼ tsp. Kosher salt, divided

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided

2 medium radishes, finely diced, about ½ cup

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

¼ cup mayonnaise

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

¼ cup microgreens

Arrange eggs in a single layer in a large saucepan with enough salted water to cover. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Cover pan: remove from heat. Let stand 8 minutes; drain.

Place eggs under cold running water until just cool enough to handle. Tap eggs on a hard surface until cracks form; peel. Discard shells.

Combine vinegar, oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and radishes in a small bowl; toss to coat. Set aside.

Slice eggs in half lengthwise; carefully remove yolks. Combine egg yolks, butter, mayonnaise, and mustard in the bowl of a food processor, process until smooth and light, scraping bowl as needed. Stir in remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Spoon or pipe yolk mixture evenly into egg white halves (about 1 tablespoon per egg half). Top filled eggs evenly with radish mixture. Arrange egg halves on a serving place; sprinkle evenly with microgreens.

Happy Easter to all of you!

 

St. Patrick's Day '16

I was reading my new issue of Palate and found a very nice article about an up and coming woman chef by the name of Savannah Haseler, who took on the job of executive chef at Twain’s Brewpub and Billiards in Decatur, Georgia. Since taking her job four years ago she has elevated the standard pub fare menu of the sprawling, twenty-year old watering hole with proper French techniques and homegrown, sustainable ingredients.

Seeing what Haseler could do with Southern bar food she was asked to channel her creativity into another pub-driven cuisine: Ireland. She was eager to take on the challenge and consulted some old menus and cookbooks and borrowed one from a friend’s Irish grandmother. “The Irish are penny pinchers. A lot of their dishes start with little more than starch and water.”

I found her dishes interesting and decided in honor of St. Patty’s Day I would do at least one. I chose her alternative to Shepherd’s Pie which is a gnocchi tossed in brown butter and crumbled blue cheese on top. This could be a St. Patrick’s Day to remember and not just for the beer!

Colcannon is from the Gaelic cal ceannann, white-headed cabbage. It is a true Irish soul food of mashed potatoes with cooked kale or cabbage.

 

From ‘Palate’ March 2016.

Colcannon Gnocchi with Brown Butter

4 servings

2 pounds potatoes, skins scrubbed

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup shredded cabbage

12 cloves garlic, shredded

2 tablespoons amber ale

3 tablespoons salt

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 whole egg

2 egg yolks

3-4 swipes nutmeg, on microplane

½ teaspoon white pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Place potatoes on sheet tray in preheated oven and cook until tender, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.

While potatoes cook, heat 2 tablespoons butter in sauté pan. Once butter melts, add cabbage and garlic. Cook 2-3 minutes or until tender. Deglaze with beer and cook additional 2 minutes. Set aside to cool until potatoes are done.

When potatoes are done, cool to room temperature, then peel and shred into large bowl with food processor attachment or food mill.

Mix cabbage mixture with potatoes. Add salt, nutmeg and white pepper.

Make well in center of potato/cabbage mixture and sprinkle with flour, using all flour. Place egg and egg yolks in center of well and, using fork, stir into flour and potatoes (just like making pasta). Once egg is mixed in, bring dough together, kneading gently until ball forms. Knead gently another 4 minutes, until ball is dry to touch.

Bring large pot of salted water to boil and generously grease medium bowl with olive oil.

Roll baseball-sized ball of dough into ¾-inch diameter dowels and cut dowels into 1-inch long pieces. Roll into long cylinders, pinch with fingers, then cut with pastry scraper into small pillows.

Drop pieces into boiling water and cook about 1 minute, until floating. Remove with slotted spoon to oiled bowl.

Repeat process with remaining dough. Note: gnocchi can be made ahead. Just place cooked gnocchi immediately in ice bath. Once cool, strain into oil-greased bowl.

To Assemble

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups gnocchi

½ lemon

1-2 pieces Blue cheese

Place large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add butter. When butter begins to brown, after about 2 minutes, add salt. Increase heat to high and add gnocchi.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until gnocchi has heated through

Oysters 2016

Although I think I see spring in the future, oyster season is still here and I do love my oysters---all ways.

My husband spent three weeks in the hospital in January in North Carolina and watched a lot of television including some cooking shows. He presented me with this recipe called Dirty South Clams. I thought it would work well with oysters too.

 

Dirty South Oysters

The oysters should be placed on a half shell on a cookie sheet. Then a small amount of cooked collards, topped with a slice of bacon (Benton’s is best or some other tasty bacon), a dab of your favorite BBQ sauce (I used Sriracha), some shredded fontina cheese and a few slivers of parmesan. Bake about eight minutes at 350°.

 

A couple of weeks ago we were in New Orleans for a conference and we walked to the newly reopened Brennan’s for lunch. Brennan’s has been a New Orleans institution on Royal Street since the 1950’s. We favor another Brennan restaurant, Commander’s Palace, and hadn’t been to Brennan’s in years. But the recent renovation and changes encouraged us to visit again.  And we had to have the oysters for a starter.

 

Roasted Oysters a la Brennan’s ‘16

Place the oysters on the half shell on a cookie sheet. Top each oyster with a sprinkle of chipotle powder and then add a tablespoon of Manchego cheese over each oyster. Spread some panko bread crumbs over all oysters and bake for 8 minute at 400 degrees.  So easy and so delicious.

 

We were in Wilmington last week and had dinner at Rx, a restaurant that was opened in an old neighborhood drug store where I used to take my kids for a hot dog at the counter for lunch. It was Hall’s Drug Store back then----probably for 50 or 75 years. Alex Hall still owns it but he is a lawyer, not a pharmacist. So for the last few years it has been a successful local hangout with locally sourced food.

We like their raw oysters, served that night with a jalapeño mignonette. I might add that I almost always have their shrimp and grits which are always done slightly different.

 

Classic Mignonette

Makes ½ cup

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon minced shallot

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

(add a tablespoon of minced jalapeño)

Stir the ingredients together in a small bowl. Then drizzle over 12 freshly shucked oysters placed on a plate covered with a layer of crushed ice.

So before the “R” months end start cooking or eat them raw.