Sunday Supper 02

I think kicking this post off with the above photo tells you a lot about the meal. Grilled bacon. Did you see that? Bacon on the barbecue? I probably don't need to mention, but I will anyway, that it set my mouth watering like a dog waiting for dinner that had been delayed for 2 days.

Tonight's meal starts off with: Soft-shell crabs with lima bean salad, grilled bacon and cornbread, from Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin (pg 127).

First things first, you'll need to make the cornbread, grill your bacon. (drool....) and clean and cook your soft-shell crab (or have the place you bought it clean it as well).
The crabs are dredged in flour, seasoned in pepper, then fried in vegetable oil.

The cornbread is sliced and given grill marks on the barbecue and topped with arugula.

The dish is built on the plate and topped with a mustard creme fraiche. We couldn't find fresh lima beans so we substituted fava beans... you know, they are my fava-rite!

Then came the main course. For this Lyle was winging it combining his own prefer ed recipes and tastes. A seared Ono fish steak, Parmesan pudding and an avocado, golden beet, onion composed salad.
The salad is pretty self explanatory, the fish is one of my favorites to order in Hawaii, "I'll have the O NO!!!!" I know, hard to believe. The Parmesan Pudding is, as described by Lyle, like scallop potatoes without all those annoying potatoes.

I found this version of the recipe here at "cookin' in the 'cuse":

Parmesan Pudding

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups whole milk (or low fat milk works great too)
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 extra-large egg
• 1 extra-large egg yolk
• 1 1/4 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat a medium pot over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the butter, and when it foams, whisk in the flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, and cook for about 5 minutes, being careful not to let the flour burn. Slowly pour in the milk and cream, whisking constantly to incorporate it. The butter and flour will seize up and get pasty first. Continue whisking vigorously as you add the liquid, and the mixture will become smooth. Cook a few more minutes, until warm to the touch. Remove the pan from the heat.

Whisk the egg and egg yolk together in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle the eggs into the cream mixture, whisking continuously until combined. Stir in the cheese, and season with a heaping 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pour the mixture into an 8x6-inch (or equivalent) baking dish, and cover tightly with foil. Place the baking dish in a roasting pan, and add hot water tot he pan until it comes halfway up the outside of the custard dish. Place the pan in the oven and bake about 1 hour, until the pudding is just set.

And just to let you know, if there is any left over (that's a big IF) it re-heats really well the next day.