Peekytoe Crab Salad With Spring Vegetables Recipes

PEEKY-TOE CRAB AND GREEN TOMATO SALAD WITH CHILLED GAZPACHO SAUCE

Steps:

• To make the crab salad, pick through the crabmeat and remove any cartilage or shells. Combine all remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine. Season with fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper.
• For the green tomato relish combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. Season with fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper.
• For the gazpacho sauce, combine all ingredients. If the tomatoes are very sweet adjust the flavor by adding more Banyuls vinegar. Season with fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
• To serve the crab salad, set out 4 chilled plates and place a 2-inch ring mold or round cookie cutter in the center of each plate. Fill the ring mold with the crab salad and top with a thin layer of the green tomato relish. Spoon the gazpacho sauce around the crab salad in a thin layer. To garnish the dish, place "dots" of the green tomato relish in the gazpacho sauce around the crab salad and top the crab salad with a basil top.

SPRING SALAD WITH MUSHROOM ''DIRT''

Steps:

• For the salad: Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Prepare an ice-water bath and set aside. Add fava beans to boiling water and cook until crisp-tender; drain and transfer to ice-water bath to cool. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Repeat process with fiddleheads and carrots. Repeat process with snap peas; when snap peas have cooled, trim ends and slice open. Transfer fiddleheads, carrots, and snap peas to bowl with fava beans. Add radishes and golden beets; set aside.
• Prepare an ice-water bath. Place morels in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover; stir and remove morels from water; repeat process, changing water, until water runs clean. Transfer morels to a medium nonreactive bowl. Place sherry-wine vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 1 teaspoon salt, pickling spice, and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Strain vinegar mixture over morels and set bowl in ice-water bath to cool. Remove from ice-water bath and cover until ready to use.
• Prepare an ice-water bath. In a medium saucepan, toast coriander, bay leaves, and pepper over low heat. Add wine and cook until reduced by half. Add vegetable stock, olive oil, lemon juice, thyme, and asparagus; place a parchment paper round over asparagus to keep submerged. Bring to a simmer and cook until asparagus is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and place saucepan directly in ice-water bath; let asparagus cool in liquid. When asparagus has cooled, cut each into 4 equal pieces; return asparagus pieces to cooking liquid and set aside.
• Make the zucchini marmalade: Place squash, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over low heat; cook, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Make the elderflower vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, and elderflower cordial; season with salt and set aside.
• To serve: Place a spoonful of mushroom "dirt" down the center of each of 4 rectangular serving plates. Add morels and asparagus to bowl with vegetables; drizzle with elderflower vinaigrette and toss to combine. Divide vegetable mixture evenly among plates; garnish each with a fennel chip. Garnish each plate with a dollop of marmalade; add herbs, flowers, and lettuces and serve.

PEEKYTOE CRAB TOAST

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine crab meat, fennel fronds, serrano chile, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and salt; set aside.
• Drizzle bread with remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bread and cook, turning once, until golden and crisp on each side.
• Remove bread from skillet and spread one side of each slice with aioli; top with crab mixture. Cut each slice of bread into quarters and top crab with a dollop of aioli. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

JOHNNYCAKES WITH PEEKYTOE CRAB

Steps:

• Mix crabmeat, mayonnaise, chives, and lemon juice in medium bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
• Bring milk and 1 1/3 cups water to boil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in polenta, then butter and salt. Remove batter from heat; let stand 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Lightly butter large rimmed baking sheet. Heat large nonstick griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Brush lightly with vegetable oil. Working in batches, spoon 1 tablespoonful batter for each cake onto griddle, spreading slightly with back of spoon. Cook until cakes are golden brown on bottom and firm at edges, about 2 minutes. Turn cakes over and cook until firm and golden brown, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cool, then cover with foil and refrigerate. Rewarm, covered, in 350°F oven until hot, about 7 minutes.)
• Divide johnnycakes among 8 plates. Top johnnycakes with crab mixture.

JEAN-GEORGES VONGERICHTEN'S CRAB SALAD

Steps:

• To make the crisps, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and cumin seeds. Add the vinegar, butter and water and mix thoroughly, but do not overmix.
• Working in batches and using a pastry brush, dab very thin 2-inch discs of batter onto a nonstick baking sheet. Bake until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
• To make the crab salad, break up the lumps with your fingers, removing any shell or cartilage but leaving the crab as intact as possible. Refrigerate. In a blender, combine the tomatoes, shallots, garlic, lemon juice, oil, vinegar and basil and blend until smooth. Season to taste.
• Slowly stir the tomato sauce into the crab meat. Coat the crab, but do not soak it. Place 3 scoops of crab salad on each of 6 plates. Place a cumin crisp between each scoop. Garnish with the mache and the mangoes.