Mini Crab Cakes

I know that it seems my commitment to this blog has been lacking as of late, but moving half way across the country is hard work, not to mention time consuming! Trust me, I would much rather have been baking and blogging than packing and driving 1,500 miles in a cramped car. But the good news is that I'm back and ready to hit the ground running! I've got more time and resources at my disposal, including a much bigger kitchen and people to actually help me eat all the food I plan on cooking. My mom and dad will be serving as my taste testing guinea pigs for the upcoming months. (Yes, I have moved back in with my parents. Not my proudest moment, but what's a broke, unemployed person to do?)

I've officially been back in Texas for a week now (my, how I've missed this weather!) and close to being completely settled in. But I could no longer focus on unloading box after box (after box, after box...) because I was itching to get back in the kitchen! My mom had a couple friends over this week, so it was the perfect excuse to dig out my culinary gadgets from the dark abyss of moving boxes. It was also a good opportunity to start testing some appetizers I have in mind to make for one of my very best, and oldest friend's wedding shower I will be hosting come spring time. I pretty much planned out the entire menu within an hour of hearing about her engagement- I love a good reason to throw a party. But this party in particular has me more excited than usual because it's a wedding shower, meaning lots of fun and frilly finger foods and centerpieces.

However, the dilemma I face is this: I want the food to be impressive while remaining simplistic in the overall preparation. I want everything to be lovely and delicious, but I also want to enjoy myself at the party rather than fretting over the food. I already had crab cakes in mind when planning the shower's menu, so when I ran across this recipe for miniature crab cakes that are baked in batches, well, it seemed like the perfect solution to my simple yet impressive dilemma. And I have to say, I was extremely pleased with the results. The mini cakes were surprisingly crisp and crunchy on the outside, and had some nice citrus notes (a result from the combination of both orange and lemon peel). I actually think they were every bit as good as the full fat versions that are often fried in butter or oil, except these are sooo much easier to make! With (only) 6 months left to plan the wedding shower, this recipe has most definitely won a permanent place on the menu!

Mini Crab Cakes

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 large egg
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
4 teaspoons plus 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, divided
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Large pinch of cayenne pepper
8 ounces fresh lump crabmeat (picked over for pieces of shell) patted dry and shredded
1 1/2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pans
Fresh chives, cuts into pieces for garnish

Directions:
1. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth. Add 1/4 cup Parmesan and egg; beat to blend. Beat in sour cream, citrus peels, 4 teaspoons chopped chives, salt, and cayenne pepper. Fold in crabmeat.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter 2 mini muffin pans. Toss Panko, 3/4 cup Parmesan, and 3 tablespoons chopped chives in a small bowl. Drizzle melted butter over Panko mixture, tossing with fork until evenly moistened. Press a spoonful of Panko mixture into the bottom and up the sides of each muffin cup, forming crust. Spoon a rounded tablespoon of crab mixture into each cup. Sprinkle about a 1/2 tablespoon of Panko mixture over each (some may be left over).

3. Bake crab cakes until golden on top and set, about 25-30 minutes. Cool in pans for 5 minutes. Run knife around each cake and gently lift out of pan. Arrange crab cakes on a serving platter and sprinkle with chive pieces. Serve with Remoulade Sauce (recipe follows).

Makes 24 mini crab cakes

Note: Crab mixture can be made 1 day ahead then covered and chilled. Crab cakes can be baked 2 hours prior to serving, then rewarmed on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes.

Remoulade Sauce

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups light mayo
4 green onions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons creole mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, pressed
1 1/2 teaspoons horseradish
1 teaspoon paprika

Directions:
1. Stir together all the ingredients until well blended. Cover and chill for at least one hour.

Chicken, Spinach, and Mushroom Crepes

Upon deciding to begin this culinary journey, I knew that I wanted to challenge myself with new techniques, ones that I had yet to attempt. The art of crepe making has been high on that list for quite some time. The Parisian staple has always intrigued me with its delicate texture that is complementary of both sweet and savory dishes.  Though most of my experience with eating crepes has been in the dessert arena (crepes with nutella and sliced bananas- yes please!), I felt more enthralled to try a savory version for my first endeavor.  A recipe source I often turn to is Cooking Light.  I think they do a great job of giving classic recipes a lighter, more healthful makeover.  (As much time as I spend in the kitchen, it's not only a wise decision to choose lighter recipes, but also necessary.)  I will admit that I never usually follow Cooking Light's recipes to a tee though.  They never seem to produce as many servings as the recipes claim (unless perhaps you have the appetite of a 4 year old- I do not), and the most tasty (read: most calorie laden) ingredient is often used in extremely scant proportions.  However, I came across a recipe from Cooking Light for chicken, spinach, and mushroom crepes, that seemed like a good starting point for my first savory crepe dish.

