Last Supper (of 2008)

Menu
Appetizer: Maryland Crab Cake
Salad: Arugula Salad with Lemon Dressing and Shaved Parmesan Cheese
Main Course: Lobster Poached in Butter over Sweet Corn
Dessert: Coconut Sorbet with Clementines/ pecan pie

We were ambitious. We left the house at around 5 to round up ingredients. The Safeway was completely ransacked. The heaping mound of potatoes was completely cleared out. They didn't have any of our proteins - short ribs, lobster, crab - or a french baguette! We got as much as we could and headed to Giant which was much better stocked. I discovered that "back rib" is the same as "short rib." And, you can have your seafood cooked to order at the seafood counter. I was drooling from the smell of steamed shrimp cooking in Old Bay while waiting for M to get our lobsters. We got home at around 7:30 and got to work.

Honestly, I don't think I'll ever cook lobster again. It was unbelievably sad to put them into the boiling water. Then I had to break them down and that took a really long time. The original recipe calls for orzo cooked with 2 cups of heavy cream which would make me very sick. I decided to cook some sweet corn in the same butter that the lobster was poached in and serve them together at around 9 PM. It turned out really well. As you can see (or not see), I didn't get around to the salad.

M's crab cakes were AMAZING and paired really well with Hoegaarden beer. Here's the recipe (adapted from cooks.com):
MARYLAND CRAB CAKES

1 lb. fresh Maryland backfin or lump crabmeat
4 heaping tablespoons Hellmann's real mayonnaise
1/2-1 teaspoon regular yellow mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp fresh ground black pepper (see note)
1 teaspoons salt (to taste) - Don't add any salt if there is salt on your saltines
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pouch Saltine crackers from box (crushed with a rolling pin)
1 extra large egg, beaten well
1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced

In a medium bowl, hand pick crabmeat and discard any shell particles. Add salt and pepper (you can alter your salt to taste but NOT the black pepper!)

In another bowl, mix all wet ingredients. Gently fold mixture into crabmeat. Add baking powder, parsley, and about 1/4 cup of crushed Saltines to your crabmeat; again fold in very gently.

On a plate, place your crushed Saltines and scoop a medium sized crab cake from your mixture in your hands. Coat with cracker again just enough to cover your cake.

In a skillet heat oil for frying (preferably cast Iron pan) gently place crabcakes in frying temperature oil and brown evenly on both sides. Be careful that your oil is not to hot and should never be smoking!! Crabcakes are ready when brown on both sides usually a few minutes per side. Do not overcook! Drain on paper towels serve immediately.

Yields about six crab cakes.