Faidley's Crab Cakes

My dad grew up in Baltimore County, so he's very persnickety and discerning when it comes to crabcakes. It's his opinion that there isn't a decent crab cake to be found north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Geographically, this rules out every restaurant in my home state, so we often drive to Lexington Market in Baltimore to sate our crab cake cravings.

The destination? Faidley's Seafood, a family-owned and operated business since 1886. It is home to award-winning crab cakes acclaimed the world over. According to the Faidley's website, the restaurant was commissioned to develop crab cakes for the US Space Shuttle crew.

The tables are standing room-only. You'd think that this would detract from the culinary experience--you're quite literally rubbing elbows with the stranger beside you--but one bite of a Faidley's crab cake will melt your inner Scrooge. Each crab cake is made to order by hand.
The crabcake has a perfect golden brown crust, but you should never judge a 'cake by its cover: the true test lies in its composition. All too often, you bite into a mediocre crab cake that is mostly filler. There may be a few streaky patches of crabmeat, but it tends to be flaky and not-so-fresh, a disc-shaped patty that was defrosted and fried.

Behold the Colossus of crab cakes: a softball-sized, densely-packed orb of fresh jumbo lump crab meat.

Dried Cranberry Scones with Crystallized Sugar Crust

For the past few months, I've been subletting an apartment, and I tend to rifle through the cookbooks that have been left behind in the kitchen. It's not as creepy as it sounds: I'm friends with the people from whom I'm subletting!

In particular, I like to peruse a glossy tome entitled, "Once Upon a Tart...Soups, Salads, Muffins and More from New York City's Favorite Bakeshop and Cafe." Once Upon a Tart is a charming neighborhood haunt in SoHo, located on the corner of Prince and Sullivan Streets.Of this scone recipe, Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau, the authors and cafe owners, note, "We sprinkle it with coarse sugar, to give it texture and sparkle and a little extra sweetness to contrast with the tart cranberries. You can substitute dried sour cherries or candied lemon or orange rind for the cranberries in this recipe." See their candied ginger variation at the end of the recipe.DRIED CRANBERRY SCONES WITH CRYSTALLIZED SUGAR CRUST

makes 8 scones

3 c unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more to flour your hands to roll out the scones
1/3 c sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
20 tbs (2 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
2 large eggs
1/2 c cold buttermilk
3/4 c dried cranberries
1 large egg whisked with 1 tbs cream or milk (for an egg wash)
1 tbs or more granulated or raw sugar for sprinkling

Position your oven racks so that one is in the center, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Dump the dry ingredients into the bowl of the food processor fitted with a metal blade, and pulse to mix. Add the butter to the bowl all at once, and run the food processor for 15 seconds. Switch to pulse, and continue pulsing until there are no chunks of butter left and the butter and flour are integrated into moist crumbs. Be careful not to mix the butter and flour until they form a dough or paste. Remove the blade from the food processor, and dump the crumbs into a big bowl.

In a separate, small bowl, whisk the eggs to break up the yolks. Whisk in the buttermilk, and use the whisk to stir in the cranberries.

Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with flour-butter crumbs. Stir the dough with a wooden spoon until it just comes together and there is no trace of flour visible. You don't want to work the dough a moment longer than necessary.

With a little bit of flour on your hands, scoop out a small handful--about 1/2 c--of dough with your hand or a big spoon, and roll the dough until it forms a ball. Drop the dough onto your baking sheet, and press it into a 1 to 1 1/2" thick dish with the heel of your one hand. Leave 2" spaces between the pressed disks.

Use a pastry brush or a scrunched-up paper towel to coat each scone with the egg wash. Sprinkle each scone with a thin layer of sugar.

Place the baking sheet on the center rack in the oven, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops of the scones are golden brown and a small knife or toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and place it on a wire rack to allow the scones to cool for a few minutes. Lift the baking sheet off the rack, and use a metal spatula to transfer the scones from the baking sheet to the rack, or directly to the dish from which you'll be serving the scones. Serve fresh out of the oven or at room temperature.

VARIATION:
CANDIED GINGER SCONES

Add 1 tsp ground ginger to your dry ingredients, and substitute a cup of candied ginger, chopped, for the dried currents. We love this with a cup of hot chai tea.

Fresh Fig Gelato with Orange and Cinnamon

Recently, I attended a promotional event at the independent Harvard Book Store for Sally Sampson's "Ice Cream: 52 Easy Recipes for Year-Round Frozen Treats." Sampson's cookbook offers up recipes for every week of the year. Although she features the usual suspects--chocolate, vanilla, and whatnot--her text is predominantly full of off-the-beaten-path flavors. For example: Fresh Peach and Marcona Almond Gelato, Basil Gelato, Balsamic and Black Pepper Gelato, Saffron Ice Cream, and Rhubarberry Ice Cream with Crisp Topping.

