1. Crab cakes have that crunch and golden brown color since they are made
frombreadcrumbs and egg then fried to a crisp. But Chef Luc Huysentruyt of the De
Snippe restaurant in Knokke-Heist, Belgium, breaks the tradition by making the crab
cakes out of a gelatin mold using beef jelly as the binder to the crab meat, pistachios,
olives, carrots, and zucchini. Instead of a hot crab cake, you get a chilled wonder on a
bed of string beans. A dollop of sour cream finishes the dish.
Select the best quality white crab meat you can find since its freshness will be more
pronounced in this form compared to when fried. Everything tastes great fried so you
will have to make a little effort in procuring the best ingredients for this reworked
classic. For convenience, buy the pre-cooked and frozen crab meat at the grocery or
supermarket. If you have an abundance of crabs at your disposal, you can also simply
steam fresh live crab and pick the crab meat for use in this recipe.
The second important component of chef Huysentruyt’s
recipe is the beef stock, which helps produce not only a
fantastic flavor for the recipe but also helps in making the
delicious and savory jelly. Its meat and bones have natural
gelatin properties, producing a stock that will be easier to
firm up later. Prepare a good and strong stock that has a
clear color. Strain, degrease, reduce and clarify the stock
so it’s as clear as daylight. There are lots of tips in this site
like on how to pliage de napkin, just go in the site and
enjoy.
The Verjus, a wine vinegar from green grapes, helps in flavoring and coagulating the
beef jelly. The best ones are sourced from Perigord. To help mimic the textures in crab
meat, crushed pistachios, leeks, carrots, celery and zucchini are added into the stock
and suspended when the gelatin powder firms it up. Celebrate this quirky dish with a
glass of Pouillyfuissé, a white wine from Burgundy.
2. Ingredients
crab meat
10 oz. of frost made with the clear beef soup
10 oz. Verjus (green grape fruit wine vinegar)
gelatin powder
pistachios
carrots, leek, celery, zucchini
tomatoes
string beans
olives
10 oz. sour cream liquid
dried vegetables
1. In a saucepan, combine the clear beef stock and the Verjus du Perigord. Simmer
and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add in the chopped pistachios, leeks,
carrots, celery, and zucchini. Stir. Set aside to cool then add gelatin powder.
2. In a clean container or mold, arrange the crabmeat at the bottom layer. Then pour
the beef stock mixture on top of the crabmeat. Do not stir. Refrigerate.
3. In a serving plate, make a bed of tomatoes, olives, and string beans. Take out the
crabmeat mixture from the refrigerator and arrange on top of the vegetables. Garnish
with sour cream and dried vegetables.