Maryland Crab Cake Sandwich

 Maryland Crab Cake Sandwich

This crab cake sandwich is the real deal—no fillers, no veggies, no fussy stuff, no flavor disguises. Just pure, sweet crab meat, and lots of it.  I'm from Maryland and we Marylander's know our crab cakes! If you've ever traveled to the areas in and around the Chesapeake Bay, like Annapolis or Baltimore, you know that crab cakes are everywhere. You can find them from white-linen restaurants to roadside stands and you'll find that we Marylander's are fiercely loyal to our favorite places to get the best crab cakes.  My favorite place?  My own kitchen. 

Now that's not to say that I haven't had the pleasure of eating incredible crab cakes at restaurants all over Maryland. It just says I am very picky about what I like and I find that making my own works best  for me. While they all taste a bit different, there's always one simple similarity:  lots of sweet, fresh, jumbo lump crab meat with very little filler. And this recipe my friends is just that. 

Maryland Crab Cake Sandwich

1 lb Jumbo lump crab meat 

1 large egg 
1/4 cup mayonnaise 
1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 
1 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning 
1 teaspoon lemon juice 
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 
1/4 teaspoon of  salt 
1/2 cup fine breadcrumbs made from white bread 
1 tablespoon chopped parsley 

Oil and butter for frying

Drain crab meat and put in a bowl and set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk the egg, mayo, mustard, Old Bay, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Gently stir in crab meat and breadcrumbs and mix with hands lightly without breaking up the lumps. Mixture will be somewhat wet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or more.

Just look at those big lumps of sweet succulent crab! 

Once chilled, shape the mixture into rounded mounds whatever size you'd like. In a large heavy skillet, heat the oil to 425-degrees. Fry the crab cakes a few at a time in the oil for two to three minutes till they're warm inside and the outside is sealed with a beautiful crunch.  Then remove from skillet and lay on a paper towel lined plate.

Serve on rolls with lettuce, tomato and Mayonnaise along with some coleslaw and french fries! 

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Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

 My Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

 This is one of my most requested recipes when I have a get together for the holidays.  They only last a few minutes because they are the first appetizer everyone runs too.  These aren't just any stuffed mushroom cap. These are stuffed with the same mixture I make my Maryland Crab Cakes with. OMG they are so delicious! 

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

1/2 pound lump crab meat

1 large egg 

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon of  salt

1/2 cup fine breadcrumbs made from white bread

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Topping

1/2 cup breadcrumbs 

1 tablespoon melted butter

2 teaspoons chopped parsley

You can choose whatever mushroom you like. Both Baby Portabella and White Button mushrooms work very well.  Do not wash or rinse the mushrooms. Simply wipe them with a clean damp cloth and remove the stems.  Set aside. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with non-stick spray.  Drain crab meat and put it in a bowl and set aside.

In a another small bowl, whisk the egg, mayo, mustard, Old Bay seasoning, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Gently stir in crab meat and breadcrumbs and mix with hands lightly without breaking up too many lumps. Mixture will be somewhat wet. 

Stuff each mushroom with the mixture making a small mound on the top. 

Next make your topping of buttered bread crumbs. Pour panko in a bowl and add melted butter and parsley.  Mound the breadcrumbs on top of each mushroom cap. 

Bake mushrooms at 350 degrees for 25 minutes until they are slightly brown on the top.















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Traditional Easter Bread

I can remember my Mom making her traditional Easter bread each year when I was growing up.  She would serve it on a long platter surrounded by the brightly colored Easter eggs we dyed the night before.  It was so pretty and such a favorite at our house.  Sweet bread filled with plump raisins warm right out of the oven.  The next morning she was toast it and butter it and sprinkle cinnamon on top! YUM!

Traditional Easter Bread

3/4 cup warm milk (110 degrees)
4 teaspoons of active dry yeast
4 teaspoon sugar
1 large lightly beaten egg
zest of one lemon
juice of one lemon
9 cups all purpose flour                                 
1 teaspoon salt

1/2 stick butter, melted

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract                            
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup golden raisins

Mix together the yeast, 4 teaspoons of sugar, 1 egg, and the warm milk. Set aside in a warm place for about 25 minutes until it starts to bubble .

In a small sauce pan, heat up 1 cup of milk and a 1 cup of sugar, until the milk is warm and the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and set aside. In another small bowl, combine the melted butter and oil. Using a fork, lightly beat the five eggs and add vanilla and set aside. 

