Corn Nugget Crab Cakes

From "Happy in the Kitchen" by Michel Richard, Artisan  2006

Serves 4 as a first course

• 4 large ears corn (about 3 pounds), shucked and silks removed
• 2 ounces shelled and deveined fresh or frozen shrimp (about 2 large), cut into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon whole milk
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  

Crab Cakes

• 8 ounces lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
• 1/4 cup Mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
• 1 teaspoon chopped tarragon
• 2 tablespoons minced chives
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons (1 to 1 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup Tartar Sauce, see recipe below
  

A word of caution - actually encouragement - before you read the recipe. Because it's long, you might think that it is very labor-intensive and time-consuming. It's not. Better yet, it delivers all the delicious flavor of corn and crab, but you don't have to deal with cobs or shells at the table. The sugar in the corn kernels caramelizes and crisps up in the finishing steps, which makes for a sweet-smelling and sweet-tasting crunch.

Hint: This is a great do-ahead recipe. Both the crab cakes and the tartar sauce can be prepared a day ahead, and the cakes finished in the oven just before serving.

Instructions:

Cut the kernels off the corncobs with a sharp knife or on a Benriner fitted with the straight blade. You will need about 2½ cups of kernels; reserve any remaining corn for another use. Set a steamer basket in a pot over simmering water. Place the corn in the steamer basket, cover, and steam for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Pour the corn onto paper towels to cool. Set the steamer aside.

Place the shrimp in a small food processor, add the milk, and process to a completely smooth paste. Use a small spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the cooled corn, and mix well. Season with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the crab.

For the crab cakes, place the crab in a medium bowl, add the mayonnaise, mustard, tarragon, chives, and soy sauce, and sprinkle with a pinch each of salt, black pepper, and if desired, cayenne pepper. Mix carefully to blend the ingredients, but don't overmix the delicate crab. Taste for seasoning and add more as needed.

To form the cakes and wrap them in plastic: Rub a clean counter with dampened hands, to anchor the plastic, and place a piece of plastic wrap about 12 inches long on the damp surface. Place one-quarter of the corn mixture in the center of the plastic, pushing the corn kernels together into a circle. Top with another piece of plastic wrap. Flatten the kernels with your hand, then roll a rolling pin over the corn to shape a flat disk 5 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick. Remove the top piece of plastic.

Form one-quarter of the crab mixture into a 2-3-inch circle in the center of the corn. Smooth and shape the circle, leaving a 1-inch border of corn exposed around the edges. Lift the corners of the plastic and gather them up over the crab cake, then twist the plastic to tighten the mixture and completely encase the crab cake in the corn (it will become round in shape). Place the still-wrapped crab cake into a 4-inch round cookie cutter or ring mold and press the top gently with your hand to shape it into a disk. Remove from the mold and trim the plastic wrap, leaving about 1 inch extra. Repeat to make a total of 4 crab cakes.

Return the water in the steamer to a simmer. Arrange the crab cakes, still in the plastic, seam side down in the steamer basket. Cover and steam for 5 minutes. Transfer the cakes to a plate. Cool slightly, still in the plastic, then refrigerate to chill and set for a few hours, or up to a day.

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter a heatproof baking dish large enough to hold the crab cakes.

Remove the cakes from the refrigerator. With scissors, cut off the twisted plastic as close as possible to one cake. Carefully flip the cake over onto the buttered pan, pinch the top of the plastic wrap, and carefully lift and pull it off the crab cake. Repeat with the remaining cakes. Brush the tops of the cakes with the softened butter.

Place in the oven for about 4 to 5 minutes, or until heated through. Once they are hot, turn on the broiler, and broil until the corn kernels are golden brown and crispy.

Serve with the Tartar Sauce passed on the side.

Tartar Sauce

From "Happy in the Kitchen" by Michel Richard, Artisan  2006

This is my Shallot Dressing amped up with capers and cornichons.

• ¼ cup rinsed, dried, and chopped capers
• 6 cornichons, coarsely chopped
• Shallot Dressing, made without basil, see recipe below

Stir Capers and cornichons into dressing. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Shallot Dressing

From "Happy in the Kitchen" by Michel Richard, Artisan  2006

Anytime you might think of using ranch dressing, try this instead. It's tangy, creamy, and intense. You can blend it completely to super smoothness or leave some texture. I use it for almost anything except dessert.

• ½ cup Mayonnaise
• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup finely minced shallots
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 4 drops Tabasco sauce
• ¼ cup minced chives
• ¼ cup chopped basil
• ¼ cup chopped chervil (optional)
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  

Place all the ingredients in a blender and pulse to blend, scarping down the sides of the blender as necessary. Leave a bit of texture to the mixture, or blend until completely smooth. Refrigerate in an air tight container for up to 2 days.

Makes about ¾ cup

About Happy in the Kitchen

Among his colleagues, Michel Richard is the chef's chef, the one others look to for inspiration. "Why didn't I think of that?" asks Thomas Keller, in his foreword to Happy in the Kitchen, about Richard's innovative technique. Michel Richard leads the way and always has at his L.A. restaurants, Citrus and Citronelle, and now in Washington, D.C., at Michel Richard Citronelle and his newly opened Central. He never ceases to explore and his food never fails to satisfy. Happy in the Kitchen is teeming with "Richard-esque" discoveries, whether it's an amazingly simple technique for dicing vegetables, a delicious [low-carb] carbonara made with onions rather than pasta, or a schnitzel made of pureed squid. He's always playful, but also a perfectionist and an iconoclast. Every delicious moment is captured in glorious images of finished dishes, as well as exceptional step-by-step photographs that make easy work of slicing, dicing, shaping, and other essential hand skills. Happy in the Kitchen is a book that will make you laugh and learn, and it will delight you every step of the way. Step-by-step photos demonstrate Richard's innovative technique that makes easy work of dicing, shaping, ruffling, and a plethora of other indispensable hand skills. With recipe titles such as Shrimp "Einstein," Jackson Pollock Soup, Chicken Faux Gras, Figgy Piggy, and Happy Kid Pudding (made in the microwave), Happy in the Kitchen's promise is good tastes and good times.

Get Happy in the Kitchen: The Craft of Cooking, the Art of Eating at:

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