A Tasty Summer Memory

As summer officially draws to a close with this upcoming Labor Day weekend, I would like to share with you a quintessentially Maryland summer experience.

During the hazy heat of July, we were treated to a tasty Maryland tradition – a Chesapeake bayside luncheon “picking” crabs. Our hosts motored us on their beautiful boat, the “Bayrunner," across the Chesapeake Bay from the state capital of Annapolis on the western shore of Maryland to Rock Hall on the eastern shore – destination: Waterman’s Crab House!







The Maryland blue crab, Callinectes Sapidus , which means "beautiful swimmer," contains the sweetest and tenderest of meats. One can be lazy and order crabcakes, crab imperial, crab Norfolk-style or even soft shells, but a true Marylander must order at least a half bushel – preferably jumbos or extra larges - and surround a brown paper- or newspaper-covered table for the L-O-N-G time it takes to sit with friends and/or family and some pitchers of cold beer to pick the crabs clean of their sweet goodness. You get dirty as you eat, so plenty of paper towels are at hand!



Before the crabs are brought to the table, they must be steamed gently with rock salt and some beer and seasoned liberally with Old Bay Seasoning – a combination of celery salt, mustard, pepper, laurel leaves, cloves, pimento, ginger, mace, cardamom, cassia, and paprika – manufactured by the Baltimore Spice Company.



The only tools necessary for removing the meat from the shells are a wooden mallet and your fingers! You will also need a bucket in which to discard the shells and other inedible parts.



Here’s how we pick crabs in 7 easy steps:
1) Pick out a crab – grab one with both claws!
2) Bend or twist the legs and claws to snap them off at the body. Set the claws aside. There is not much meat (if any) in the legs so put them in the shell bucket.
3) Pull off the "apron" with a knife or with your fingers - simply slip your finger under the edge of the point and pull down. It should pull off easily.



4) Pry the shell away from the body using both hands and pulling the crab halves in opposite directions.
5) Flip the crab over. Remove the squishy, grey gills and discard in the bucket. The yellow stuff -colloquially known as the "mustard" - is edible.
6) Crack the crab in two. Pull out any loose crabmeat and eat it. Crack the halves and extract the meat and eat the wonderful lump meat!
7) Hold both sides of the crab claw and break apart. The claw meat should come off on the claw. If not, break the claw with your mallet. The other half of the claw has meat as well. Break it off at the joint. If this doesn't yield meat, hit it with your mallet.



Repeat this process with as many crabs as you can eat!

This short video illustrates the process well.

In Maryland, we do NOT use butter on our crabmeat – that’s for Maine’s lobsters! The sweet meat is eaten plain, or dipped in even more Old Bay, apple cider vinegar, and/or Worcestershire sauce.

THIS is what summer tastes like in Maryland!



The medieval-inspired flag of Maryland – did you know that the state sport is jousting?!

The Maryland state flower: the Black-eyed Susan…

Rescuing Our Toads

I want to share with you, dear readers, this interesting exchange today from my neighborhood listserv…

Problem: “We are not the only ones trying to escape the oppressive summer heat. Toads are being discovered in window wells throughout the area. They are drawn to the window wells at night when indoor lights are on and lots of tasty snacks are flittering around the lighted wells. But can they get out – even by making Super Toad Jumps? Their skin is very delicate [and] anything sharp and hard—like a shovel—or pointy—like a straw broom— risks injuring them. Maybe someone knows more about this and what to do? As we all know, finding toads or frogs gets high environmental marks. (P.S. Before you fill in or cover that small hole—around the stoop, next to the wall, or an old stump— make sure you're not asphyxiating a toad abode.)”

Solution: “…without aid, the toads are, indeed, facing an impossible escalade. The solution? A wooden board. Despite the perilous angle…toads have tiny toes with teensy toadie claws and suction-cups that will enable them to climb this fearsome Mt. Everest - a rougher surface is less daunting than a smooth surface. You could even provide a snack at the top — a toad sized bite of fresh raw hamburger or a bug of your own choosing! So check your wells. The toad you save, may be your own.”

I highly recommend reading this wonderful book: Toad by the Road: A Year in the Life of theses Amazing Amphibians, by Joanne Ryder, a collection of poetry which includes a brief paragraph of information about toads for each poem on nearly every page...


Cassandra ♥

Sweet Summer Strawberries

This is the time of year to make the most of the sweetest of fresh strawberries available in our farmer's markets and "pick-your-own" farms. I recently found a small patch of wild strawberries in a hedgerow on our upstate New York farm - what a treat!



Here is a simple way to use sweet summer strawberries:

Sweetheart Meringue Tarts with Fresh Strawberries

Ingredients:

1 c Sugar
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/8 tsp Salt
3 ea Egg whites
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Vinegar
1 tsp Water
Fresh sliced strawberries

Directions:

Sift the sugar with the baking powder and salt. Combine the egg
whites, vanilla, vinegar, and water. Add the sugar mixture, 1/2
teaspoon at a time, to the egg whites, alternating with a few
drops of the liquid, beating constantly. When all combined,
continue to beat for several minutes. Place large spoonfuls on
baking sheet and shape into shallow cups. Bake at 225 degrees F.
for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the meringues form the sheet
quickly and cool them on rack. Once cooled, fill with the sliced
strawberries.

Please enjoy these sweet depictions of strawberries...