Gus Rancatore, the founder of Toscanini's and a collaborator on the book, was on hand to distribute free samples of several of his flavors. Toscanini's is a premium ice cream company based out of the Boston area. I sampled the Belgian Chocolate flavor!

Sadly, I don't own an ice cream machine, so I'm unable to test out any of the recipes. However, this is probably for the best: if I had the ability to churn out ice cream at a moment's whim, I'd weigh an additional 15 pounds. The following is an unusual recipe from Sampson's book:

FRESH FIG GELATO WITH ORANGE AND CINNAMON

makes 1 1/2 to 2 pints

1 lb fresh figs, chopped
1/4 c fresh orange juice
1 tbs plus 1/2 c light brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 c whole milk
1 c heavy cream
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla
Pinch kosher salt

Place figs, orange juice, 1 tbs brown sugar and cinnamon in a small pan and cook over low heat until the figs have softened, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on thickness of the skin. Mash until the mixture is almost pureed but still has some texture. Set aside until it reaches room temperature. Cover and refrigerate.

In the meantime, place milk, cream and 1/4 c of the brown sugar in a small pan and cook over low heat, whisking from time to time, until it is warm, about 175 degrees.

Place egg yolks, 1/4 c of the brown sugar, vanilla and salt in a small metal bowl and whisk until completely mixed. Add 1/4 of the warm milk mixture to the eggs, whisking all the while. Continue adding milk to the eggs, 1/4 cup at a time, until you have added about 1 1/2 c.

Slowly, whisking all the while, return the now milk-and-egg mixture to the remaining milk mixture in the pan and continue cooking until it just begins to thicken or reaches about 185 degrees. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Pour through a medium fine strainer into a metal bowl, discard the solids and set aside until it reaches room temperature.

Add the cooled fig mixture. Cover and refrigerate until it reaches 40 degrees, about 3 hours. Transfer to an ice cream maker and proceed according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Farmers' Market

Every Wednesday, a nearby parking lot is transformed into a local farmers' market for 6 hours. There are about 12 different stands on a regular basis, and you can purchase anything from organic olive and rosemary foccacia to goat cheese rimmed with crystallized ginger to large potted sunflowers. I like to support local businesses and farmers and I believe in environmental sustainability, so, if you have any farmers' markets in your area, I urge you to frequent them! You'd be hard-pressed to find fresher produce elsewhere.

For dinner last week, I made a New York strip steak with zucchini, both of which I purchased at the market:At an herb stand, I picked up "Ambrosia Tea," a mix of rose hips, apricot tea, black currant tea, mango tea, cinnamon chips, and orange peel: It's quite delicious!

Blueberry Muffins

I made these muffins a few weeks ago, and they were a big hit among my housemates. According to "Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook," tossing the blueberries with some of the flour mixture helps keep them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins as they bake. You can also opt to add 1/4 tsp of nutmeg if you are so inclined.

I'm not lactose-intolerant, but, lately, I've been experimenting with soy milk for its health benefits. For this recipe, I substituted 1/2 c of Silk brand vanilla soy milk for regular milk. It made the muffins extra dense and delicious!

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

makes one dozen

1 stick (1/2 c) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan
2 c all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 c fresh blueberries
1 c sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 c milk (I used Silk brand vanilla soy milk)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter a standard 12-cup muffin pan and dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Working over the bowl, toss the blueberries in a fine sieve with about 1 1/2 tsp of the flour mixture to lightly coat; set aside the flour mixture and blueberries.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Mix in the vanilla.

With the mixer on low speed, add the reserved flour mixture, beating until just combined. Add milk, beating until just combined; do not overmix. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the blueberries. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups.

Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until the muffins are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Turn the muffins on their sides in their cups, and let cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Caramelized Bread Pudding with Chocolate and Cinnamon

Yesterday, on "The Martha Stewart Show," renowned chef Suzanne Goin demonstrated how to make her caramelized bread pudding with chocolate and cinnamon. This recipe is also featured in her cookbook,"Sunday Suppers at Lucques: Seasonal Recipes from Market to Table," which was touted as a prize on an episode of "Top Chef." I haven't made this yet, but it looks amazing! I'll update this post with photos when I attempt it.

CARAMELIZED BREAD PUDDING WITH CHOCOLATE AND CINNAMON

serves 6

2 tbs unsalted butter, softened
4 or 5 slices brioche, or good-quality white bread, 1/4 inch thick, crusts removed
3 extra-large eggs
3 extra-large egg yolks
1/4 c light-brown sugar
1 1/2 c heavy cream
1 1/4 c whole milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp coarse salt
3/4 c chopped bittersweet chocolate
1 tbs granulated sugar, for caramelizing the top

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the softened butter on one side of each slice of brioche. Cut each slice in half on the diagonal and then again into quarters.

