Welcome 2012; farewell to 2011

As an end-of-year wrap-up, here were the Top 5 blog hits on Lori K's Cafe in 2011. Some of them are from previous years; clicking on the item will take you to the original post.

Eggs-actly what do these terms mean? (559 hits)

Savory marshmallows (371)

15 food trends for 2012 (109)

Banana nut bread - but what nuts? (103)

The secret to a juicy turkey (101)

A fluffy cloud of a crabcake

Crabcakes come in many guises. Most of the ones you get in restaurants are heavy on the breadcrumbs and light on the crab, maybe with a little celery for crunch and red bell pepper for color. Many also rely on mayonnaise for creaminess. All in all, not a very nutritious or inspiring dish, although because we love crab, we keep ordering them, hoping that one might rise above the rest.

But anyone who really loves crab and crabcakes should find a copy of Tom Douglas' "I Love Crab Cakes! 50 Recipes for an American Classic." (Get the hardback; you'll be using it a lot if you truly love crabcakes.) It was there I found Thierry's Dungeness Crab Cakes, which are crab — seasoned lightly with black pepper, minced garlic, shallots, chives and basil — pressed tightly into a round mold, then doused with beaten egg yolks and bread crumbs on each side and fried for a minute on each side until the crumbs are golden. They are served with clam aioli. Now that's a CRABcake. (That recipe can be found by clicking HERE.)

So this week, with Casey's Backfin Crab on special, I tried another recipe from the book, and it too was wonderful. It has the flavors of the Pacific Rim, is light as a cloud and the texture of the crab dominates. The recipe follows.

Side note: In 2011, the Associated Press Stylebook recognized "crabcake" as one word.



Coconut Milk Crabcakes With Lime Zest 
from "I Love Crab Cakes!" by Tom Douglas (Morrow, 2006, 150 pages)
Must Credit Author and Publisher if you lift this off my site! Lori Korleski Richardson
Makes 8 large crabcakes

Ingredients
1 can coconut milk, unsweetened (not coconut water)
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
1 pound crabmeat, drained, picked clean of shell and lightly squeezed if wet
3 scallions, thinly sliced, both green and white parts
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup panko, plus up to 2 cups more for dredging
(Lori's note: Japanese panko crumbs will yield the lightest cakes, but regular crumbs can be substituted. I had neither and ended up using what I had, matzo crumbs, and even they worked well.)
2 large egg whites
Peanut or canola oil for frying
Thai sweet chili sauce
4 lime wedges

Instructions
Combine the coconut milk and lime zest in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer until the milk is reduced by about one-third, adjusting the heat as necessary. (You should have about 3/4 cup reduced coconut milk.) Transfer the coconut milk to a large bowl and refrigerate until cold.

When the coconut milk is cold, add the crabmeat, scallions, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper, stirring to combine. Stir in the 1 cup panko. Whip the egg whites into soft peaks (when you lift the beater, the whip should keep its shape for at least a moment or two). Using a rubber spatula, fold the egg whites into the crab mixture gently but thoroughly.

Divide the mixture into 8 portions, then flatten them into patties. Pour panko so that it covers the bottom of a shallow container. Dredge the patties in the panko, replenishing as needed. If time permits, you can cover and chill the cakes for 30 minutes or more. This will make them easier to turn when you fry them.

When ready to fry the crabcakes, place 2 large iron skillets over medium-high heat and pour in enough oil to coat the bottoms of the pans about 1/8-inch deep. When the oil is hot, shake off any excess crumbs from the patties, add 4 patties to each pan, and reduce the heat to medium. Fry until the crabcakes are golden brown and heated through, turning once with a spatula to brown both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. The internal terature of a crabcake should read 155 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the crabcakes from the pans and drain on paper towels.

Transfer the crabcakes to plates, serving 2 to each person, accompanied by ramekins of sweet chili sauce and lime wedges.

A good deal for good veal

I love veal. One of my uncles raised Black Angus in Wisconsin and he would slaughter a calf or two each year. Although I felt a little sad when eating an animal we had fed and petted, I loved the taste and texture of the meat.

But for years, I never ordered it in restaurants or bought it at grocery stores because of the inhumane treatment of calves at cattle processors. Who could enjoy a nice veal chop when those pictures of calves stuffed into cages so small they couldn't move were dancing in your head? Impossible. So I gave it up.