‘Tis the Season for Ice Cream

This is the season of the year to truly enjoy ice cream – especially flavors made from the summer’s fresh fruits: strawberry, black raspberry and peach! To me, there is nothing more refreshing than a crunchy “cake” cone topped with my personal favorite, black raspberry. I enjoy making homemade ice cream in my Cuisenart ice cream maker and serving it with my special antique ice cream forks. I also enjoy both black raspberry and maple walnut purchased at the Stewart’s Dairy Stores in upstate New York.



What is your favorite flavor? Do you prefer it in a dish; as an ice cream sandwich; with cake; a la mode on a piece of pie; or in a waffle, cake or sugar cone? And where is your favorite place to purchase ice cream?



Here is my favorite ice cream recipe:

3 egg yolks (beaten)
1/2 pint (250ml) milk
1/2 pint (250ml) double/heavy cream
4 oz (100g) sugar
2 cups of strawberries, black raspberries or fresh peach slices
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

Take the strawberries, raspberries or peaches and mash them in with half the sugar (ie. 2oz or 50g) in a bowl. Place in the refrigerator while making the rest of the recipe.

In a separate saucepan, mix the egg yolks with the milk, salt and the remaining sugar. Place over a medium heat just to boiling point (stirring all the time). DO NOT LET IT BOIL.

Transfer the mixture into a chilled bowl to cool. When cool place in the refrigerator for up to 3 hours, remembering to stir the mixture from time to time. When cool, stir into the mixture the cream and vanilla essence and then blend in the fruit/sugar mixture.

Transfer the complete mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions.

And, do read Linda Stadley’s very interesting “History of Ice Cream Cones” at
http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/IceCream/IceCreamCone.htm



Cassandra, 58 years ago, enjoying an ice cream cone with Daddy

Picnic Time!

The other thing is quality of life; if you have a place where you can go and have a picnic with your family, it doesn't matter if it's a recession or not, you can include that in your quality of life.
~ Jim Fowler

Picnic is a word that evokes a wide range of memories - of lazy Sunday afternoons, of trips to the country, to the park, to the beach, to an outdoor concert, or only as far as the backyard; of sandwiches, cold meats and lemonade or of wine, bread, cheese and patés; of special baskets (I recently located a vintage '50s basket like that of my childhood!) and blankets (old, wool Indian blankets were popular in my childhood, although now I love plaid ones); of hide-and-seek in the woods or flying kites and blowing bubbles; (of flies, bees, and ants, also!); and finally of exhaustion and a sleep in the car on the way home.



The origin of the word is clouded in mystery. It first appears in France in the late 16th century as "pique-nique" but was not adopted in England until after 1800. At first, the idea of a picnic meant a social event for which each guest provided a share of the food. Later this became an outdoor excursion to a place in the country where again friends could meet and provisions be shared. Around the middle of the 18th century, picnics were arranged by the English and French aristocracy. Servants, chairs, fine china and crystal along with baskets of wonderful delicacies were loaded into carriages for a trip to the lush woods where the festivities took place.









The Great American Picnic springs from European foods and cooking techniques introduced by the founding fathers (and mothers!) in combination with the rich native methods of the American Indians. The first Thanksgiving was actually a picnic. Hidden deep in the history books are descriptions of other memorable early American picnics. Pioneers held such celebrations, such as Fourth of July picnics, on the banks of many lakes or rivers under canopies of tent cloths supported by Conestoga wagons or of virgin forest leaves, serenading themselves with "The Star Spangled Banner" while consuming bread, boiled beans and salt pork, bacon, pies, and peaches.

During the 19th century, my Indiana ancestors held large annual family reunion picnics, of which a few now-faded photos exist:



My mother and mother-in-law, both in their late eighties, still speak fondly of the foods prepared for these annual extravaganzas: Aunt Edna's banana cake, Aunt Tash's Wellesley fudge sheet cake, Grandma Flora Belle's lattice-topped cherry pies, Babcia's "special dressing" on fresh sliced tomatoes, Aunt Commie's ice-cold, fresh lemonade...

Below are a couple of my own favorite picnic recipes - would love to hear about your picnic memories and special recipes!

Old Bay Seasoned Maryland Fried Chicken

1 cup flour
1/4 cup Old Bay Seasoning or more to taste
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp. water
2 cups cooking oil
2-3 lbs. chicken parts

In a large plastic bag, combine flour and 1/4 cup Old Bay Seasoning. In a shallow dish combine egg and water. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip chicken in egg mixture, then place a few pieces in plastic bag and shake to coat. Fry about 20 minutes per side turning frequently. If desired, sprinkle with additional Old Bay before serving. Makes 6 to 8 servings.


Maryland Cucumber & Sour Cream Salad

1 cucumber
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp. onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. vinegar
chopped pimento optional

Pare and slice cucumber. Add salt and chill. Press out as much water as possible with a paper towel. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl. Add cucumbers and toss gently. Chill. Arrange in salad bowls lined with lettuce. Sprinkle chopped pimento on top if desired.



I've liked lots of people 'til I went on a picnic jaunt with them.
~ Bess Truman

Today is Straw Hat Day!

Straw Hat Day is the unofficial start of summer and the official start of straw hat season - if you were wondering about when you could begin wearing yours! The exact date of Straw Hat Day varies somewhat in the United States - the dates of April 24th and May 15th are often cited. In my family, it was always said that May 1st is the first proper day to don a straw hat (and white shoes) and Labor Day weekend in September is the last. I hope you enjoy viewing the straw hats below as well as wearing your straw hats throughout the coming four months!

















Cassandra's Favorite Straw Hat!