Seafood

Crab Macaroni and Cheese

August 19, 2009 by Lynsey 3 Comments

Macaroni and cheese has been around as long as I can remember. It has always been a crowd pleaser, kid pleaser and also considered one of the ultimate comfort foods. Probably the most well recognized brand of macaroni and cheese is “the blue box”, Kraft Mac and Cheese. There have been many other brands that have followed in Kraft’s footsteps and there have also been different types of mac and cheese created, but I believe that Kraft still takes the prize as being the most popular among all age groups.

You definitely can’t go wrong with the classic mac and cheese, but I’ve seen quite a few recipes that have taken the recipe and spiced it up a bit. After seeing some of the adaptations, I became very interested in them and wanted to try one myself. I started looking around for some different recipes and different versions and I came across on from Sauce Magazine that sounded incredible. This was a recipe for Fonduta Mac ‘n’ Cheese. After reading the recipe I knew this was the one I had to try, it definitely put an adult spin on a children’s favorite.

I would definitely recommend this recipe to anyone who wants to try something different. It was so good and it had so many different flavors but they all blended together wonderfully. As much as I loved this one I will try others and I will try to make a more “normal” homemade macaroni and cheese recipe; but this one will definitely stay in my recipe collection.

Fonduta Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Crab mac and cheese
Ingredients:

2 cups fonduta cream (recipe follows)
½ lb. macaroni, penne or bow tie pasta
¼ cup Riesling
½ cup heavy cream
16 oz. crab meat
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Bread crumbs

Directions:

In a 2-quart sauce pot, combine 2 cups fonduta cream, the Riesling and the heavy cream and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat (be careful to not scorch).
Add the crab meat and simmer for 1 minute or until the crab is heated through; remove from the heat. Swirl in the butter and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Stir in the cooked pasta.
Transfer the warm ingredients to a casserole dish.

Prepare the fonduta cream.
Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
Crab mac and cheese

Top with the bread crumbs and broil until browned.
Crab mac and cheese

Fonduta Cream

½ cup minced white onion
4 Tbsp. (½ stick) butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup Riesling
½ cup 40 percent whipping cream
1½ cups whole milk
¾ lb. cheese; 1/4 gouda, 1/4 cheddar and 1/4 asiago
Pinch mace or fresh nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the onion in the butter until softened.
Stir in the flour and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
Add Riesling and whisk to combine. Add the whipping cream and whole milk and bring to a simmer.
Add the cheese, whisking until melted.
Season to taste with mace or nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Crab mac and cheese

Recipe Source: adapted from Sauce Magazine

Sugar Seared Scallops with Caramel Sauce

November 26, 2008 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

Scallops are one of my favorite things, I just love them. It seems like they are a very versatile thing to cook. They can be cooked with bacon, salt and pepper, butter for a more savory traditional way or they can be made with a little bit of sugar for a completely different and sweet taste. I’ll eat them pretty much any way they are cooked.

For this particular night I really wanted something a little different but with a sweet kick. I took the rout of using sugar rather than the savory rout. The results were amazing. I think I’ve found my new favorite way to have scallops…and I thought nothing could beat bacon wrapped scallops, I guess I was wrong. This was awesome and we paired it with steamed asparagus and creamy, garlic mashed potatoes.

Sugar Seared Scallops

Ingredients:

8 Sea scallops
2-3 Tablespoons sugar
Fresh ground black pepper
1-2 Tablespoons butter

Directions:

Preheat skillet over low-medium heat and add butter and let melt. Sprinkle sugar and fresh black pepper on plate and mix together. Place scallops in sugar mixure and generously coat.

Place scallops in melted butter and cook. Cook on each side for about 2 minutes a piece.

Place on plate then drizzle with the caramelized sauce left in the pan.

Recipe by: Lynsey Lou

A Big Bowl of Crabby Goodness

October 30, 2008 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

Spencer has a new found craving for Crab Bisque. He has gone to a local restaurant a few times for lunch and this is his favorite thing on the menu. He has been wanting me to taste it for quite some time so I could get the taste for it and try to recreate it but I just haven’t gotten the chance. I finally decided to start searching for recipes, since I wasn’t sure when I would be able to go and try this bisque, in hopes to come across one that is similar to his new found favorite. I think we came close with this recipe!

It’s hard to try to recreate something not ever tasting it. I was going by Spencer’s memory and the recipe I found. He was very pleased with the outcome, as was I. I really didn’t know what to expect and what the texture was supposed to be since I had never had any type of bisque before. This recipe was awesome; it was so creamy and buttery and just full of flavor. I could taste every flavor that was included in this recipe; the flavor of the sauteed vegetables, even though they weren’t in the final product, were so evident…It was amazing.

This recipe was incredible and there really wasn’t that much to it. Out of all the ones out there, and there are a ton, I’m glad I chose this one to follow. Now that I’ve finally made a bisque I know that I will be making more; and I won’t be afraid to branch out now that I know what to expect. We enjoyed it so much, I hope you do too!

Crab Bisque

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrot, chopped
2 stalk celery, chopped
1 quart (32 ounces) chicken stock
1 (8-ounce) can tomato paste (I used Hunt’s Roasted Garlic)
1 Pound, 4 Ounces lump crab meat (Reserve a little to top when serving)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cooking sherry
1 cup heavy cream, divided
Sea salt and ground white pepper to taste
2 teaspoons paprika
Whole or chopped chives for garnish (optional)

Directions:

In a large stock or soup pot, melt one tablespoon of butter with the olive oil. Cook onion, carrots and celery over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft but not browned. Add stock and tomato purée and simmer 20 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine sieve and return liquid to pot, discard vegetables. Measure out 1 cup of strained liquid and set aside.
Melt remaining butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in flour and stir until smooth. Very slowly stir in sherry and the cup of reserved liquid. Add this mixture to the large stock pot and bring to boil, whisking until smooth. Reduce heat, add crab meat and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Season with sea salt and white pepper.

In a small bowl, blend 1/4 cup cream with paprika. Set aside. When ready to serve bisque, whisk remaining 3/4 cup cream into bisque and adjust seasonings. Ladle bisque into bowls and top with reserved claw meat pieces. Garnish with paprika-spiced cream and chives if desired.

Adapted From: Whole Foods

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