White Asparagus & Crab Soufflé

White Asparagus & Crab Souffle

White asparagus is an expensive treat. It’s less assertively flavoured than green, and shouldn’t be fussed with too much. Use true Parmigiano- Reggiano here, and look for high-quality lump crab meat in the refrigerator section rather than purchasing the stuff in shelf-stable cans. Serve alone as a first course or as a main alongside a 
delicate green salad.
Ingredients:
4 oz (115 g) lump crabmeat, drained
½ lb (225 g) white asparagus, stalks peeled
Pinch finely grated black pepper
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
4 tbsp (60 mL) unsalted butter
Fine bread crumbs
2½ oz (70 g) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
¼ cup (60 mL) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 mL) warm whole milk
3 large eggs, separated

Directions:

Using your fingers, shred the crabmeat while picking over for bits of shell. Set aside.

Cut the asparagus into 2-inch (5-cm) lengths. Cook in boiling salted water until tender, 6 to 9 minutes, depending on thickness. Drain and dry on a paper towel. Purée, along with the pepper and salt, in a food processor; reserve.

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; remove from stovetop. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the inside of a 6-cup (1.5-L) souŠé dish with butter. Coat dish with a thin layer of bread crumbs.

Measure a scant ¼ cup (60 mL) of the Parmigiano and set aside for the top of the soufflé.

Return butter to medium heat and sprinkle flour over; stir to combine. Cook until very lightly golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in milk, a little at a time. Once smooth, let boil 2 minutes longer, whisking constantly. Remove from heat, whisk in egg yolks, the larger measure of the Parmigiano, then asparagus purée. Stir in reserved crab; set aside.

In a large clean bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks. Stir about one-quarter of egg whites into asparagus mixture. Carefully fold in the remaining egg whites using a rubber spatula. Scrape into prepared dish, sprinkle with remaining Parmigiano and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until pu–ed and golden. 

Serves 4 to 6 

 

Louisiana Crab Cakes Benedict

"I’m going to go ahead and say it: New Orleans doesn’t do a very good version of the crabcake (for the most part). Theye make them, however, nonetheless. In New Orleans, they lean too much on bread crumbs as a binder and bell pepper and onion as filler, so the crab part of the cake frequently gets lost. In my best estimation, it’s a version of the stuffed crab, just without a shell. The Big Bad Breakfast crabcakes are unapologetically more in the bready, New Orleans style. My justification is that cooking them this way makes a fantastic base for a Benedict, with the cake becoming a crabby English muffin substitute, topped with a poached egg."—John Currence

Ingredients

Hollandaise (makes 1 1/4 cups):
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
4 dashes of Tabasco hot sauce
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 cup clarified butter 

Crabcakes:
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons Creole mustard or whole-grain Dijon mustard, divided
3 tablespoons diced green bell pepper
3 tablespoons diced red bell pepper
2 1⁄2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 egg yolks
1 shallot, minced
1 teaspoon diced and seeded jalapeño
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs, plus more for coating
Salt and black pepper
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

To serve:
8 poached eggs, warmed
1 cup Hollandaise, warmed
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons chopped chives 

Method

Make the hollandaise: fill a large saucepan with 2 inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk together the egg yolks, water, lemon juice, salt, white pepper, Tabasco, and cayenne in a stainless steel bowl. Set the bowl over the simmering water (but not touching it) and whisk constantly until the eggs thicken to the consistency of thickened heavy cream (it should barely leave a trail when the whisk is dragged through it), 7 to 10 minutes. Drizzle in the clarified butter, whisking vigorously, until fully incorporated, about 1 minute. Season with salt and set aside in a warm place but not over direct heat (on the stove top, with the oven on). Be very careful because the hollandaise will separate if it gets too hot or too cold.

Make the crabcakes: in a bowl, whisk together 1⁄4 cup mustard, bell peppers, cream, lemon juice, yolks, shallot, and jalapeño. Fold in the crabmeat gently but thoroughly, followed by the bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before forming into cakes. 

Divide into 8 portions. Form each portion into 2 1⁄2–inch patties that are about 3⁄4 inch–thick. Place the bread crumbs on a plate and coat each cake with the bread crumbs. Warm the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat for 1 minute. Place the crab cakes in the pan and cook, turning regularly, until golden on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Divide among 4 plates. 

Top each crabcake with a poached egg. Stir together the hollandaise and remaining 3 tablespoons mustard and spoon over the cakes. Dust lightly with cayenne pepper and sprinkle with chives for garnish. Serve immediately. 

Reprinted with permission from Big Bad Breakfast by John Currence, copyright © 2016. Photography by Ed Anderson. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Random House LLC.

Yield

4 servings

Crab and Roasted Red Pepper Bisque

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 12-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 pound fresh lump crabmeat or canned crab
1 teaspoon Old Bay or Cajun seasoning
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons salt

*

Directions:
Heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onion until tender and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.
While the onion is cooking, melt the butter over medium-high heat in a large pot. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour until smooth and cook for a minute (or until the mixture starts to brown).
Then, add the chicken broth, red peppers, tomato paste, crabmeat (if you want to garnish the soup with crabmeat, reserve a few ounces), Old Bay, cayenne pepper, and onion to the pot. Let the mixture simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until smooth.
Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth (you could also use an electric blender and puree in batches, returning the soup to the pot when it is pureed).
Add the heavy cream, red wine vinegar, and salt to the pot and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until heated all the way through.
Garnish with crab meat, if you reserved any, and/or a swirl of half and half if desired.  Serves 4