D.C. restaurant Founding Farmers wasn’t content to just get in on the deviled egg craze, they had to own it. The eco-friendly restaurant serves four distinct kinds of D.E.s and were kind enough to share all of their recipes with ES.
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It is May. I realize for many of us that means the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and we can all stroll around in sandals. Lest we forget, though, I reside in Seattle, the land of darkness and gloom. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of reasons to love the Pacific Northwest: crisp, clean air, gorgeous views of the mountains and water, athletic and intelligent citizens, lovely green trees everywhere, I can pretend I’m on Twin Peaks, etc… but I’m not gonna front. The fact that it’s officially spring and we are still dealing with rainy, gray 40-something degree days can get very depressing.
To be fair, bummer weather means more time I “get” to spend inside. While everyone else is dancing around on sun-drenched beaches, savoring tropical fruits and sipping on Mai Tais (maybe?! I don’t know what you exotic strangers do in your warm climates!) I have ample opportunities to play around in the kitchen. Last week my friend Kasey and I wanted to cook something soothing to counteract the lame rainy day, but I was sick of heavy, wintry comfort food. We decided to take the best of both worlds – warm and cozy, yet light and healthy – and threw together the perfect cioppino.
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At the Brixton in San Francisco, Dungeness crab meat and bacon make a deviled egg that is practically a whole meal (and decidedly un-kosher).
Demoned Eggs
6 ea eggs, cooked about 10-12 minutes
2 T aioli or mayo
pinch cayenne
1 T minced shallots
1 T minced celery
½ T chopped parsley
½ T Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
¼ pound Dungeness crab meat
2 T meyer lemon extra virgin olive oil
2 T chopped chives
2 strips cooked bacon, minced
1. Peel and halve eggs, and pop out yolks.
2. Push yolks through sieve.
3. Mix with the aioli, cayenne, shallots, celery, parsley, Dijon, salt and pepper.
4. Mix crab, lemon oil and chopped chives together.
5. Put the yolk mix through a piping bag and pipe into egg halves. Top with the crab mix and bacon.
*Tease* Next week we’ll be bringing you a whole big giant post about our favorite deviled eggs from restaurants and bloggers around the country. But for now, here’s a be-a-utiful one to get you through the weekend, courtesy Chef Thomas Dunklin of B&O American Brasserie in Baltimore.
Soft Boiled Eggs
Bring 3 qts of water to boil in large pot. Place 6 eggs in basket and submerge 6 eggs in boiling water. Let the eggs sit in the boiling water for 5 ½ to 6 minutes. Pull out of water and submerge in ice bath. Let cool. Once cool gentle peel eggs and set aside.
Crab Salad
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Editor’s Note: Food writer and new-to-ES-blogger Emily Teachout checks in with a look at one of America’s craziest — and tastiest — food destinations.
In honor of my birthday, I decided to check a long-time goal off my bucket list and head down to New Orleans to experience Mardi Gras. Let’s be real, though; while beads and booze were on my radar, I was most excited for a no-holds-barred culinary tour of the Big Easy. I figured if I’ve lived this long, I might as well test the limits of what my body can handle in greasy, spicy, cholesterol-ridden creole specialties. New Orleans did not let me down, and surprisingly, neither did my arteries.
The first “morning” in the city, after waking up at 12:45pm in our cramped yet exorbitantly expensive hotel room, two of my friends and I dragged our hungover selves out of bed in search of a belated breakfast in the French Quarter. Our prayers were answered thanks to a little alley cafe called Green Goddess. We had to wait 45 minutes for our outdoor table, but since drinking in the streets is allowed (and seemingly encouraged) we downed some $7 beers to pass the time.
To start, we shared the truffled manchego cheese grits you see above. With that sheen of grease, you know heaven is inside. My friend literally licked the plate. No shame!
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I was skeptical. But I thought, yeah, this would be cool. Mini terrines. First layer, lobster. Second layer, crab. Third layer, poached salmon. Fourth layer, roasted red peppers…why? Why the hell not? The gelatin to hold it all together was made with the salmon poaching liquid of vegetable stock and white wine. I made sure the thing was properly seasoned and threw in some herbs. I was thinking #1, would this hold together? And #2 would this actually taste good?
#1: Yes, it did hold together. It held together quite nicely. It held together like a can of cat food that slides right out exposing the layer of nasty gelatin on top of the stinky meat mold. I couldn’t get that wet cat food sucking noise out of my head while standing there staring at my terrine fuck up. Meow.
#2: No. Oh, no, no. It did not taste good. Chef was lucky enough to have the first taste. And when I picked up my fork to try a bit, he encouraged me to take a smaller bite. Oh boy, that’s when you know you’ve fucked up. I’m not really sure what went wrong. It was like seafood with seafood flavored jelly. Perhaps I should have brought it home to the cat. I’m sure she would have torn the hell out of this gelatinous seafood carnage. So, I accidentally made cat food. No big deal.
“How did the terrine turn out?” asked a coworker. “Um, it just…it just isn’t good. And it accidentally fell in the trash.” Oops. But the terrine has not heard the last from me. In other words, please help ESers! How do I redeem myself?!
Growing up in Northeast Pennsylvania, fresh seafood wasn’t really an option for me. So for the majority of my life, I missed out on such gems as mussels, pollack, porgy and much more. Since my introduction to saltwater proteins, my absolute favorite seafood dish is the regional specialty, Maryland blue crabs. How can you go wrong with a crustacean whose scientific name actually means “beautiful savory swimmer?” Wifey grew up just a short trip from the Chesapeake and crab feasts were a regular part of life. Her parents had one for their rehearsal dinner 30 years ago, their family always got together in the summer to swim and “pick crabs” and one of the first get-togethers to let me know I was part of the family was a crab feast.
For those of you who aren’t familiar the traditional Chesapeake crab prep is a simple mixture of spicy Old Bay seasoning, rock salt and vinegar steamed together. Once the crabs are cooked, we typically cover a table with layers of newspaper and just spill everything out and begin picking. Picking crabs takes time and effort! I have gotten better but the process of breaking the crabs down and getting every luscious bit of meat out is not for everyone. That is why we always have plenty of beer and plenty of time to talk to each other. That combination of great food, drinks and 3-4 hours of quality time makes Maryland blue crabs the perfect Gridiron Grub. They may not be available everywhere but if you get a chance definitely try this while enjoying the games.
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