That has changed now that I know people who raise grass-fed beef and have visited the farms where the cattle are raised. I know they are good stewards of the land and treat their animals right. So once again, I'm eating veal.

Osso bucco is an excellent winter dish, but usually it takes at least an hour and a half to cook. Yes, it is slow food at its finest. But those who need to hurry it up in order to get dinner on the table just need to break out the pressure cooker. It still will take 40 minutes, enough time to make risotto while the meat is cooking. If you don't have arborio rice, it's good with plain rice, polenta or even couscous. But the creaminess of the risotto and the tender, melting shanks are pure heaven together.

Lori K's osso bucco for the pressure cooker
Serves 4

Ingredients
4 veal shanks
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Olive oil
2 cups red wine
2 cups veal or beef stock

1/2 fennel bulb, sliced
1 medium onion cut in quarters
1 carrot, sliced
1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp coriander seeds
5 garlic cloves garlic

3 rosemary sprigs 

3 thyme sprigs 

8 sun-dried tomato halves


Instructions
Season veal shanks with salt and pepper. Brown all sides in hot olive oil in the bottom of the pressure cooker, then take out and put aside. Deglaze the pan with the red wine, allowing the alcohol to evaporate. Sprinkle the vegetables in the bottom of the pressure cooker to form a platform to place the veal shanks. Add the fennel seeds, bay leaf and corriander seeds. Add the stock. The level of liquid should be about 2/3 up the level of the meat. Put the cover on and raise the heat till 15 psi's is reached. Hold that level for 40 minutes. Let cool naturally. Remove and set aside the veal shanks. Pass the vegetables and stock through a coarse mesh using a wooden spoon to squeeze out the liquid from the vegetables. The remaining stock should be boiled down till the desired consistency is achieved and any fat skimmed off.

Serve in a wide bowl on a bed of risotto (see below), rice, couscous or polenta. Add a scoop of the mashed vegetables, top with the meat, and ladle the sauce over all.

Either add the bone marrow to the sauce, or remove the marrow and serve separately with sea salt on toast.

As with most stews, osso bucco will benefit from a day in the refrigerator. This also makes it easier to remove the fat. Before serving, brush the shanks with sauce and glaze under the broiler or in the oven at 500 degrees.

Simple risotto
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
7 cups (appoximately) low-salt chicken broth
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup arborio rice (8 to 9 ounces)
1/4 cup dry white vermouth
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving

Instructions
Bring broth to boiling, then keep on simmer. In a separate pot, melt the butter and add the rice. Cook and stir until the rice is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the vermouth and stir until the rice is almost dry, then start adding the broth a ladle at a time, cooking and stirring until most of the moisture is evaporated before adding the next ladle. Before adding the last cup, taste; stop when the grains are al dente. Stir in the Parmesan and serve hot.


Option:
Sauté ¾ pound wild mushrooms and ¾ cup of sliced leeks in 2 tablespoons butter. Add just before the vermouth.

Taco Bell moves even further from Mexican food

If you like Nacho Cheese Doritos, you're going to love what Taco Bell has in store for 2012: A taco called Doritos Locos Taco with a shell made by Frito-Lay with its Nacho Cheese flavoring.

According to Nation's Restaurant News, Taco Bell chief executive Greg Creed told investors and analysts Wednesday that 2011 had been a terrible year for the brand, thanks to a lawsuit attacking the chain’s seasoned beef and a shortage of new products to help drive traffic.

“We didn’t change our beef recipe or pay the plaintiff one penny, but [the suit] had an impact,” Creed said. “It was very clear that we didn’t have enough innovation to overcome what we didn’t anticipate happening.”

Also look for a Chef’s Signature lineup of "upgraded" tacos and the reformulation of marinades and seasonings.

Goodbye to Staunton Grocery

One of the gems we found on our first trip to Staunton after we got to Virginia in the fall of 2008 was the Staunton Grocery. (To read my review of the place, click HERE.)