Next, in a large bowl, add the warm milk mixture, the butter and oil mixture, eggs, raisins, salt, and grated lemon zest and juice of a lemon and mix until well combined. Then start adding the flour a little at a time until the dough is smooth and sticky. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and rub the oil all over the dough so that it doesn't dry out. Place it in a warm place to rise.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turning to coat, and cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap. Place in a draft-free area and allow to rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Once the dough is ready, turn it out onto a clean surface and divide in half. Then divide those two in half and once again so that you have 4 pieces Next roll the 4 pieces of dough into 12-18 inch long ropes and place on pan lined with parchment paper. Now you can braid these braids however you want. 

Brush the top of the braid with melted butter, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until nearly doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Finally brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with colorful Easter candies and bake until golden brown on top, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

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Apple Raisin Bread

 

It's apple season and I can't think of a better way to use apples then homemade bread.  This is one of the first recipes I make when fall arrives. I like to make up a few loaves and freeze them as I start to prepare for hibernation during the winter months. I have big plans for this bread this winter. I plan to bring it out of the freezer and make apple toast! I plan to slice it and make some delicious French toast with butter and syrup. Nothing goes better with cheese than apples and this bread makes excellent grilled cheese sandwiches!  See why I love this bread?  It's so easy to make, so good and so versatile!

Apple Raisin Bread 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast 1-1/2 cups warm water (110° to 115°), divided 1 teaspoon sugar 3 eggs, beaten 1 cup applesauce

1/2 cup honey 1/2 cup canola oil 2 teaspoons salt 8 cups all -purpose flour (or more) 1 1/2 cup apples, peeled and diced 1 1/2 cups golden raisins 2 tablespoon lemon juice 2 tablespoons corn meal

In a small bowl, combine yeast, 1/2 cup water and sugar; set aside. In a large bowl, combine eggs, applesauce, honey, oil, salt and remaining water; mix well. Stir in yeast mixture. Gradually add enough flour to form a soft dough. Knead on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down and turn over in bowl. Cover and let rise 30 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the apples, raisins and lemon juice. Divide dough into three parts; knead a third of the apple mixture into each part.  Shape each into a round flat ball. Place each in a greased 8-in. round baking pan that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Sugar topping 1 egg, beaten ¼ cup sugar Brush each loaf with egg and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when tapped.  Makes 3 small round loaves. Photography is the property of and copyrighted to ©Welcome Home.

Apple Fritter Pull-A-Part Bread

Pretty soon it will be that time of year when I love to go to the apple orchards and gather up my favorite ingredient for baking. If you follow my recipes,  you'll find hundreds of apple recipes....like this incredible pull-apart apple fritter bread.  OMG….how can anything so easy to make be this incredible!  Now this is a treat that will make you forget your end of summer blues for sure!  I give you the choice of two different glazes because I like both so much I could choose which one I like better! 

Apple Fritter Pull-A-Part Bread

1 Pillsbury Grands Refrigerated Buttermilk Biscuits (8 in a can)

2 medium granny smith apples, finely diced

1 teaspoon lemon juice

⅓ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon nutmeg

Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a small skillet over medium heat, combine diced apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, granulated white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are soft and sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Open your biscuits and lay them out on a cutting board.  You now want to either cut each biscuit in half or carefully pull each one apart in the middle to make a total of 16 rounds. I use a paring knife and cut each biscuit in half horizontally. You can use either method.  Flatten each biscuit half with your hands to shape and thin them out a little.

Add about a tablespoon of apple filling on each round of dough. Once you have topped each round, stack the dough rounds on top of each other in groups of four. Continue to do this until you have 4 stacks of four using all 16 dough halves.

Now carefully gather each stack of four and lay them in the loaf pan, arranging it so that it fills the pan. Don’t worry about making them even or that they are not the same size. They will all rise together later.

Cover the loaf pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until bread is golden brown.

Remove the pan from the oven and let it rest on a cooling rack for about 5-10 minutes. Then flip it upside down on your rack to let it continue to cool. While the bread cools make the glaze.

White Glaze

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

¼ cup half and half or more if needed

1 teaspoon vanilla

Simply whisk together the powdered sugar and half and half a little at a time to get the consistency you want. I like my glaze thick so I don’t use a lot of liquid. Once you get the right consistency, add the vanilla and whisk again. Drizzle generously over fritter loaf.

Or for a real treat make the cream cheese glaze.....

Cream Cheese Glaze

4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine cream cheese and butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave at 15 second intervals until it is softened enough to stir it together. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and stir until fully combined. Drizzle over bread and enjoy!

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