Text 15827, 114 rader
Skriven 2007-05-22 01:23:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av DALE SHIPP
Ärende: Picnic stuff 544
========================
 DS> In my judgement, the crabs Hap cooked for us were as good as the
 DS> crabs I have had here in Maryland.   Plus, they were easier to
 DS> pick:-}} 

They were much easier to pick, true, and they are quite nice,
true, but are they as nice as real native crabs, I think not.
Obviously the west coasters think they're as good, if not
superior, but I'm surprised to find a long-time Marylander
defecting to the other side! For me, the dimension on which
native Bay crabs beat all others is texture: they're also
sweeter, but that's not so important to me - for me, the
quintessential crabmeat has an undefinably wonderful
consistency that no other can match. 

 ML> I've been chatting internetically with Rich Douville, who can get
 ML> 4 lb, 2 each backfin and lump, for $41, which is probably within
 ML> my budget. It will most likely be Venezuelan blue crab, but he
 ML> indicates that his clients like it as if it were the real thing.
 DS> That sounds like about enough for 2 ounces per person, maybe less.
 DS> I'd vote for doubling the amount and asking for donations.  Although
 DS> the way you have been denigrating anyplace that did not serve
 DS> Maryland crabs, I am a bit surprised that you would consider using
 DS> crab from that far away.

My plan of attack changes depending on the latest available
information, and the current plan, also subject to change of
course, is based on several data that haven't been discussed
here yet.

1. Rich said that that's what Martin's had (but that's as of
last week). He also said that his clients thought they were
the best cakes they'd ever had. This indicates that they were
good enough for Rich and his customers, and they would likely
be good enough for the echo picnic people, and they might even,
aside from the principle of the thing, be good enough for me.
I'd still prefer natives depending on availability.

2. Rich thought that natives would be available by picnic time,
and if that's true, and if the price differential wasn't too
awful, I would still prefer Chesapeake crab, but see below.

3. This is the most important. Reports from the shore are that
there is a shortage of juvenile crabs, and they're smaller than
most years to boot: this means that if the natives are available
at all, which I doubt, their size will be relatively small, and
crabmeat picked from them will have more cartilage than normal.
Obrycki's says that it won't have native crabs until August at
least.

I will be in touch with him closer to the date and when the crab
availability projections are based on more real information; but
the way it looks now, Caribbean crab is likely to be what we'll
be getting, if cooked Maryland-style. This is what the restaurants
will be serving, too. 

 DS> He had told us by email that he will be coming -- but we haven't
 DS> chatted with him since.   We've run into him a few times -- last
 DS> time was at Sysco.  The bed and breakfast he works for is just
 DS> around the corner from us on Route 108.  We did not consider putting
 DS> it onto the list of accommodations because it is more than $200 per
 DS> night. 

I think we'll be lucky to get the use of some of his expertise
for free. Of course, we all have expertise in some regard that
we'll be giving away and which we could charge for under other
circumstances. But he's certified.

=
 ML> which I attributed all that awfulness to this bright red
 ML> blob that (in reality) could hardly have caused any awful
 ML> consequence; it was, as it were, a scapecherry.
 DS> And is that when you began your quest for blue foods?  Trying to get
 DS> as far along the spectrum from that red cherry as possible?

The quest for the ultimate blue didn't start until I was about
40. Second childhood, perhaps. There were in the interim tons
of red foods I continued to like, from strawberries to wine to
rare meat. Even fresh cherries (okay, I started out eating
black cherries, but red ones became acceptable pretty early).
I do still strongly dislike cherry Kool-Aid, lollipops, and
Jell-O but have no problem with other manifestations of that
weird flavor, including Maraschino cherries themselves.

HOT CRAB DIP
cat: starter
servings: 8

1 lb (8 ounces) [sic] Maryland blue crab meat
- [that's what it says!]
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 c sour cream
2 Tb salad dressing
1 Tb lemon juice
1 ts Worcestershire sauce
1 ts dry mustard
1 pn garlic salt
1 Tb milk
1 c cheddar cheese, grated

Remove cartilage from crab meat. In large bowl, mix
cream cheese, sour cream, salad dressing, lemon juice,
Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and garlic salt until
smooth. Add enough milk to make mixture creamy. Stir in
2 Tb of the grated cheese, Fold crab meat into cream
cheese mixture.

Pour into greased 1-qt casserole. Top with remaining
cheese. Bake at 325F, until mixture is bubbly and
browned on top, about 30 min. Serve with crackers.
Makes about 4 c dip.

Source: Cantler's, Annapolis
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