Flashback Friday - Nectarine Soup with Crab Salad

This post originally appeared on Minxeats.com on August 29, 2014.

It has long been a tradition to have steamed crabs for Mr Minx's birthday. We usually get two dozen, which comfortably feeds four adults, but for some reason, we had a ton left over this year. We did our part, putting away a dozen between the two us (along with hush puppies and corn on the cob), but there were still several crabs left by the time we were done. These were meaty suckers, so once we picked the remaining critters, we had a whole pound of meat (.984 lb, to be exact) left over.

I can probably eat a pound of crabmeat served with nothing but a fork, but that's no fun, and maybe more than a bit piggy. I didn't want to only make crabcakes, especially since I feel I've done that recently. I thought back to a soup I made with avocados and garnished with crab salad and decided that would hit the spot. Only we didn't have any avocados. But we did have a big bag of nectarines and white peaches that I had purchased at the farmers' market earlier in the week. Rather than going to my old stand-by soup, gazpacho, I decided to let the nectarines speak for themselves. Blended with a bit of Greek yogurt and seasoned with savory spices, it went nicely with the rich, sweet, blue crab (the best crab!).

As for the salad, I went with a ceviche-style preparation, with citrus juices, jalapeno, and tomato. Mr Minx and I agreed that it was a restaurant-quality dish, and not really all that difficult to prepare. And made entirely from things we already had on hand in the pantry and fridge.

Nectarine Soup with Crab Salad

For soup:
5 nectarines
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup chicken stock (you can use veg stock, or water)
1/4 cup mint leaves, loosely packed
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon harissa powder
Pinch cayenne
Large pinch salt
Agave syrup, to taste

For salad:
1 small shallot, minced
1 small tomato, seeded and diced, or 5-6 cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon agave syrup
1/2 lb fresh blue crab meat

To make soup: Peel nectarines and cut into chunks, discarding pits. Place nectarine flesh into a blender or food processor with remaining ingredients except cayenne, salt, and agave syrup, and pulse to a puree. Season to taste with the last three ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To make salad: Place vegetables in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together citrus juices, olive oil, and agave syrup. Pour over vegetables. Add crab meat and gently fold to coat with dressing. Refrigerate for at least an hour for flavors to meld and to tame the oniony-ness of the shallot.

To serve: Pour soup into bowls or cups. Top with a generous portion of crab salad.

Serves 4-6, with extra crab salad.

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Summer Fruit Bread Pudding

Ok, maybe not the best photo in the world, but it gives you an idea of how big this recipe is. Great for a summertime party!

There's a small (very small) farmers' market very close to work (across the street!) and I'm fortunate to be able to get luscious peaches for much of the summer, and sour cherries in their very short season. Sometimes I get a bit carried away and buy cherries and peaches and nectarines and other stuff that we simply can't eat fast enough. After all, there's only two of us. And once in a while, those extra peaches get squishy and the cherries threaten to get moldy, so I have to do something with them, and quick.

Bread pudding is a good solution to the problem. We always have bread and eggs, and there's usually a can of sweetened condensed milk in the cupboard. Mix it all up, add fruit, bake (I know - it's hot, sorry) and eat with some vanilla ice cream or custard or heavy cream poured on top, or as is. Bread pudding makes a great breakfast, snack, or dessert. If you can't eat it fast enough, you can cut it into serving pieces, wrap well in foil, and put them in a plastic bag in the freezer.

Summer Fruit Bread Pudding

4 eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch salt
About 1/2 pound stale white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 5 cups)
2 peaches, peeled and cut into about 1" pieces
1 cup sour cherries, pitted and halved
1 teaspoon softened butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat the eggs, milks, vanilla, and seasonings together in a large bowl. Add the bread and toss to combine. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for half an hour or so, so the bread can soak up the milk.

Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish (or a bundt pan) and pour the bread pudding mixture in. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake for 45 minutes and uncover. Continue baking until the pudding rises and is firm in the center and golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes.

Let cool slightly before serving.



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Gluten-Free Stone Fruit Crisp

With all the stone fruit recipes I've posted this summer, I should retitle the blog, "Nectarine Chronicles," or something like that.

Our CSA sent us some plums that after two weeks never got soft enough to eat. The following week we received nectarines and pluots which were getting ripe a bit faster than we could finish them off. So I decided to get rid of the whole lot by making a simple fruit crisp.

We were running out of AP flour, so I used oat flour instead, along with oats and almond flour. So it's gluten-free! My favorite part of the topping is the walnuts; if you don't want to use them, you can use another nut or skip them altogether, but they really add a nice crunch.

Stone Fruit Crisp

1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
4 tablespoons melted butter
4 cups peeled stone fruits (nectarines, peaches, plums, etc.), roughly chopped
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine the flours, oats, brown sugar, walnuts, and spices in a bowl. Pour the melted butter over and mix well with a fork to combine.

Toss the fruit with the corn starch, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Pile into a 8x8, 9x9, or 9" round baking dish. Top with crumble.

Bake for 40 minutes, until topping is browned and crisp and the fruit is bubbling along the edges.

Serves 8.



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Nectarine Soup with Crab Salad

It has long been a tradition to have steamed crabs for Mr Minx's birthday. We usually get two dozen, which comfortably feeds four adults, but for some reason, we had a ton left over this year. We did our part, putting away a dozen between the two us (along with hush puppies and corn on the cob), but there were still several crabs left by the time we were done. These were meaty suckers, so once we picked the remaining critters, we had a whole pound of meat (.984 lb, to be exact) left over.

I can probably eat a pound of crabmeat served with nothing but a fork, but that's no fun, and maybe more than a bit piggy. I didn't want to only make crabcakes, especially since I feel I've done that recently. I thought back to a soup I made with avocados and garnished with crab salad and decided that would hit the spot. Only we didn't have any avocados. But we did have a big bag of nectarines and white peaches that I had purchased at the farmers' market earlier in the week. Rather than going to my old stand-by soup, gazpacho, I decided to let the nectarines speak for themselves. Blended with a bit of Greek yogurt and seasoned with savory spices, it went nicely with the rich, sweet, blue crab (the best crab!).

As for the salad, I went with a ceviche-style preparation, with citrus juices, jalapeno, and tomato. Mr Minx and I agreed that it was a restaurant-quality dish, and not really all that difficult to prepare. And made entirely from things we already had on hand in the pantry and fridge.

Nectarine Soup with Crab Salad

For soup:
5 nectarines
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup chicken stock (you can use veg stock, or water)
1/4 cup mint leaves, loosely packed
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon harissa powder
Pinch cayenne
Large pinch salt
Agave syrup, to taste

For salad:
1 small shallot, minced
1 small tomato, seeded and diced, or 5-6 cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon agave syrup
1/2 lb fresh blue crab meat

To make soup: Peel nectarines and cut into chunks, discarding pits. Place nectarine flesh into a blender or food processor with remaining ingredients except cayenne, salt, and agave syrup, and pulse to a puree. Season to taste with the last three ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To make salad: Place vegetables in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together citrus juices, olive oil, and agave syrup. Pour over vegetables. Add crab meat and gently fold to coat with dressing. Refrigerate for at least an hour for flavors to meld and to tame the oniony-ness of the shallot.

To serve: Pour soup into bowls or cups. Top with a generous portion of crab salad.

Serves 4-6, with extra crab salad.

Posted on Minxeats.com.