A Love Affair With Southern Cooking_ Recipes and Recollections - Jean Anderson [12]
Basil Vinaigrette
1 medium garlic clove
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1½ tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil leaves
1½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
1¼ cups fruity olive oil
Salad
Kernels from 2 medium ears grilled sweet corn (see Note at left)
1 medium sun-ripened tomato, peeled, cored, seeded, and cut into small dice
1 large egg
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
2 cups fine dry bread crumbs
20 pickled okra pods (see Note above)
12 ounces crawfish tails or medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
Vegetable oil for deep-fat frying (about 4 cups)
1½ cups coarsely grated pepper Jack cheese (about 6 ounces)
8 ounces mesclun (mixed baby salad greens)
1. For the basil vinaigrette: Churn all ingredients except the olive oil for 20 to 30 seconds in a food processor or electric blender at high speed until smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil and continue processing until thick and creamy; set aside (but be sure to buzz or whisk the vinaigrette just before using).
2. For the salad: Place the corn and tomato in a large nonreactive bowl and set aside.
3. Whisk the egg and milk until frothy in a small bowl with ½ teaspoon each of the salt and pepper; set aside.
4. Combine the flour with ¼ teaspoon each of the remaining salt and pepper in a pie pan and set aside. Next, combine the bread crumbs with the last of the salt and pepper in a second pie pan and set aside also.
5. Dredge each okra pod in the seasoned flour, then dip into the egg mixture, then coat with the bread crumbs, shaking off the excess and arranging on a wire rack. Dredge and bread the crawfish tails the same way and arrange on the rack. Air-dry both the okra and crawfish tails on the wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes; this helps the breading stick.
6. Meanwhile, pour the vegetable oil into a large deep saucepan until 2 inches deep; insert a deep-fat thermometer, and set over moderately high heat.
7. When the oil reaches 375° F., deep-fry the okra in two batches, allowing 1 to 2 minutes for each to brown and lifting to paper toweling to drain. Deep-fry and drain the crawfish tails the same way. As you deep-fry, keep the temperature of the oil as near to 375° F. as possible so that the okra and crawfish tails brown nicely without becoming greasy.
8. To finish the salad, add the cheese, mesclun, and 2/3 cup of the vinaigrette to the reserved corn and tomatoes and toss well. Taste, and add a bit more vinaigrette, if needed.
9. Divide the corn and tomato mixture among four salad plates, top each portion with fried okra and crawfish, and serve as the first course of an elegant meal.
CRAB CUPS
MAKES 4 TO 4½ DOZEN
My good friend Anne Mead, who grew up in Dillon, South Carolina, always served these at cocktail parties. For many years we lived in the same Gramercy Park apartment building and, like so many other Southerners who’d left the South, we were soon best of friends. Anne was a wonderful cook; she even published a little cookbook called Please Kiss the Cook, from which this recipe is adapted. I sometimes add a little finely snipped fresh dill or chopped tarragon to the crab mixture—my innovation, not Anne’s. Note: The bread to use for making the toast cups is thin-sliced, firm-textured white bread (sometimes called homestyle bread). A one-pound loaf contains 27 slices (not counting the “heels”) and if the slices are not misshapen and you space your cuts carefully, you should be able to get two small rounds from each slice. That would be 54 rounds, total—about right for this amount of filling. The toast cups can be made a week in advance and stored in an airtight container. Tip: