ARIZONA TRAVELER: March 2013

I love crab cakes, don't you? And these are super easy to make. Serve atop a bed of greens or on a toasted english muffin--just perfect. Don't know why you couldn't substitute canned salmon for the crab. It's on my list to try so I will let you know. This recipe came from my friend, Kathleen. Not sure the origination but knowing Kathleen, I'm sure she tweaked it a bit.

Ingredients

· Crab cakes:

· 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

· 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

· 1 1/2 tablespoons canola-based mayonnaise

· 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind

· 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

· 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

· 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

· 1 large egg

· 1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

· 1 pound lump crabmeat, drained and shell pieces removed – Costco sells a pound of lump crab meat for a great price and it doesn’t have any shell pieces to remove

· 1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation

1. 1. To prepare crab cakes, combine first 8 ingredients. Add panko and crab, tossing gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

2. 2. Fill a 1/3-cup dry measuring cup with crab mixture. Invert onto work surface; gently pat into a 3/4-inch-thick patty. Repeat procedure with remaining crab mixture, forming 8 cakes.

3. 3. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 crab cakes to pan; cook 4 minutes or until bottoms are golden. Carefully turn cakes; cook 4 minutes or until bottoms are golden and crab cakes are thoroughly heated. Remove cakes from pan; keep warm. Wipe pan dry with paper towels. Heat remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in pan. Repeat procedure with remaining 4 crab cakes.

Remoulade:

· 1/4 cup canola-based mayonnaise

· 1 tablespoon chopped shallots

· 1 1/2 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped

· 2 teaspoons Creole mustard

· 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

· 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

· 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

To prepare rémoulade, combine 1/4 cup mayonnaise and remaining ingredients in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Serve with crab cakes.

OR, do what I did and combine a bit of these two ready-made goodies to taste. Excellent.

I adore the grounds of Rousham. I think it is my favorite English garden. It's been ages since I've posted anything--shoulder surgery, old job ended, new job started. So on this beautiful Sunday afternoon, I thought it was time to post something and selfishly, I wanted to take a little walk through Rousham on a cloudy day, because I'm here in Arizona on a sunny 82 degrees day.

The Rousham garden is the work of William Kent. One of the things famous about Rousham is a letter written by a gardener by the name of Clary who worked with Kent and later wrote to the newest Rousham owner. The letter is a written guided tour describing the beautiful grounds to the absent owner, in hopes that he would appreciate the beauty and be tempted to visit.

Gorgeously restored bench - six in all

Our tour of Rousham was led by my Oxford tutor, Richard Bisgrove. He read bits and pieces from Clary's letter as we roamed the grounds and now I am realizing I need to get a copy of that letter.