Renee's Date Night

[jwhyt...@msn.com]

It's FUNKY FRIDAY-And what a meal!!!!..... Crab fritters delicately
flavored with spices of the Caribean.... Cumin,coconut,cinnamon,nutmeg
,dill weed and oh yes...chopped parsley,Anyway-Tender crab (claw )meat
combined with these spices and others,the ever so light and crispy
panko bread crumbs then gently folded in beaten eggs to ever so moisten
the crab mixture. Lightly toss the crab fritters in the panko bread
crumbs for one final meeting before dropping into a pan of very hot oil
and fry until crispy golden brown..... meanwhile the funky Friday beats
of WXPN are egging me on to create a beautiful salad that would marry
well with the flavors of the fritters-so I did a salad of mixed
greens,blue cheese,bacon and a compote on the stove of a pat of
butter,a good pinch of brown sugar, crushed pineapple and walnuts. I
must say.. what a hit! So now the salad was complete- crusty bread in
the oven- Time for the sauce to compliment the fritters... start a
sauce pan and throw in a tsp. or so of crushed red pepper flakes,fresh
ginger,honey,S&P,a tbls. of kecap manis(a thick,sweet soy sauce),corn
starch and water, and a handful of chopped scallions.Simmer this up to
a slightly thick ,glossy sauce to top off the fritters. Now, for a side
dish.... cous cous with toasted pine nuts and dried
cranberries.....Perfect compliment-very light and buttery! The crab
fritters were very crispy and tasty and went with the ginger sauce
soooo well----the cous cous was a perfect compliment to the meal as was
the salad with the pineapple and candied walnut compote, warm crusty
bread.... And of course the icy cold corona's were just waiting to be
served up next to such a stand-up meal. JIM ,Of course said it was
FORKING DELICIOUS!!!!

[Kathy]

We need to move closer to Renee so we can share in her wild
inspirations. Those fritters sound fabulous!

How about we plan a "best of meal" where we choose our favorite recipe
of the year's variety? Or maybe we all vote on what we think Renee
should bring from her date night menus? Either that, or I'm going to
start dating Renee.

[DONN...@yahoo.com]

Watch out Renee you may have a line forming outside your house on
Friday nights

> > FORKING DELICIOUS!!!!- Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text -

[jwhyt...@msn.com]

OK- This is THE recipe- trust me... You know ,"Date Night" doesn't
just start on Friday evening- It's like foreplay.... it starts early
on in the week- a slow build up to the final explosion- forgive me for
being so blunt- but lets face it- if you've ever had one of those
meals that just does it for you- then you know what I'm talking about!
So.. On with it- I'm snuggling in my PJ's during Fox news- with one
eye on the DISTURBING news nation wide-wondering if GOD forbid one of
my children is the next to disappear- And one eye intently browsing
ONE or TWO of my hundreds of well read cookbooks, looking for that
perfect,mouth watering, memorable Date Night meal....Sometimes it
takes longer than expected but eventually it comes!! WHA LA- there it
is! THE MEAL! The meal I will be looking over at least 50 times for
the next few days-then shopping for the ingredients- going to great
lengths- even running to the supermarket ONE LAST TIME at 5pm on
Friday evening to get the Chives that I forgot earlier in the day...
Who I ask is this driven? Are there others like me? Well- I found
out... Yes..." Forking delicious".. thats who! But anyway- this meal
tonight was found in "Cooks Illustrated" magazine while waiting for
someone at a Dr.'s appt. in the parking lot! Black Pepper encrusted
Filet Mignon-served in a Port Cherry reduction- topped with a blue
cheese and chive butter-Can I tell you all how exciting this meal
was?! I knew it was incredible when Jim screamed out with his eyes
closed ..savoring his entree like it was HIS last meal !! I paired it
up with a creamy parmesan rice, and roasted cauliflower in a mustard/
lemon butter- Roasted cauliflower? I never knew it could be so
delicious! Our salad was mixed greens,mandarin oranges,crumbled blue
cheese and sliced red onion dressed in a honey/orange vinaigrette.
Our Bev. of choice was Monkey Bay- Sauvignon Blanc-New Zealand-which
is very good-smooth and light with pronounced fruit flavors. To round
out the meal- our tradtional Irish coffee's...topped off with fresh
whipping cream and freshly grated nutmeg- THIS my friends....is a meal
that is Dressed to Impress..! Bon Appetit-Renee

[Kathy]

Oh my god, Renee. You have outdone yourself, I am considering
KINAPPING Jim and holding him for recipe ransom. Every week I'll
demand a new meal in return for a part of Jim. (I promise I won't
filet him... but when you've fed me enough to get the whole Jim back,
he'll be alright. A little thinner maybe... and sooo thankful to be
home. I promise I'll feed hime oatmeal the entire time.)

Talk to me about the cherry reduction. What went itno that sauce?