Crab Cakes

I'm originally from Maryland and Maryland is, of course, known for Blue Crabs.  Growing up I spent plenty of time sitting around picnic tables covered in newspaper, up to my elbows in Old Bay seasoning and crab shells. Picking crabs is a lot of work and I usually left the table hungry.  It's really more of a social thing than an eating thing.  At least for me.  If I'm really hungry for crabs, I'd rather a nice crab cake.

I really like these crab cakes because they have the nice sweet flavor of the peppers and onions, a hint of Old Bay, and most of all- because they are crunchy. Instead of using regular bread crumbs I've swapped them out for Panko.  The panko give the cakes a bit of crunch and keep them from being the least bit oily from frying.  These cakes are nice and light, not oily and dense.  Very delicious.

Crab Cakes, adapted from Emeril Lagasse
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced red peppers
1/2 cup diced green peppers
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 pound lump crab meat
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 1/2 cups Panko, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
1 egg
2 1/2 cups vegetable oil, for frying

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Saute the onions, celery and peppers with a bit of salt and pepper for about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and gook for 2 minutes more.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool for a few minutes.

Place the mayo in a large bowl and stir in the Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce.  Add in the crab meat, veggies and 3/4 cup of the Panko.  Mix to combine.

On a small plate mix the flour with 1/2 tablespoon of Old Bay.  In a small bowl slightly beat the egg with about a tablespoon of water.  On a second plate, put the rest of the Panko.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan to 360 F.

Make the crab mixture into patties (about 1/3 cup filling each).  Dredge them in the flour, then dip them into the egg wash, and then cover them in panko.

Fry the cakes in the hot oil for about 4 minutes per side.  Place on a try covered with paper towels to drain excess oil.

Jalapeno Poppers

I probably haven't had a jalapeno popper in years.  You may not have noticed but we (mostly Alex) have a vendetta against prepared foods here in the 4 Pears household.  So when my husband suggested we have jalapeno poppers with our pizza the other night, I was pretty sure he didn't mean the kind that came out of the box in the freezer section.

Who makes homemade jalapeno poppers?  This girl.  They were awesome and actually quite easy.  The peppers had a bit of a crunch and the creamy filling was delicious.  I may have thought he was crazy, but they came out great and we'll definitely be making them again soon.

Jalapeno Poppers, adapted from Emeril Lagasse
8 large fresh jalapeno peppers
4 ounces of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup pepper jack (or another spicy) cheese
1/4 teaspoon of Essence (Emeril's spice blend, you can buy it in the grocery store or make it yourself)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour plus 3 tablespoons, divided
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs (the panko makes these crispy so I wouldn't recommend substituting the regular stuff)

First prepare the filling by mixing the cheeses together in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Next work on cleaning the peppers.  You might want to wear some rubber gloves for this!  If not your hands will be covered in the spicy oils from the peppers and it is hard to get off!!  With a paring knife make a T in each pepper cutting under the stem (but not cutting it off) and then down the length of the pepper.  This creates a nice pocket.

Remove as much of the seeds and ribs as you would like.  I removed most of the seeds and ribs and my pepper were still pretty spicy.  Now stuff the filling into the pocket and squeeze to close them back up.

Heat a deep fryer or pot of vegetable oil to 370 F.  If you are using a pot you'll need to fill it about 1/3 of the way.  

While it is heating make up your batter and breading.  First mix 1/2 cup of flour with the milk and the egg.  Then on a plate combine the 3 tablespoons of flour, the panko and the Essence.

Dip each of the peppers into the batter then carefully coat them with the breading.  Once the oil is ready slide them in (in two batches so you don't crowd them) and fry for 2 minutes.  Remove them from the oil to a plate lined with paper towels and salt them.  Dig in!