Whisk together eggs, egg yolks, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add cream, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; whisk to combine.

Sprinkle the chocolate over the bottom of a 9-by-9-inch baking dish. Top with brioche, buttered sides up, and overlapping just slightly. Pour egg mixture over the bread. Using your fingers, press down gently on bread to fully submerge in the egg mixture. Place the bread pudding in a roasting pan, and pour enough warm water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake until the custard is set and the bread puffs up slightly, and is springy to the touch, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes.

Sprinkle the granulated sugar over the top of the pudding. Using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar. Alternatively, you can place the custard in a preheated broiler until the sugar carmelizes, 1 to 2 minutes, taking care not to curdle the custard underneath.

Veggie Planet

Last night, my friend Emily and I ventured to Veggie Planet in Harvard Square for the first time. It's located in alley and underground...but you can just look for the giant carrot sign!Veggie Planet is a renowned vegan/vegetarian restaurant, and it's located in Club Passim, a music venue that has been around for 50 years. Joan Baez played her first gig here, and, over the years, many prominent folk singers and musicians have graced its stage. While we ate in the cramped, colorful, dive-like dining space, a band set up their sound system next door.

Emily ordered the vegan Hot Tomato Artichoke soup, which, true to its name, arrived piping hot. Note the billowing steam:For her entree, she ordered the Roasted Vegetables and Rice: butternut squash, spinach, tomatoes, caramelized onions, and portabello mushrooms atop brown rice.I had the vegan Spicy Tomato Gazpacho. Surpisingly, this enormous portion was deemed a "small." I found it to be tasty but a bit too chunky for my palate. This would be best served as salsa alongside a sizable bowl of tortilla chips: I also ordered a small Safe 'n' Sound pizza: fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, asiago cheese, basil, spinach, and fried garlic. Veggie Planet's organic pizza dough is made by Haley House, a non-profit bakery in the South End. (Whenever possible, Veggie Planet purchases local organic ingredients.) Emily and I both cleaned our plates, and, given the generous portions, that says a lot about the food at Veggie Planet!As you've probably surmised by now, Veggie Planet is quirky, bold, crunchy, and eco-conscious. You could totally envision it in California. The restaurant uses an ecological oven to cook all of its food. The establishment also supports a noble social cause: proudly, the restaurant donates 2% of its food profits and 100% of its t-shirt profits to Food For Free, a non-profit organization that helps feed the hungry in Cambridge.

BerryLine

Tonight, my friends and I went to BerryLine in Harvard Square for frozen yogurt. Although this fro-yo/smoothie/coffee purveyor has been open for several months, it was my first time inside the tiny, brightly-decorated establishment.

We don't have a Pinkberry or a Red Mango in Boston, but BerryLine's low-fat, low-calorie frozen yogurt is a close replication of the trendy Korean imports. And, in typical Cambridge fashion, the dessert is a result of whiz-kid scientific research: Matt Wallace and Eric Yang, post-doctoral researchers at MIT and Harvard Medical School, spent two years perfecting the molecular structure of BerryLine's frozen yogurt. The result? A dense, creamy, low-calorie treat. Who knew that a microscope could yield such delectable results?!

Indeed, I even prefer BerryLine to Pinkberry's formula, which has an oddly fluffy consistency, in my opinion. BerryLine's original flavor actually tastes like plain yogurt--or Fage Greek yogurt, another one of my favorite snacks. I added chocolate and peanut butter chips to mine. I also sampled the banana flavor, one of tonight's three fruit-infused specials.

Wagamama

This summer, I've formed a weekly dinner club of sorts with my friends Brendan and Kyle. Really, it's more of an "eating club:" we go out to restaurants in the greater Boston area instead of actually preparing our meals!

Tonight, we ventured to Wagamama in Harvard Square. The cuisine is a fusion of Japanese, Chinese and Southeast Asian dishes. It's kind of an upscale ramen noodle bar. As noted above, the Wagamama chain has spread across the globe. The interior of the restaurant is that of a sleek noodle bar/canteen-style restaurant--somewhere between a pho noodle dive and David Chang's Momofuku in New York. All of the dishes are made-to-order, so entrees often arrive to the table at different times. Servers write on your paper placement to keep track of your order.Brendan had Yaki udon, or teppan-fried udon noodles with curry oil, shiitake mushrooms, egg, leeks , shrimp, chicken, yaki chikuwa, bean sprouts, green and red peppers, black and white sesame seeds, fried shallots, pickled red ginger, and a spicy cilantro vinaigrette.Kyle had the Yasai Katsu curry, which consisted of deep-fried slices of sweet potato, eggplant and butternut squash coated in panko breadcrumbs. The dish was served with a light curry sauce, rice, mixed leaves, and red pickles.For a starter, I had duck gyoza, which I have ordered in the past. They were filled with duck and leeks, deep-fried, and served with cherry hoisin sauce. Basically, some of my all-time favorite ingredients...deep-fried!I also had teriyaki salmon. It was grilled and served with rice and steamed baby bok choy. The dish was garnished with mixed sesame seeds, nori, and teriyaki sauce.

My French B&B Home

Not surprisingly, one of the best things about the summer I spent studying abroad in Talloires, France was the food. Here, I horde snacks from Huit a Huit, the local grocery store, like a little goblin:Fortuitously, I lived for several weeks in the residence/bed and breakfast of Jean-Marie and Catherine Simon. My lovely French host parents owned Les Terrasses, a popular bed and breakfast in Veyrier-du-Lac, France:This is the entrance to Les Terrasses; my room was to the right of the door:This is the kitchen where Catherine prepared meals for her guests:In the evening, my host family, their guests and I would dine on the patio overlooking Lake Annecy, the most pristine lake in all of Europe:My French home also directly overlooked La Maison de Marc Veyrat, a famed hotel and 3-star restaurant:

Collard Greens with Bacon

Healthy: leafy, virtuous collard greens.
Unhealthy: fatty applewood-cured bacon.
Delicious: collard greens with aforesaid bacon.

I make several variations of collard greens, but I usually have leftover bacon in the freezer, so it's a cinch to throw together a Southern comfort side dish. Cut out the long, bitter stems of the collard greens, roll up the leaves, and chop them into bundles to create strips.In a heavy-bottomed skillet, fry the bacon strips.Add the collard greens, a few tbs of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Be sure to thoroughly cook the greens so they will not retain their naturally bitter taste.Here, the collard greens complement a pork chop that has been sauteed in a cast iron skillet.Sweet tea, hush puppies and pecan pie are optional.

Ode to Dough

It's hot, it's summer, and I like unhealthy food. For no particular reason, here are some of my all-time favorite pizza photos:

My friends Adriana and Christina brace themselves for a slice from Papa's in Cambridge, MA:My friend Eva goes bananas over a slab of mozzarella in Rehoboth Beach, DE:And, my all-time favorite pizza, Mack & Manco's in Ocean City, NJ:

Jam Drops

Recently, I purchased the "Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts," one of the many Moosewood Collective cookbooks. It contains over 250 home-style recipes, many of which are simple, no-fuss, vegan, and low-fat. However, I opted for the Jam Drop recipe--which calls for 3 sticks of butter!I've made several variations of these classic cookies over the years, but I really like this version because it has a super rich, flaky, buttery dough. Yum!

JAM DROPS

1 1/2 c unsalted butter, at room temp
1 c sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 c unbleached white flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c preserves or fruit spread (I prefer Swiss-made Hero preserves)With a wooden sppon or an electric mixer, cream the butter until light. Beat in the sugar, adding a little at a time, until well blended. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then add the vanilla and beat until smooth. Gradually add the flour and salt, mixing just until the dough is uniformly smooth. The dough is now ready to chill, shape, and bake or freeze.

NOTE: The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Keep some of it on hand in the freezer; it will keep for up to 6 months. Thaw frozen dough in the refrigerator for a day before using.

For Jam Drops, cover and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour. When it is firm, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Gently roll teaspoonfuls of the dough between your palms to form 1 inch balls. It is best not to overhandle the dough. Place the balls about 1 1/2 inches apart on lightly oiled baking sheets (note: I used parchment paper-lined baking sheets instead). With your fingertip, make an indentation in the center of each ball.Fill each hollow with a scant 1/4 tsp of fruit preserves.Bake the cookies for 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden. Cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.Enjoy!

The Great Cobb Debate

My friend Emily--who, like me, is more than a little bit food-obsessed--is moving to another city soon, so we spent a long afternoon in Boston yesterday. (See yesterday's post about our visit to Flour Bakery + Cafe.) Or, as she so succinctly put it, "We basically spent the day walking to a restaurant, eating, walking to another restaurant, eating, and walking to a bookstore to read cookbooks."For lunch, we ate at Francesca's Cafe in the South End. It started off promising: Emily had Quiche Lorraine with a side salad:And I had a Raspberry Lime Rickey in a pretty shade:...but then, in my estimation, things went downhill. I had this Cobb salad:It was perfectly delicious--thanks in large part to the copious amounts of Gorgonzola, bacon, and turkey--but I always feel a little weird whenever the ingredients in a Cobb are jumbled all together. I mean, my Cobb looks essentially the same as Emily's side salad, albeit with more stuff thrown on the plate.

Indeed, the last three or four Cobb salads I've ordered in restaurants have arrived this way. I suppose it's the modern/avant-garde/deconstructed take on a traditionally structured salad. Or maybe the chefs just get tired of making the time-consuming traditional presentation. But I"m starting a one-person revolution: Bring back the true Cobb!