Good Morning.
We begin the evening with LYNCHBURG LEMONADE.
3 oz. 7-Up
1 oz. Sweet and Sour mix
1 oz. Triple Sec
1 oz. bourbon
Mix together in a tall glass with ice. Garnish with a slice of lemon.
Right out of Lynchburg, Virginia comes this libation. Who knows how they made it two hundred years ago, but they were a resourceful lot, so they probably rummaged around in the cupboard until they found appropriate ingredients, and they may
even have figured out how to do the fizz. Thomas Jefferson brought champagne back from Paris and reportedly thought bubbles were the way to go.
Enjoy your lemonade with GREEN EGGS AND PROSCIUTTO.
1 dozen large eggs
1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/8 cup chopped fresh dill
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped prosciutto
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp. minced shallot
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Hard boil the eggs and run them under cold water until cool enough to handle. Peel them and set aside. Combine the herbs and olive oil in a blender to make a paste.
Slice each egg in half lengthwise and remove yolks carefully with a spoon. Add them to the blender with the prosciutto, mayonnaise, minced shallot, and mustard. Process, then taste and add salt and pepper if desired. Fill each egg half with this mixture.
Deviled eggs may be the most rapidly consumed food item on a buffet table. Men, in particular, inhale them. These ingredients would also make an excellent egg salad sandwich if you roughly chop everything and mix it with the mayo and mustard. A friend and I used to eat egg salad sandwiches in a tree we climbed in a neighbor's yard. I got only to the second branch while she went ten feet higher. She is now an interior designer, and I am writing a blog. I have no idea what the connection is but eggs are good for you despite rumors to the contrary.
Now we have CRAB CAKES with GARLIC AIOLI.
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. finely chopped shallot
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups Panko
1 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Dash of Tabasco
1 1/4 pounds lump crabmeat
More vegetable oil
Garlic aioli
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. capers
1 tsp. lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Make the aioli first. Place unpeeled garlic on a piece of tin foil on
a baking sheet. Fold the foil over the garlic and crimp the edges to close. Roast in a 375 degree oven for an hour. Remove, let cool, and peel. In a food processor or blender, place the garlic with a dash of pepper. Add the mayonnaise, capers, and lemon juice. Process to combine until smooth. Taste and add salt and more pepper if desired. Keep warm.
Drain the crabmeat, pick it over and get rid of any bits of shell and cartilage, and break it into small pieces. In a skillet, add the oil and cook the shallots until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for just a minute. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Now add 1 cup of Panko, parsley, mustard, salt, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and crabmeat. Mix all of these ingredients thoroughly and form into patties about 1/2 inch thick and 3 inches in diameter. Place the rest of the Panko on a plate and turn each cake in the crumbs to coat them lightly. Set the cakes on a wire rack and let them dry for 20 minutes. In a large skillet, add 1/4 inch vegetable oil. Add the crab cakes and saute them over medium heat until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Drain well on a platter lined with paper towel. To serve, place a couple of cakes on a bed of greens and top with garlic aioli.
Serve the crab with a STRAWBERRY SEED SALAD.
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
2 heads Bibb lettuce
1 head Romaine
Sliced fresh strawberries
Mix together the Parmesan, seeds, and nuts. To serve, tear the greens into pieces and add as many sliced strawberries as you want. Then add the seeds and cheese and toss with the following dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
A titch of Tabasco
2 cloves garlic, minced
Mix together well.
The salad should serve 6 to 8 people. It is different, crunchy, and fun. For a change, substitute grated carrots for the strawberries, not a good trade in my view, but maybe better for the eyes. I also once heard that eating your bread crusts gave you curly hair and fish made you smart. If you eat the crab and have the salad with carrots, you'll be absolutely brilliant, even visionary, but probably with straight hair because you didn't eat your crusts.
We finish off the evening with a MARGARITA FLAN CAKE.
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
3 eggs
3 tbsp. Grand Marnier
1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1/2 cup cajeta - Mexican caramel sauce - or any caramel ice cream topping
1 box butter recipe yellow cake mix
1/2 cup tequila
1 tsp. finely grated lime zest
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk the milks, eggs, Grand Marnier, and orange zest together. Set aside. Generously spray a 12 cup Bundt pan with cooking spray. Spread the cajeta or caramel sauce in the bottom of the pan. Set aside. Prepare the cake mix according to package directions, substituting tequila for 1/2 cup of the water and adding
the lime zest. Fold the coconut into the cake batter and pour on top of the cajeta. Gradually pour the milk mixture over the batter. Note: it will sink and the batter will rise. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center
comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least half an hour. Unmold onto a serving plate and let cool completely.
I wear a sombrero when I eat this cake. This is not unreasonable. For my birthday last year, my older son and his wife, the creator of this delight, took me to a Mexican restaurant where the owner, a very fine tenor, serenaded me at our table. I wore a sombrero and felt rather festive, so I continue the tradition at home. I couldn't find a picture of an old gal wearing a sombrero so these youngsters will have to suffice. I like them quite a lot.
Best regards,
Elisabeth
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