Susanna Foo (Part 2)

One-Hundred-Corner Crab Cakes with Baby Greens and Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce

One-Hundred-Corner Crab Cakes

• 1 1-pound loaf thinly sliced white bread, crusts removed
• 3/4 pound shrimp, peeled deveined and cleaned with salt
• 3  tablespoons vodka or gin
• 1 large egg white
• 1 teaspoon coarse or kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 2 ounces pork fat, minced by hand or in a food processor (1/4 cup) or 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh water chestnuts or jicama
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro steams or celery leaves
• 2 scallions, white part only, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon peeled, grated ginger root
• 3/4 pound fresh crabmeat
• About 2 tablespoons olive oil for dipping
• Corn Oil for deep-frying

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Cut the bread into 1/4 inch dice and place on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, without turning or until the bread is dry; do not let the cubes brown.

Dry the shrimp well with paper towels, then place in a food processor. Add vodka or gin and puree. Spoon the shrimp puree into a medium bowl; set aside.

Lightly beat the egg white with the salt and white pepper in a small bowl. Mix into the shrimp puree. Stir in the pork fat or cream. Add the water chestnuts or jicama, cilantro stems or celery leaves, scallions and ginger root ad mix until thoroughly combined.

Gently fold the crabmeat into the shrimp mixture (the crabmeat should remain lumpy).

Have the bread cubes ready in a large bowl on one side of the crabmeat mixture. Place the olive oil in a small bowl on the other side. Oil a tablespoon by dipping it into the olive oil, then scoop up 1 heaping tablespoon f the shrimp-crab mixture and place it on top of the bread cubes. Repeat, placing 5 or 6 spoonfuls of the crabmeat mixture on the bread cubes, spacing them so they do not touch.

Use your hand to roll each lump of crabmeat into the cubes, forming a ball as you work. Gently flatten each ball into a small cake, about 2 inches in diameter; place the crab cakes on a platter or a baking sheet.

Pour about 6 inches of oil into a skillet or fryer and heat to 325 degrees F. Fry the crab cakes in batches until they are golden, burning once, for 3 to 4 minute on each side; do not crowd. Remove the crab cakes with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Crispy Duck with Star Anise Sauce and Sweet Potato Puree

Crispy Duck with Star Anise Sauce

(serves 4)

• Double recipe Brown Sauce for Braising
  
• 1 5-pound duck, washed, all visible fat removed
  
• 1/4 cup water chestnut flour* 
  
• 3 tablespoons warm water
  
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
  
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  
• 1 small orange, zest removed and thinly julienned; orange sectioned
  
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  
• 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier or Triple Sec or Cointreau
  
• Corn oil for deep-frying
  
• 4 star anise
  

  Bring the brown sauced to a vigorous boil in a large pot. Carefully lower the duck into the sauce.

Return the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to low; do not let the liquid boil again.

Simmer the duck, covered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes, turning 3 or 4 times to coat it well withe braising sauce. Removed the duck fro the sauce and place it on a platter. Refrigerate the sauce. Cook the duck and store, covered, overnight in the refrigerator. Drain any liquid that accumulates on the platter and add it to the sauce.

The following day, skim the fat from the top and set aside 1 cup of the sauce. Refrigerate or freeze the rest for another use.

Cut the duck in half and remove the backbone, if you wish. With your hand, removed and discard the breast and rib bones.

Combine the water chestnut flour, warm water, white pepper and white vinegar on a large shallow plate until the flour is dissolved.

Holding each duck half over the plate, spoon the flour mixture over the duck, making sure to coat both sides. Let stand at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes, until the coating has dried.

Meanwhile, place the julienned orange zest in a large saucepan with water to cover; and cook until the zest is tender and the bitterness is removed, about 5 minutes; drain. Transfer to a small saucepan, and add the balsamic vinegar and the reserved 1 cup of brown sauce. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and stir in the orange liqueur; set aside.

Heat bout 6 inches of oil to 325 degrees F in a fryer or large skillet. Carefully lower the duck halves into the hot oil. Spoon the hot oil over the duck as it cooks, turning 2 or 3 times, until the duck has browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. The skin should be very crisp.

Using tongs, remove the duck halves from the oil and drain on paper towels.

Gently heat the sauce while you carve the duck into 2-inch-thick slices.

Place the duck on a serving platter or divide amoung 4 plates. Garnish with the orange sections  and star anise. Serve the sauce on the side.

*Water chestnut flour; also called water chestnut starch, is made from fresh water chestnuts that re ground and then dried. A fine, powdery flour, it is used as a thickening agent and a coating for deep-friend foods. It usually comes in 1-pound boxes. I grind it into an extra-fine powder before mixing it with water to use as a coating. Water chestnut flour gives a crisper coating to foods than does cornstarch.

BROWN SAUCE FOR BRAISING

(makes about 2 cups)

This sauce can be used to braise beef, pork, lamb, veal, chicken, duck, Cornish hens, sweetbreads, pressed  bean curd and eggs. If you want to reuse this sauce for meat, do not braise vegetables in it, since the acid present in them will change the flavour of the sauce.

2 tablespoons corn oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 2-inch piece ginger root, sliced
1 teaspoon roasted Sichuan peppercorns
3 star anise
1/2 cup chicken or beef stock
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sake or brandy
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon coarse or kosher salt    

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the garlic, scallions, ginger root, pepper corns and star anise and cook over high heat, stirring, until the garlic is golden and you can smell the spices 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in the stock, soy sauce, sake or brandy, sugar and salt. Boil the sauce over high heat for about 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Reduce the heat to low and keep the sauce warm or refrigerate if not using immediately. At this point the brown sauce is ready to be used for braising.

(recipes from Susanna Food Chinese Cuisine)