Again, plainoldme, shhhh....don't tell everyone how easy it is, because I will be out of work.
Cav,
Are you a chef or otherwise in the restaurant business? i have a friend who eats out for inspiration. Ran into a woman whose child I taught in nursery school at a supermarket last February who was complaining that eating at home was cheaper than eating out. She had just bought lobster, out of season! Duh!
What sort of restaurant is it?
Here's what I made last night. Crab cakes with chile mayonaise.
1 Tbsp. mayo
1.5 Tsp. Worcestire sauce
1 tsp. finely chopped parsley
1 egg
A pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 lb. lump crabmeat
5 saltines, crushed fine
Mix the first four ingredients together in a bowl, then dd the crab and crushed crackers, mixing through but not to thorougly. Form into 2.5" wide, 3/4" thick cakes. Put enough oil in a skillet to be 1/4" deep, heat to frying temp, and fry cakes about 2 minutes on each side, until brown. Serve with chile mayo:
1/2 cup mayo
1 Tbsp. catchup
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper (it has kick)
Mix all ingredients and spoon over crab cakes.
Now, you can vary these ingredients to taste. If you want dryer crab cake, add more crushed crackers.
Sorry there, plainoldme, I thought you knew. Yes, I am a private caterer.
I also do in-home cooking classes, so I depend on people's ignorance to make my living.
No, cav, I didn't know what you do.
I actually think the quality of my cooking has gone down hill, way down hill.
I generally fix some sort of protein, usually meat because I think the oceans are fished out. We have a starch most days and sometimes a veggie, usually salad because my son likes raw veggies and salads are pretty cheap. When I do get to cook, I am often disappointed. I was better. Miss baking bread. Am trying to work it back into my schedule.
I am a big fan of salads actually, and love to mix in any leftover protein into fresh, crisp greens and veggies with an interesting dressing completely unrelated to last night's dinner. It's a perfect lunch, and a great energy boost. I don't make a lot of breads, as my oven isn't really equipped to do crusty breads properly, but I do make brioche, Irish soda bread, quickbreads and pizzas.
Cav,
Energy is right. There is nothing like a salad with protein to make a lunch that lasts through until dinner without making you logey. Too much starch at lunch lulls you to sleep although it's nice in the morning to hold you over, esp if it is a day when you might not get lunch. I make salads with spinach for the vitamins and always add shredded red cabbage as my sons like it and it's a good vitamin source as well.
My parents got a salad from a relative that is a great picnic food or good for potluck or buffet suppers. It's just red kidney beans, a little sweet pickle relish and chopped hard boiled egg, moistened with mayo. I add chopped chives sometimes or parsely, any thing green. I know it sounds really like a 1940s lady's luncheon, which it is, but it's always been a success when I've brought it to potlucks.
I like black turtle beans with fresh corn, blanched butternut squash, red onion, cilantro and a slightly spicy red wine vinaigrette. It's sort of a staple among my clients. Sometimes I serve it as an hors d'oeuvre, on endive spears, and sometimes just as a buffet salad. I have also used it for summer plated dinners, in raddicchio cups, as a side for spice-rubbed roasted pork tenderloin.
CAv,
I thought today of how you assumed I knew what you did for a living. I'm not consistently active on A2K and so I guess that'show I missedit.
I assume the cav is short for caviar?
Love black turtle beans. i wish my son's taste were more adverturesome. I sometimes cook two dishes just to satisfy both of us. Sigh.
Caviar is part of a double meaning. It also refers to my cute Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. There is a picture of him in the gallery if you want a looksie.
