Frizzled onions are a delicious garnish on just about anything. Photo courtesy Silk Road Palace | New York City.

Onion rings are a calorie splurge, not including all the sugar- or worse, the high fructose corn syrup-laden ketchup they’re topped with.

But you can enjoy a few “frizzled onions,” thin shoestring slices, with less guilt. As a garnish atop fish, poultry, meat or garnish, they satisfy that craving more economically than a large side of onion rings.

If you want to make this recipe less spicy, cut back on the black pepper, cayenne and chili powder.

FRIZZLED ONIONS RECIPE

Ingredients

1. HEAT oil to 375°F in a deep fat fryer or heavy stockpot.

2. SLICE onion rings thinly, ideally using a mandoline or vegetable slicer.

3. PLACE onion rings in a large bowl, separated; cover with buttermilk.

4. COMBINE flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon of paprika in a medium bowl.

5. DRAIN onions from buttermilk and dredge in the seasoned flour. Shake off excess flour.

6. DEEP-FRY until crisp and golden, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

7. SPRINKLE with remaining paprika. You can serve the frizzled onions immediately, or keep at room temperature for a few hours.

Happy birthday, Elvis!

While Elvis Presley is not exactly known for being a foodie, we, along with millions of fans worldwide, celebrate his birthday with a few hours of Elvis tunes and his favorite snack food: a fried sandwich filled with peanut butter, sliced bananas and bacon. Here’s the “Elvis Sandwich” recipe.

This year, we’re adding something to the menu courtesy of chef Anthony Zamora of Atrio restaurant, located in the soaring 15-story atrium lobby of the Conrad Hotel in New York City.

While Chef Zamora makes peanut gelato from scratch, you can use peanut or vanilla ice cream (the difference between ice cream and gelato).

Chef Zamora garnishes the sundae with caramelized bananas, peanut brittle, Marshmallow fluff and Nutella. We substituted caramelized (candied) bacon for the Fluff and the Nutella. There’s no reason why you can’t have it all

SALTED PEANUT GELATO RECIPE

Ingredients Per Sundae

Just-steamed Dungeness crabs. Photo by
Ken Ishirotie | IST.

But the current cause for celebration is that Dungeness crab season has begun. Chefs across the country are cooking up this West Coast delicacy. If you’re a crab lover, make plans to get your share; and if you have a good local fish market, you can cook them at home.

Dungeness crab has been compared by some to the Maine lobster in flavor, but the meat is more tender. The meat is perhaps the sweetest of the Pacific crabs, flavorful and a bit nutty. Perhaps it’s so sweet and tender because of its fine diet: It enjoys clams, other crustaceans and small fish.

The crab variety is named after the seaport of Dungeness, Washington, but is found all along the Pacific coast from the Aleutian Islands of Alaska to Santa Cruz, California. Its Latin name, Cancer magister, means “master crab” because it can measure as wide as 10 inches. Only male crabs with shells measuring 6.25 inches across or larger may be harvested. A single crab in a good season like this one can weigh two pounds!

According to the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission, Dungeness crabs molt between June and August and spend the next few months eating and filling up their new shells. The crab’s meat-to-shell ratio is tested, and once it’s high enough for a consistent, high-quality product, the season is opened for commercial fishing. Male crabs are about four years old before they are large enough to be harvested.

In San Francisco, “Dungeness crab season is like Christmas for adults,” Matt Violante, general manager of Alioto’s restaurant, told Nation’s Restaurant News. “Everyone calls to ask when we’re going fishing, when the season starts,” so they can book a table.

While a favorite preparation is simply to steam the large crab legs and claws and dip the meat in melted butter, you can prepare anything from Dungeness crab cakes and crab fritters to Dungeness crab mac and cheese and cioppino, an Italian version of bouillabaisse made with seafood in a spicy tomato broth.

Then there are Dungeness crab casseroles, Dungeness crab mousse, Dungeness crab sandwiches on grilled ciabatta or other bread, and Dungeness crab-stuffed ravioli in caper butter sauce. Dungeness crab bisque with large chunks of crab leg meat is a tasty way to start the meal.

For us, the freshly-steamed crab meat is best absolutely plain, without covering up the flavor and texture nuances that make it such a treat. We don’t even need butter.

Dungeness crab claws and legs marinated with cilantro, garlic, parsley and olive oil and sautéed. Photo courtesy MarxFoods.com.

These recipes can be used in any season with any type of crab.

 
Find many more Dungeness crab recipes from the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission.

CRAB MEAT 101: A CRAB-BUYING LESON

Now, about crab meat in general: Do you need to spring for the costliest, jumbo lump crab meat? Not unless you’re entertaining people you really want to impress, who will know the difference.

Here’s the way to decide among the grades of crab.

A cheeseburger using pimiento cheese from
ZoesKitchen.com. Photo courtesy Zoe’s
Kitchen.

It reminded us of our mom’s pimiento cheese spread, which she enjoyed on toast with a tall glass of iced tea.

Pimiento cheese is a Southern specialty—along with barbecue, catfish, deviled eggs, grits, fried chicken and sweet tea.

Sharp Cheddar cheese, chopped pimientos and mayonnaise create a spread that’s used to fill celery sticks, to slather for cheeseburgers, to spread on crackers or toast and to make grilled cheese sandwiches and cheese omelets.

RECIPE: PIMIENTO CHEESE SPREAD

Ingredients

1. COMBINE mayo, pimiento, Worcestershire, onion and cayenne in a large bowl. Stir in the cheese.

2. CHILL in fridge to let flavors meld. Serve at room temperature. Can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Variations

Add cream cheese for a creamier spread. Photo courtesy Kraft Foods.

 
 
MORE WAYS TO USE PIMIENTO CHEESE

 
Share your favorite uses and variations with us!
  

Homing in on the label, the quirky-looking product turned out to be chocolate-covered baguette slices, made from baguettes left over at the day’s end.

Traditional tips for leftover baguette include bread crumbs, bread pudding, bread salad, bruschetta, croutons, crostini, fondue dippers and garlic toast. But we like the sweet treatment of chocolate-covered bread.

It’s easy to make for home snacking (delicious with coffee and tea), to bring to work or as gifts.

CHOCOLATE COVERED BREAD

Ingredients

Preparation

1. SLICE leftover baguette into 1/4″ wide pieces and toast lightly. You can use a toaster oven or conventional oven. Let the toasted slices cool to room temperature.

2. MELT chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler. Dip one side of the baguette slices and coat thoroughly. Let dry, coated side up, on wax paper. Then dip second side.

3. SPRINKLE before the chocolate dries with your choice of one or more garnishes: coarse sea salt, chopped nuts, dried fruit (blueberries, cherries, cranberries, raisins or other favorite) or seeds (sesame or pumpkin seeds).

4. ENJOY within a day or two; keep in an airtight storage container.
Find more of our favorite chocolate treats.