Crabcakes

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 tablespoon water, if needed
• 1 cup (8 fl oz) heavy cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped jarred pimento (sweet pepper)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 lb of lump crabmeat
• 1 1/4 cups fine dried bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 lemon

In a small saute pan over low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the celery and onion, cover, and cook very gently until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the water if the vegetables begin to brown. Add the cream, raise the heat to medium and simmer, stirring frequently to prevent the mixture from boiling over, until reduced and quite thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, pour into a heatproof bowl, and let cool.

Add the mustard, pimento, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper to the cooled cream mixture and mix well. Whisk in the egg, then add the crabmeat, breaking it up a little but leaving some lumps intact. Toss gently until evenly mixed.

Pour the breadcrumbs onto a plate, spreading them in an even layer. Scoop up a golf ball-sized portion of the crab mixture and gently squeeze out any excess liquid. Shape into a small patty. The mixture will be quite wet and loose. Place the crab cake on the crumbs, the scoop more crumbs over the top. Using a spatula, carefully turn the cake over onto your palm, letting the excess crumbs fall back onto the plate. Turn the cake back over onto the spatula and slide it gently onto a platter. Repeat to make the remaining crab cakes, 12-14 in all. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, preferably two hours.

In a large frying pan over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter with 1 tablespoon of the oil. When the foam subsides, gently slide half of the crab cakes into the pan. Cook the first sides until golden brown, 5-6 minutes. Turn and brown on the second sides until golden brown, 4-5 minutes longer. Keep the first batch of cakes warm in a low oven. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and repeat to make the second batch of crab cakes. Squeeze the lemon over the crab cakes.

---

Steak n Eggs

• 3 oz. Small diced raw beef tenderloin

• For vinagrette
  • 2 tsp small diced red onion
  • 1 tsp chopped green peppercorns
  • 1 tsp chopped capers
  • 1 tsp chopped cornichones
  • 1 anchovie chopped
  • 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp sherry vinegar
  • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 sunny side up egg

Mix all vinagrette ingredients together. Toss with raw beef tenderloin place in the center of a plate. Serve sunny side up egg on top. Serve with a crunch I personally like a gaffrette potato chip.

---

Mamma Sweet Pea's Hamburger Soup

• 1 large onion small diced
• 2 large carrots small diced
• 5 stalks of celery small diced
• 4 cloves of garlic minced
• 1# ground beef 70/30
• 3 quarts stock (I prefer pork)
• 2 bay leaves
• Vegetables and lots of them and what's in season
• 2 cups cooked elbow pasta

In a soup pot sweat the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in vegetable oil with a pinch of S&P. Once the onions are translucent add the ground beef breaking it up as you place it in the pot, season again with S&P this time more heavily like you would any other piece of meat. Cook until the beef is browned stirring frequently and breaking apart the meat with the spoon. Add the stock and the bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and cook for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors come together. Then there's the creative part add what ever vegetables you like and simmer until the vegetables are done. Then place the elbows in a bowl and ladle the soup over the top of it, this way the pasta won't get over cooked. I personally like a lot of vegetables and elbows. As a kid we would eat this for dinner so I like it nice and hearty. Mamma new just what we needed to get through those bitter cold, snowy, upstate N.Y. winters.
Eric Lamphere