 It had lofty goals of being a white-tablecloth place with gourmet food, all locally sourced, but with a casual atmosphere. I think it succeeded well at that. But alas, this email came today:

To our Loyal Guests, Farmers, Supporters & Friends,

Six years ago I moved from New York City to the town of Staunton, Virginia, with a goal. I wanted to create the first farm to fork restaurant in the Shenandoah Valley that was chef driven, locally sourced and with none of the trappings of a traditional fine dining restaurant. I wanted to bring something new to the area and help bill this great town as a destination for dining and agriculture.

In a lot of ways my goal was simple. Cook great food, sourced from the best farmers for appreciative guests and they'll come back. And you all did! In fact at The Staunton Grocery I've had more loyal guests come, more consistently, than any other restaurant I've ever been a part of.

I wanted to make people feel that they were coming home to eat, just with some new ingredients that they may not use regularly at home. Over our five year run there has been a lot of changes, new faces and lots of political and economic change, but we have always managed to keep executing that original goal.

With great sadness in my heart we will be shutting the doors of The Staunton Grocery. Our last service will be Dec. 23, 2011, which is just about five years to the day of our opening. If you are interested in keeping in touch and finding out about the development of new projects please follow me on my new twitter account @chefiab. I am also in the process of developing a blog which will be announced on my twitter page.

For our last two weeks of service we will be offering a 50% discount on our wine list for wine with dinner or "to go." Stop by and fill your cellar with some unique wines from the only award winning wine list in the Valley, most of which is unavailable in wine shops or restaurants in the area. Or stock up on some house made pasta or charcuterie. All pasta's are $10 per pound and pates and terrines are $15 per pound.

I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for all of your kind words, loyalty and continued support of me and my dream. I wish you all of the best in your endeavors and hope to see you again soon where ever I may end up.

Sincerely,
Ian Boden
Chef/Owner
The Staunton Grocery
www.stauntongrocery.com
540.886.6880

Pho-tastic opportunity

I think we will attend Lessons and Carols at St. Paul's Memorial Church at 5:30 this Sunday evening, then head on over to Ten for dinner.

 Pho! For One Night Only.......THIS SUNDAY! 
(repost from The Diner of Cville on Tuesday, November 29, 2011 at 11:27am) 

HANDSOME BOY NOODLES  Handsome Boy Noodles, a pop-up restaurant by Ten-Sushi Chef Pei Chang and friends, will have its first incarnation Sunday, Dec. 4, at Ten’s downtown location.
This one-night-only restaurant will feature noodle dishes, like pho and ramen, as well as modern bahn mi sandwiches. Other plates possibly in the works are dumplings, Korean-style chicken wings and seasonal kimchi.
All profits from the evening will be donated to a charity to be determined.
Menu prices will be low, ranging from $5 to $10 per bowl of deliciousness. No reservations; walk in business only.
Delicious food, cold beer, inexpensive prices.
Ten is on the downtown pedestrian mall, 120 B East Main Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902. The Handsome Boy Noodles restaurant will be open Sunday, Dec. 4, from 6-11 p.m. only.

The secret to a juicy turkey

Lots of people say they hate turkey because it’s too dry. 

The solution: Begin your preparation the day before. 

Start with a fresh turkey. I figure a pound per person, and that's usually enough to have some leftovers.

Cut off the thighs and legs; season and cook separately. I like to boil them in a mixture of duck fat and oil until they are really tender, take the meat off the bone, then crisp it up in a hot oven for a few minutes before serving. You can even cook them the day ahead if you want to do this; it will just require a little more time to crisp up the meat.

Cut off the back and use it to make a nice stock, along with the neck, heart and gizzard. Cook the liver separately.

Get a 5-gallon bucket and line it with a food-quality plastic bag. Pour in a gallon of orange juice mixed with a cup of salt and any seasonings that you like. Put the breast (a 5-gallon bucket can hold two breasts from up to 20-pound turkeys) in the brine overnight.

Thanksgiving Day: Drain and dry before rubbing with oil or butter. Start your oven at 450 degrees and after you put the breast in, turn it down to 350.  Roast until the internal temperature is 165 degrees (about 12 minutes per pound). Do not baste, and keep oven door closed as much as possible.

When the internal temperature reaches 165, take it out of the oven and just let it rest in a warm place that's free of drafts. (If you want the skin to stay crispy, do not tent.) Wait at least 10 and up to 30 minutes. Slice and serve.

It won't look like a picture postcard this way, but it'll taste a whole lot better.