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Native Marylander Sam Merritt of SugarSpunRun.com says, “There is very little filler in my crab cake recipe. It is made with mostly lump crab meat to allow the crab flavor to really shine! This is an authentic, Maryland-style recipe. We are known for our blue crab dishes here in Maryland. My recipe is baked, not fried, which keeps the crab cakes lighter and moist. Besides the crab, my crab cake recipe uses just 10 additional ingredients. Do not use imitation crab meat.”
As a perfect accompaniment to our crab cakes, let’s have some of Spring Creek’s Jalapeno Cheese Grits made from a recipe in Joyce LaFray Young’s book titled Country Cookin’. This interesting book is written about the most popular recipes from famous places in Florida.
According to southernliving.com, “The peach season is pretty short, running from late spring through the summer. This is when you’ll get the best-tasting peaches.” I would advise, for folks who dislike cilantro and can’t take much hot seasoning, don’t pass this recipe by; just cut down on those ingredients, or leave them out altogether. There is nothing that will replace fresh peach and tomato salsa! Here’s everything else you’ll need for the peach salsa: “Two of the summer’s best fruits… tomatoes and peaches… come together beautifully in a peach salsa that is bright and sweet but also full of zest and spice. This beautiful peach salsa can be enjoyed on its own with some chips or crunchy veggies, or is perfect on tacos, on top of a grilled fish, or on a summer salad. This is a fresh and fruity salsa recipe that can work with all your seasonal produce. If you have sweet, ripe plums, nectarines, and apricots on hand, these can be subbed out for peaches once they are no longer in peak form.” Editor’s Note: This recipe was developed by the Southern Living Test Kitchen; the recipe notes were written by Aly Walansky.
Mrs. Meggett says, “I learned how to make this dish at the Dodge House. Pineapple upside-down cakes can be found throughout the American South, but my cake is one of the lightest and most perfectly sweet versions in South Carolina.” Note that she wants to save you work by urging you to use an “electric mixer.” I used to use the old rotary style egg beater; you had to turn a little handle to get the beaters to go round and round!
MARYLAND BLUE CRAB CAKES
Recipe from Sam Merritt of SugarSpunRun.com
INGREDIENTS:
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 large egg
1 teaspoon yellow mustard (Dijon would also work)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Old Bay (or J.O. seasoning)
1-1/2 teaspoons finely minced fresh parsley (or 1 teaspoon dried parsley)
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound jumbo lump crab meat (picked over and shells removed)
1/2 cup plain Panko crumbs (or crushed saltine crackers)
1 tablespoon salted butter, cut into 8 pieces (plus additional for greasing the pan)
Tartar sauce for serving (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
1) Lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet with butter. Set aside. 2) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together: mayonnaise, egg, mustard, lemon juice, seasoning, parsley, salt, and pepper until well combined. 3) Use a spatula to gently work the crab meat and Panko into the wet ingredients (try not to break up the lumps of crab meat). 4) Scoop the mixed crab meat by heaping 1/3 cup. Do not flatten the crab cake. Space the crab cakes at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. 5) Place 1 tablespoon salted butter on the top center of each crab cake. 6) Prior to baking: Cover baking sheet tightly with plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. 7) To bake: Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Once oven is fully preheated, remove crab cakes from refrigerator and remove plastic wrap. 8) Transfer to the center rack of the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until baked through. 9) For a browned exterior, switch oven to broil for the last 2 minutes and broil on high heat for 2 minutes.
SPRING CREEK’S JALAPENO CHEESE GRITS
Recipe from Country Cookin’ by Joyce LaFray Young
INGREDIENTS:
4 cups (1 quart) water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup grits
1/4 cup margarine
4 ounces Jalapeno cheese (diced)
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup evaporated milk
2 dashes Tabasco sauce
1/4 cup bread crumbs for topping
Paprika
DIRECTIONS:
1) In a large saucepan, heat water and salt to boiling. 2) Add grits. 3) Reduce heat and slowly cook until almost done. Stir several times. 4) Add margarine and diced cheese. Stir until melted. 5) Add egg, milk, and Tabasco sauce. Stir until well mixed. 6) Grease a 1-1/2-quart casserole. 7) Pour in cooked grits. 8) Cover top with bread crumbs. Sprinkle with paprika. 9) Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Note: “Spicy and hot… you’ll love it!” Serves 6.
PEACH SALSA
Recipe from southernliving.com
INGREDIENTS:
3 medium-size fresh peaches (about 1-1/4 pounds total), pitted and diced
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion (from 1 onion)
1/2 cup quartered multicolored cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup packed chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 small serrano chile, cut into thin rings
1 teaspoon grated lime zest (plus)
2 tablespoons fresh juice (from 1 lime)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
DIRECTIONS:
1) Mix ingredients: Combine peaches, red onion, tomatoes, cilantro, serrano, lime zest, lime juice, salt, and chili powder in a medium bowl. 2) Stir together and let stand 5 minutes at room temperature before serving, stirring occasionally.
EMILY MEGGETT’S PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
Recipe from Gullah Geechee Home Cooking by Emily Meggett
INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE CRUST:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 (20-ounce) can pineapple slices, drained (reserve the juice)
Half of a 10-ounce jar maraschino cherries, drained
FOR THE CAKE BATTER:
2 large eggs
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
2-1/2 cups cake flour, preferably Swans Down
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk, whole or 2-percent
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup of the reserved pineapple juice
DIRECTIONS:
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 2) Make the crust: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar and butter. Using a spoon, press the mixture into the bottom of a 10-inch round cake pan, ensuring that the bottom is fully covered with the brown sugar mixture. 3) Open the pineapple can. Drain the pineapple juice from pineapples, saving the pineapple juice. Place the pineapple rings on the brown sugar mixture in an arrangement of your liking. Place a cherry in the center of each pineapple ring. 4) Make the cake batter: In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat all the ingredients together: eggs, butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, milk, vanilla, plus 1/3 cup of the reserved pineapple juice. Once combined, pour the batter over the pineapple. 5) Bake the cake for 45 minutes, or until done – an inserted toothpick should be clean when removed from the baked cake. 6) Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely. Once cooled, carefully turn the cake upside down onto a cake plate. (You want to see the baking pan empty with no pineapple or cherries still sticking to the bottom of the baking pan.) You will be rewarded to see your beautiful cake with pineapple and cherries on the top. Slice and serve with whipped cream, if you’d like. For serving: See Sweetened Whipped Cream recipe, below.
EMILY MEGGETT’S SWEETENED WHIPPED CREAM
Recipe from Gullah Geechee Home Cooking by Emily Meggett
INGREDIENTS:
1 pint whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
DIRECTIONS:
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat the cream until peaks begin to form. While mixing, add the sugar. Continue to mix until stiff peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes total. Add a spoonful of this topping before serving.