Crab cakes, Gumbo, Cobbler and OSCAR

Last night we had my mom over to watch the Oscars, which I explained to the men in the house is the equivalent to the Super Bowl for me.  I love watching the red carpet, and dishing on who looks fantastic and whose stylist must hate them.

In honor of the event, I pulled together some different recipes for a very non-Hollywood meal:  Crab Cakes, Shrimp Gumbo and Apple Cobbler.

My good friend Alisa shared a recipe for crab cakes that I have been dying to try.  She swore by this recipe, and she was right!  The recipe is from the Houston Junior League cookbook Stop and Smell the Rosemary.  Junior League cookbooks, I have found, are a treasure trove of tried and true recipes, and this one did not disappoint.  I made larger cakes, but you could reduce in size for a more appetizer friendly portion.

RECIPE:  Tea Room Crab Cakes

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pound fresh lump crab meat (shells removed)

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 1/2 cups bread crumbs
2 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
2 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Melt the butter in the saute pan.  Add onion and cook until transparent.  Combine eggs, onion, cayenne, cheese, bread crumbs, salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Mix well.  Gently toss in the crab meat.  Form crab mixture into 10 to 12 small crab cakes.  Chill covered for at least 30 minutes but no longer than 2 hours.

Place flour in a small bowl.  Combine milk and egg in a separate bowl.  Place breadcrumbs in a shallow dish.  Dust crab cakes in flour, dip in the milk/egg mixture, then dip in the breadcrumbs.  Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet.  Cook half of the crab cakes over medium heat for about 4 to 6 minutes per side, or until golden brown.  Transfer to paper towels to drain.  Add remaining butter and oil to skillet and cook remaining crab cakes.  Drain.  Serve immediately with remoulade sauce (see below)

RECIPE:  Remoulade Sauce

1/4 cup creole  mustard
1/2 cup prepared mustard
2 tablespoons paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup chopped onions
dash Tabasco sauce
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup ketchup
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 large eggs, room temperature
juice of 1 lemon
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil

Combine mustards, paprika, cayenne, salt, vinegar, green onions, Tabasco, celery, parsley, ketchup, garlic, eggs and lemon in a blender.  Gradually add oil in a steady stream until sauce thickens to a mayonnaise consistency.  Cover and chill.

Fortunately I had some great sous chefs last night as there was a lot of chopping to be done.  While we enjoyed crab cakes, I began preparing the gumbo.  This is a great recipe from Bobby Dean that gives you all the great flavors of gumbo without being a calorie killer.  If you like gumbo, you have to try this recipe:  Bobby's Smokey Gumbo.

Gumbo in my favorite soup pot

This is such a simple recipe, especially if you have ever made gumbo.  There is not any stress making a roux (the flour and butter mixture that is the heart of a great gumbo).   Now, I realize saying this it may be blasphemous to call this gumbo, but trust me.  It really does thicken up without the flour and fat.

We had eaten so well at this point, but wait, there was more.  To finish off the night, we had homemade apple cobbler, which I adapted from one of my favorite dessert recipes of all time:  Martha Hall Foose's Silent Shade Cobbler from her cookbook Screen Doors and Sweet Tea.  This is an excellent cookbook.  Everything I have made out of it has been wonderful.  Pick it up if you don't already have it.

This recipe (as you will see below) calls for berries.  I have tons of apples on hand, so I used them instead.  I peeled and cored the apples (I used 9 smallish apples), and then cut them into slices.  With the apples, I tossed them with the juice of one lemon and a teaspoon of cinnamon.  Other than this, I followed Martha's recipe. 

RECIPE:  Silent Shade Cobbler (8 servings)
5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
3 cups sugar
1 cup whole milk
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups boiling water
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spread the blueberries in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Drizzle the lemon juice over the berries and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, the nutmeg, mace, 1 1/2 cups of the sugar, the milk, butter and vanilla. Spoon over the berries and spread in an even layer.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the cornstarch. Sprinkle this mixture over the batter. Pour the boiling water evenly over the top of the cobbler. Poke a few holes down in the batter with the handle of a wooden spoon. Bake for 1 hour or until the top is golden brown, frosted and shinny Serve warm or at room temperature. 
Last night was a great evening of watching the stars, cooking and eating delicious food.  It was so fun to cook together as a family.  So glad I had mom on hand for all the chopping!  Not sure I could have pulled all this off without her.