Thank you, Whole Foods Atlanta, for having Jumbo Lump Crab nestled deep in a bed of ice, just waiting for my greedy little hands to snatch it up and practically RUN to the checkout line. Yes, it's true, it wasn't Chesapeake Bay crab but it was still blue crab and even if it was from Florida it wasn't the horrible crap that sits behind the seafood counters in Kansas City. Some damn day someone will have to explain to me how it's easier to get international crabmeat (Thailand, India) in the Midwest than it is to get real crab from the East Coast. But I digress.
The pound of jumbo lump rode the highways and byways to finally land in my refrigerator at home and it's eventual destiny as crabcakes. However crab wasn't the only precious food cargo I came home with. No, I got to meet some real live free range chickens, scratching and pecking in the good Georgia dirt.
The pound of jumbo lump rode the highways and byways to finally land in my refrigerator at home and it's eventual destiny as crabcakes. However crab wasn't the only precious food cargo I came home with. No, I got to meet some real live free range chickens, scratching and pecking in the good Georgia dirt.
You know what happens from all that scratching and grub consumption?
Gorgeous fresh eggs. How could I combine the two into one dish that would make stars of both? An omelet seems too pedestrian. Crab egg foo yung briefly skittered into the picture but let's face it, it's just a Chinese American omelet. I finally decided on a Crab Benedict.
Eggs Benedict is one of those rare dishes I eat out more than make for myself. Whipping up hollandaise for one seems excessive. However since I had already made the crabcakes, poaching some eggs and making hollandaise wouldn't be that much of a stretch. I pulled out my trusty Cook's Illustrated Best Recipes and started the hollandaise thrown down.
I like the way they poach the eggs (break egg into cup, pour egg from cup into barely simmering vinegar water, immediately cover and remove from heat and allow egg to cook for 5 minutes), mine came out perfectly cooked. The hollandaise, while smooth, was bland. Even after a liberal addition of Old Bay. And instead of using an english muffin I whipped up some cornbread as my base.
Let me tell you, while the hollandaise was lacking, the fresh eggs and jumbo crabmeat more than made the difference in this exquisite dish. Thank you Chickory for the eggs and the opportunity to bring this little part of your world home to Kansas City. If you'd like to see more of the The Girlz and their very theatrical life, check out this video.
