But First
From the story, "Dog Park"
Left un-chaperoned, Robert and Jet are alone with the store. He takes in its smells and gazes at studded straps and plastic balls and 40 different kibbles. Sweet potato, he surmises, and apples. A deep breath.
“Jet, how did this happen?” Robert asks as he stands at the self-service check out, his arms controlling a gift for Gracie, a bag of organic turkey jerky, a black leather collar, a black leather leash, a comb and a bottle of joint supplements. “We came for one thing.”
He slips Jet’s loop onto his wrist and begins scanning.
“The ping is too weak. Hard to hear,” he says. “Did it take? Oh, yeah. There it is on the screen. One leash, $29.99. Jerky, $14.99. One more and we’re heading home.”
A line has formed behind him. He checks it out and there’s Peggy, whispering on a headset.”
“They say you didn’t scan the collar, Mr. Benjamin.”
“I think I did. Who says I didn’t?”
“It comes from security.”
“Security? I don’t appreciate being accused of shoplifting.”
“We’re not accusing you. Just suggesting you may have missed it.”
“Where are they watching me from? Are they monitoring the computer? Or is one of these customers undercover? Or is it a camera? I’d just like to know who says I’m a thief.”
A beefy uniformed security guard appears. He too is whispering into a headset.
“It’s OK, Ralph,” Peggy says. “We’re just rechecking Mr. Benjamin’s bag.”
“Peggy, I confess. I’m a notorious dog collar thief. East coast is my territory. Wait until you put my name into the computer. Everything is going to light up. No-fly list. INTERPOL. FBI Most Wanted. Ralph over there is going to have one hell of a notch on his belt.”–– "Dog Park."
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Robert and Jen live in crab country. Rather than hammer away at hard-shell blue crabs, they prefer to buy the jumbo-lump meat already steamed and ready to be turned into cakes so pure there doesn't seem to be any filler. But there is. There has to be. The way Robert does it produces a rich crab taste, with a silent binder, that holds together from fork-fill to taste buds.
One rule that may sound like crab-country blasphemy: no Old Bay seasoning. He believes it crowds out the dish's star. Also, find crab from Chesapeake Bay, Maryland or Virigina, or off the Atlantic Coast. No offense, but Asian crab meat is misplaced in a Maryland crab cake.
Ingredients:
One pound jumbo-lump crab meat
2 Tbsp. mayo
2 slices white bread, pulsed into crumbs in food processor
Splash Worcestershire sauce
One egg
Splash hot sauce
Peanut oil
Salt/pepper
Drain the crab in a colander. Transfer to bowl. With hot-water-soaped-and-rinsed hands, toss to detect any shells. Add the ingredients. Gently mix. All hands on deck. At this point, you can cover mixture and refrigerate to let the flavors jell. Over night is fine. Be sure to hold the salt until next day.
For uniform cakes, Robert uses a big ice cream scoop. Heat oil in sauté pan. Brown cakes on each side, then move to a baking sheet. Place in 350-degree oven for 10 minutes. This final step turns them into classic Maryland crab cakes. A tartar sauce of mayo, chopped scallions, sweet pickle relish and lemon juice is a great complement. Try one cake with; one without.
The food gods decree that a white wine, especially chardonnay, is to be drunk with crab. I find they go well with a medium-body pinot noir or a Chianti, or, of course, beer.
Robert plans to blog next on cole slaw, potato salad and homemade BBQ sauce.
######
From the story, "Dog Park"
Left un-chaperoned, Robert and Jet are alone with the store. He takes in its smells and gazes at studded straps and plastic balls and 40 different kibbles. Sweet potato, he surmises, and apples. A deep breath.
“Jet, how did this happen?” Robert asks as he stands at the self-service check out, his arms controlling a gift for Gracie, a bag of organic turkey jerky, a black leather collar, a black leather leash, a comb and a bottle of joint supplements. “We came for one thing.”
He slips Jet’s loop onto his wrist and begins scanning.
“The ping is too weak. Hard to hear,” he says. “Did it take? Oh, yeah. There it is on the screen. One leash, $29.99. Jerky, $14.99. One more and we’re heading home.”
A line has formed behind him. He checks it out and there’s Peggy, whispering on a headset.”
“They say you didn’t scan the collar, Mr. Benjamin.”
“I think I did. Who says I didn’t?”
“It comes from security.”
“Security? I don’t appreciate being accused of shoplifting.”
“We’re not accusing you. Just suggesting you may have missed it.”
“Where are they watching me from? Are they monitoring the computer? Or is one of these customers undercover? Or is it a camera? I’d just like to know who says I’m a thief.”
A beefy uniformed security guard appears. He too is whispering into a headset.
“It’s OK, Ralph,” Peggy says. “We’re just rechecking Mr. Benjamin’s bag.”
“Peggy, I confess. I’m a notorious dog collar thief. East coast is my territory. Wait until you put my name into the computer. Everything is going to light up. No-fly list. INTERPOL. FBI Most Wanted. Ralph over there is going to have one hell of a notch on his belt.”–– "Dog Park."
####
Robert and Jen live in crab country. Rather than hammer away at hard-shell blue crabs, they prefer to buy the jumbo-lump meat already steamed and ready to be turned into cakes so pure there doesn't seem to be any filler. But there is. There has to be. The way Robert does it produces a rich crab taste, with a silent binder, that holds together from fork-fill to taste buds.
One rule that may sound like crab-country blasphemy: no Old Bay seasoning. He believes it crowds out the dish's star. Also, find crab from Chesapeake Bay, Maryland or Virigina, or off the Atlantic Coast. No offense, but Asian crab meat is misplaced in a Maryland crab cake.
Ingredients:
One pound jumbo-lump crab meat
2 Tbsp. mayo
2 slices white bread, pulsed into crumbs in food processor
Splash Worcestershire sauce
One egg
Splash hot sauce
Peanut oil
Salt/pepper
Drain the crab in a colander. Transfer to bowl. With hot-water-soaped-and-rinsed hands, toss to detect any shells. Add the ingredients. Gently mix. All hands on deck. At this point, you can cover mixture and refrigerate to let the flavors jell. Over night is fine. Be sure to hold the salt until next day.
For uniform cakes, Robert uses a big ice cream scoop. Heat oil in sauté pan. Brown cakes on each side, then move to a baking sheet. Place in 350-degree oven for 10 minutes. This final step turns them into classic Maryland crab cakes. A tartar sauce of mayo, chopped scallions, sweet pickle relish and lemon juice is a great complement. Try one cake with; one without.
The food gods decree that a white wine, especially chardonnay, is to be drunk with crab. I find they go well with a medium-body pinot noir or a Chianti, or, of course, beer.
Robert plans to blog next on cole slaw, potato salad and homemade BBQ sauce.
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