Text 15345, 108 rader
Skriven 2011-09-04 14:26:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: trip report 823a
========================
There's a sushi bar in town with the self-important name
Ichiban; it gets its fish from Helmrich's. One of its best
sellers is the spider roll, and in season, it orders dozens
per week. And Annie seems always to get in on the deal. So
one night we had a bunch of these served with scapes that
Rob had found at the farmers' market.

Soft-shell crabs with scapes
categories: shellfish, main, mine
servings: 4

10 oz garlic scapes, washed, sliced 1"
lots of oil
12 soft-shell crabs, cleaned
cornstarch
ground pepper
1/2 c amontillado or other dryish sherry

Saute the scapes in 1/2 c oil until done. Drain thoroughly
but retain the oil for flavoring. Remove to a 170F/80C oven.

Combine cornstarch and pepper. Pat crabs dry and dredge
in cornstarch. Let stand a few minutes and dredge in
cornstarch again.

Heat a sufficiency of oil, maybe 3/4" depth, to 350F/175C
in a large frying pan over high heat. Add some scape oil. 
Fry 4 crabs at a time: start upside down, after 2 min,
turn right-side up, and then after 1 more min, turn upside
down again. Remove crabs when crisp to a paper-towel-lined
ovenproof dish and deposit in 170F/80C oven. Remove detritus
as necessary from frying pan and add fresh oil, adding more 
scape oil for flavoring. Repeat until all crabs are done.

Drain oil from pan. Return pan to heat and add sherry. Heat
to a sauce consistency, whisking all the time.

Arrange crabs right side up on a platter. Pour scapes over
and then drizzle sherry sauce over all.

Source: moi
===
My day off from cooking.

Rob cooked. What came out (he is frankly diabetic, the way
I am becoming) - steaks all blue rare, which he somehow
convinced Annie to eat, stuffed mushrooms (stuffed with
Pepperidge Farm mix, surprisingly good in a comfort food
way), and a blueberry ricotta thing, which I ate a few
tablespoons of for politeness' sake, and which did its
revenge on me all night despite my having taken several
pills in anticipation.

Blueberry ricotta dessert
cat: heavy dairy, diabetic
servings: 8

1 1/2 lb ricotta
1 Tb sugar
1/2 ts vanilla
1/2 ts cinnamon
cream
1 1/2 lb blueberries

I found this a little underseasoned and rather
dairy heavy, but what the hey, someone else made it.

Mix the first 4 ingredients, correcting texture with
cream. Fold into blueberries and serve. I'd have beaten
the ricotta smooth with the cream, seasoning with
perhaps 5x the sugar and vanilla and 1-2x the cinnamon.

Then I'd have served the cheese mixture separate from
the berries, but then that's me.

Source: after Robert Stevens

For Billy's bathroom they've installed a neat shower with
8 body-level jets, an overhead head, and a handheld. And
a built-in seat, perfect for a recuperating patient. I
tried it: pretty snazzy - if only they could find a way of
getting the first water out of the jets not to be ice cold.
===
July 4th started with bacon and croissants, the bacon thick-
cut apple-smoked from Ted, the local butcher - excellent;
the pastry came from a factory someplace, and I avoided
them. Billy didn't get up on time, so no maple sausage, as I
had been commissioned to make (recipe posted here July 3).

A couple hours later, the expected cookout at the Weber.
Burgers - very big 2/3 pounders, somewhat rare, except for
mine, which was essentially uncooked. Nathan's hot dogs.
French fries made with good clean fresh oil: they smell
so darn good, but I am not enthusiastic about the taste:
I guess potatoes are not my thing. Lots of beer.

I worked this meal off by making picadillo-stuffed
empanadas for the evening. I used Goya premade rounds for
these, because they were there. Next time I think I'll use
regular pie crust, maybe with a little annatto or something
for color. Franny and Jim from across the way came over for
drinks and snacks. Despite the pastry being a little hefty,
the empanadas were a success - I'd made 4 dozen of the darn
things, and 3 dozen got eaten.

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