The batter came together in a pinch, with the help of a blender, but things started to slow down from here.  One should note that the batter needs to chill for one hour- an important detail I did not become aware of until after I decided to start this recipe at 8 o'clock at night. (Needless to say I ate a very late dinner that night.)  After the batter is chilled, each crepe has to be made individually, a rather time consuming process. My first few crepes, I regret to say, were less than unsightly. Flipping the frail, flimsy things was much harder than I anticipated!  They kept tearing and sticking and folding into themselves. No spatula or any other kitchen gadget I creatively tried to use helped to appease the situation. It turns out that the most effective tool I had on hand (literally) was my fingers.  Using a gentle touch and quickly grasping the edge of the crepe, turning it onto its other side, culminated in a perfectly golden, tear-free crepe. Don't worry, after your fingers are sufficiently numb- and perhaps an expletive or two is thrown about- the process begins to move much more swiftly.  

The filling consists of onions, mushrooms, spinach, and chicken (I used a rotisserie).  I decided to jazz it up a bit by adding in a couple spoon-fulls of cream cheese and a few crumbled bacon slices, because, well, everything is better with bacon.  A white sauce, essentially a béchamel, is then added into the mixture, before being folded into a crepe-like parcel, topped with cheese, and broiled in the oven.  The end result was tasty, but somehow familiar... like chicken enchiladas on vacation in Paris- a classic Mexican dish parading around in French flavors.  

However, I did find this Parisian inspired version to be a little dry. Most enchiladas are accompanied by a sauce, be it a mole or tomatillo.  So, the following night, before reheating my leftover crepes, I decided to make another batch of the béchamel sauce that was originally added into the chicken and mushroom mixture, only this time I added a few flavor components (see recipe below).  The idea I had in mind here, is that one could double the recipe for the sauce and use half for the filling, while reserving the other half to top the finished crepes.  But I decided to take it one step further, by adding in gruyere cheese to the finished béchamel, resulting in a Mornay sauce.  The final product: enchiladas that just may claim France as their permanent residence.  

Chicken, Spinach, and Mushroom Crepes

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1 (10-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1/4 cup sliced green onions
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
2 oz 1/3 less-fat Philadelphia cream cheese (optional)
3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
Béchamel Sauce, divided (recipe below)
10 Basic Crepes (recipe below)
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (optional)

Preparation
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to pan and allow to heat for 2 minutes. Add sliced onion and mushrooms to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until mushrooms release their moisture and darken. Stir in chicken, green onions, 1/4 teaspoon salt, spinach, cream cheese (optional), and bacon (also optional).

Add half ( about 1 1/2 cups ) of the prepared béchamel sauce to chicken mixture, reserving the rest of the sauce for later use; stir to combine.

Spoon about 1/2 cup chicken mixture in the center of each crepe; fold ends and sides over. Finish with either option 1 or option 2.

Option 1) Preheat broiler. Place crepes, seam side down, in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle crepes evenly with the mozzarella cheese. Broil 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Finish by topping plated crepes with reserved béchamel sauce.

Option 2) Continue with béchamel recipe to make a Mornay sauce. Place 2 crepes on each dish and top with Mornay sauce.


Makes 5 servings; 2 crepes per serving



Béchamel Sauce

Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped shallot
2 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups 2% milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of freshly ground white pepper (a little goes a long way!)
Freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

Preparation
1. Place butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; cook until butter melts, stirring occasionally. Add onion to pan; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic to pan and cook 5 minutes longer or until onions and garlic are tender (do not brown), stirring occasionally. Sprinkle flour over onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Gradually add milk to flour mixture, stirring with a whisk until smooth; bring to a simmer. Simmer 10-15 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently. Strain mixture through a fine sieve over a bowl; discard solids.

3. Stir in salt, pepper, and nutmeg, if desired. Serve immediately.

To Make Mornay Sauce: Prepare Béchamel Sauce. Wipe pan clean with paper towels. Return reserved Béchamel Sauce to pan, and place over medium-low heat. Add 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese, stirring until smooth. Serve immediately. Yield: 1 1/2 cups (serving size: about 2 1/2 tablespoons).



Basic Crepes
This recipe works for both sweet and savory crepe applications.

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup low-fat 1% milk
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons butter, melted
2 large eggs

Preparation
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Combine milk, water, melted butter, and eggs in a blender. Add the flour mixture to milk mixture, and process until smooth. Cover batter; chill for 1 hour.

Heat an 8-inch nonstick crepe pan or skillet over medium heat. Pour a scant 1/4 cup batter into pan; quickly tilt pan in all directions so batter covers pan with a thin film. Cook about 1 minute. Carefully lift the edge of the crepe with a spatula to test for doneness. The crepe is ready to turn when it can be shaken loose from the pan and the underside is lightly browned. Turn crepe over, and cook for 30 seconds or until center is set.

Place crepe on a towel; cool completely. Repeat procedure with the remaining batter, stirring batter between crepes. Stack crepes between single layers of wax paper to prevent sticking (make sure crepes are completely cool before stacking, or they will become soggy).

Makes 10 crepes

Tip: Crepes can be stacked between single layers of wax paper and stored in a ziplock bag in the freezer for up to one month!