Chefs up front Bountiful Harvest for the Homeless gourmet event offers great ideas for a great cause

Published 11/15/06, Copyright © 2006 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.

With the holidays creeping ever closer, home chefs are on the lookout for interesting new recipes or old ones with a new flair for their parties.
One suggestion I can throw out for picking up entertaining ideas is to attend the Bountiful Harvest for the Homeless gourmet event on Monday at the Annapolis Marriott Waterfront Hotel when about 20 chefs from the Chesapeake Chefs Association will be pulling out the stops to showcase a few of their signature dishes.

Jim Eriksen, chef at Pusser's Restaurant located in the Marriott, prepared a few of his favorite seafood dishes for The Capital to photograph, which will hopefully spike an interest for readers to attend this annual tasting event, which benefits the Light House Shelter, the county's only emergency shelter for the homeless.

Crab cakes are one of the foods he'll prepare and although every Maryland cook has his or her favorite recipe for this very favorite of all seafood recipes, nevertheless I am happy to send along the recipe that Chef Eriksen gave me.

But before the recipe, here is the definitive information for the Bountiful Harvest affair which also includes a mammoth silent auction. The tickets are $80 and are available by calling 410-268-4251 or show up at the door and buy them there.

True Maryland Crab Cakes:

1 pound jumbo lump crab meat

21/2 slices white bread fresh crust removed and crumbled in food processor

1 teaspoon fresh chopped parsley leaves

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/8 cup Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

1/2 teaspoon dry English mustard

1 whole egg

1 egg yolk

Pinch celery salt

Pinch ground black pepper

Pinch granulated garlic powder

Pick out shells from crab meat but be careful not to break up lumps. Wash chopped parsley and squeeze out all water. Combine mayonnaise, parsley, mustard, horseradish, egg and spices in mixing bowl, whip together. Fold crab meat in to dressing. Fold in bread crumbs carefully not to break up crab meat. Portion into four or five crab cakes. Refrigerate for one hour. Pan sear in well-seasoned cast iron pan or nonstick Teflon skillet over medium low heat until both sides are golden brown and internal temperature reaches about 150 degrees. Serve immediately and garnish with sliced tomato, lemon and tartar sauce. Serves four or five.

Note: These are delicate crab cakes and should be either broiled or pan seared. To deep fry, more breading must be adding to keep them from falling apart.

Hostesses can never go wrong with a hot crab dip. The classic Maryland recipe uses cream cheese and seasoning with the crab meat. The next recipe is from the state's Seafood Marketing Program.

Hot Crab Dip

1/2 pound Maryland crab meat

1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons salad dressing

1 tablespoon lemon juice

11/4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Pinch garlic salt

1 tablespoon milk

1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Remove cartilage and shells from crab meat. In large bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, salad dressing, lemon juice. Worcestershire sauce, mustard and garlic salt until smooth. Add enough milk to make mixture creamy. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the grated cheese. Fold crab meat into mixture. Pour into greased 1-quart casserole. Top with remaining cheese. Cake at 325 degrees until mixture is bubbly and browned on top, about 30 minutes. Serve with crackers. Makes about 4 cups.

Pumping Pumpkins

Before pumpkins leave the fall food scene, I have two recipes featuring these seasonal favorites. Both were given to me from colleagues who were at events where they were served. I, also, have been at a reception where the Pumpkin Dip was quite a hit. The recipe, which follows, suggests using apple slices as dippers, At the affair I attended, the hostess chose gingersnap cookies as the base on which to spread the dip. Either way, it's quite yummy.

Pumpkin Dip

3/4 cup, low fat cream cheese

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

2 teaspoons maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

24 apple slices

Place first three ingredients in a medium bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add syrup and cinnamon and beat until smooth. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Serve with apple slices or gingersnaps.

Note: If you use the apples, you should first put them in a bowl with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and water to cover the slices. Drain off the water. This procedure will prevent the slices from getting brown while on the serving table.

Pumpkin Streusel Squares

1 can, 28 ounces pumpkin

1 can, 16 ounces evaporated milk

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1 box, 18 ounces yellow or spice cake mix

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup melted butter

In a bowl, stir pumpkin, milk, sugar, eggs and cinnamon and beat to blend. Pour this mixture into a wax paper-lined 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan. Sprinkle with dry cake mix and walnuts. Pour butter on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 75 minutes. Topping will be browned and filling set. Cool. Flip the dish over onto a tray. Cut into 12 to 16 squares.

Flipping Fritters

A reader called with a suggestion for C.T. of Gambrills who is looking for a oyster fritter recipe to match those that were served at dinners at Our Lady of the Fields Catholic Church in Millersville in the 1960s and 1970s. She thought the recipe from "Chesapeake Bay Cooking" by John Shields might be similar to the one Mrs. T remembers.

The recipe is originally from the late Alice Harrison, who was the matriarch at Harrison's Chesapeake House Restaurant on Tilghman Island where she did much of the cooking up until her death at the age of 92. Mr. Shields noted in his cookbook that she liked to serve the fritters with chicken salad.

Mrs. Harrison's Oyster Fritters

1 cup flour

11/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

1 quart shucked oysters with liquor

Oil for frying

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper in a large bowl. In small bowl, mix together the eggs and milk. Best the egg mixture into the dry ingredients until smooth batter is formed. Stir in the oysters. Pour oil into a skillet to a depth of 1 inch and heat until very hot, about 375 degrees. For each fritter, scoop out 3 to 4 oysters with batter. Fry until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted utensil to paper towels to drain. Serve with tartar sauce, if desired.