For a Soft Shell Crab Appetizer: Stonefruit Salad & Red Curry Aioli

Stonefruit Salad

6 mariposa plums, pitted
5 flavortop nectarines
15 leaves mint, chiffonade
1/2 tsp salt

2 oz sake
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp szechuan peppercorns
1 point of pod star anise

- slice plums into 12 wedges each
- peel nectarines and reserve peelings for later use aside; cut flesh into medium dice
- toss with mint and salt; set aside

- combine sake, sugar, peppercorns and star anise in small saucepan over medium heat
- reduce to 1 oz and allow to cool
- strain and toss fruits with this mixture


Red Curry Aioli

2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp red curry paste
1 Tbsp butter
1 can (400ml) coconut milk
reserved peelings from nectarines (above)

8 eggs, poached
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp salt
3 cups grapeseed oil

- combine sugar, curry paste and butter in small saucepan over medium heat
- stir 1 minute and add coconut milk and peelings
- lower heat to low and cook 15 minutes; set aside
- meanwhile combine eggs, vinegar and salt in blender - puree
- with motor running drizzle in reserved coconut milk mixture
- still with motor runningm drizzle in grapeseed oil
- cool before use

Ambrosia Melon Sauce

9 lbs ambrosia melon or other true cantaloupe (such as charentais melon)
1/4 lb butter
6 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 bottle (750ml) prosecco
1 cup buttermilk
additional butter as needed

- peel, seed and rough-chop melon
- sweat melon in butter with sugar and salt over low to medium heat 10 minutes, stirring often
- add prosecco and turn heat to high
- cook until melon falls apart when prodded - about 15 minutes
- puree in blender with buttermilk
- to order, warm 1.5 ounces melon puree and mount with 2 Tbsp butter.

Steak Tips - a Few Hints for Choosing and Cooking that Yummy Brandt Beef

Choosing a great cut on the cheap:

if you are a fan of filet mignon or beef tenderloin, you might enjoy the teres major, or shoulder tender. It is similar in both flavor and texture and is a good choice if you plan on serving rich sauce such as bearnaise or bordelaise.

If you like the richness and depth of a rib steak, consider the flatiron. It is one of the most tender and flavorful cuts of beef available and has an almost gamey quality.

A personal favorite of mine is the skirt steak, juicy and bursting with flavor.

Another winner is the sirloin cap, or coulotte. A whole coulotte makes a great roast for four, and cut into steaks, it’s tender and delicious.

Important tips:

always season liberally with salt before cooking. This draws more proteins to the surface. That’s where the great steak flavor comes from – the caramelization of the surface proteins. Okay, food snobs, it's not technically caramelization as protein isn't sugar. It's the Maillard Reaction which is the brown resulting from the marriage of amino acids, sugar and heat. It's a plural marriage.

Also, to this end, get a good brown crust on the outside of the steak, either in a heavy skillet or on the hottest part of the grill. Contrary to popular myth, this does nothing to “seal in the juices” but its reward is the flavor.

after achieving the nice crust, finish the steak in the oven at around 275 degrees, or on a cooler part of the grill, covered.

steaks plump when you cook them up until they reach an internal temperature of 130 degrees, after which they deflate. Pull your steaks when they have achieved maximum plumpness and allow them to rest a few minutes.

my favorite internal temperature temperature is 128 degrees for beef and lamb, 132 for veal and 135 for pork . Do not trust thermometers that determine that rare is 140 degrees; it is not. Rare is between 110 and 120.

Do not assume that rare is cold. Adjust your tap water to between 110 and 120 degrees. Feel the water. Is it cold? No.

Flavors:

I like to make a mix of chunky sea salt, sweet smoked paprika and black pepper to season my steaks. The paprika mimics a wood fire, inside or out.

for the simplest sauce, gently warm a tablespoon of butter and whisk in a few drops of worcesterchire sauce. Liberally brush your steak.

One I make all the time is chimichurri – see recipe.

Another Tomato Sauce that's Kinda Sweet and Kinda Spicy but Not Too Much

15 roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise
6 shallots, slice thick
6 cloves garlic, smashed
5 anaheim chiles, halved lengthwise, all seeds and most ribs removed
1 Tbsp salt
1/4 cup xv olive oil

- toss together and transfer to roasting pan; make sure tomatoes are skin side down in pan
- roast at 350 for 30 minutes
- remove skins from tomatoes and puree all in blender with:

1 1/2 cups roasted mushroom juices
1 cup xv olive oil
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp pimenton dulce

Crab Stuffing for Chiles Rellenos

3 cups mascarpone
2 lbs crab meat
2 Tbsp minced cilantro
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Old Bay
1 tsp pimenton dulce
juice of 1 lemon

Cornbread Flan

1 qt half & half
8 eggs
8 egg yolks
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch scallions, sliced thin

1 cornbread, cut into half-inch cubes

- whisk eggs and yolks
- whisk in half & half
- whisk in s&p, cilantro, garlic and scallions
- combine custard mixture with cornbread; allow several hours for the bread to absorb the custard
- line a terrine with plastic wrap
- remove bread from custard and pack it into terrine
- cover terrine with plastic and foil and bake in a water bath at 200 until set - 3-4 hours or so (int temp 165)
- chill overnight in mold, slice and grill if desired

Pretty Much What You Think of When You Think of Cornbread

1/4 lb butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour

- melt butter
- whisk in sugars; cool slightly
- whisk in eggs, then buttermilk, salt and baking soda
- stir in cornmeal and flour
- grease a 64 square-inch pan and pour in batter
- bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes