Crabby Egg Salad Crostini

Who doesn't like egg sandwiches? Who doesn't like crab salad? Who doesn't like toast? Why not combine all three in this easy pleasy open-faced tasty, crunchy munchy lunch?

Ingredients

·         EGGS, 3, hard-cooked, yolks and whites chopped separately

·         CRAB MEAT, lump, 1 cup chopped

·         MAYONNAISE, 1/4 cup

·         DIJON MUSTARD, 1 tablespoon

·         PICKLE RELISH, 2 tablespoons

·         RED or SWEET ONION, 2 tablespoons minced

·         TOMATO, 1 medium, skinned and seeded, chopped

·         FRENCH BAGUETTE, sliced on a bias into 1-inch thick crostini

·         OLIVE OIL, couple of tablespoons or so

·         CHEDDAR CHEESE, shredded

·         GARLIC SALT, to taste

·         BLACK PEPPER, freshly ground, to taste

Directions

1.       Roughly chop the egg whites, set aside.

2.       Combine the egg yolks, mayonnaise, mustard, pickle relish and red onion in a bowl.

3.       Add the egg whites and crab, mixing carefully so as not to break up the pieces.

4.       Salt and pepper to taste.

5.       Sprinkle bread with olive oil and shredded cheese, and toast slightly under the broiler until top is crisp. Remove and let cool for a minute or so.

6.       Heap egg/crab filling on top, sprinkle with chopped tomato.

Diana’s Savory Flank Steak

This is a relatively easy dish to make, and will satisfy even the most particular person. It’s not called “savory” for no reason.

Flank steak used to be a very inexpensive cut of beef, but since more people have been utilizing it (guess they learned how to cook it and how delicious it is), the price has risen over the years.

Ingredients (Steak + Marinade)

·         FLANK STEAK, 1

·         RED WINE, Gallo burgundy, 1 cup

·         SOY SAUCE, 2 teaspoons

·         WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE, 1 teaspoon

·         SEASONED SALT, 2 teaspoons

·         GARLIC POWDER, ¼ teaspoon

Ingredients (Sauce)

·         MUSHROOMS, ½ pound sliced

·         CORNSTARCH, 2 teaspoons

·         WATER, ½ cup

·         WINE VINEGAR, 1 tablespoon

·         BUTTER (or margarine), 3 tablespoons

Directions

1.       Combine all the steak marinade ingredients for the steak into a marinade.

2.       Marinate the steak, covered, overnight.

3.       Bring to room temperature and broil for 4 minutes or until medium rare.

4.       Let stand for at least 10 minutes, reserving the pan juices.

5.       Sauté the mushrooms.

6.       Combine the cornstarch, water, and wine vinegar into a slurry.

7.       Bring the pan juices to a boil and reduce by half.

8.       Add in the mushrooms and the wine slurry.

9.       Thicken the sauce with the butter.

10.   Slice the steak into thin strips on an angle, against the grain, arrange on a serving plate and dress with the sauce.

Miso Sauce

Made from fermented soybean paste, miso is an essential ingredient in Japanese cuisine and is especially good as a soup or with seafood (particularly salmon or black cod, aka “sablefish” or “butterfish”).

Here’s a simple miso sauce that I use that can be used as a marinade and/or topping on fish.

Ingredients

• WHITE MISO, 1 cup
• SUGAR, ¼ cup (Or, substitute light-brown sugar or honey)
• SAKE (Japanese rice wine), ¼ cup
• MIRIN (sweet Japanese rice wine), ¼ cup

Combine the ingredients (adjust the sweetness to your taste) and let stand for at least five minutes to allow the flavors to meld. It’s okay to double the ingredients and save the excess in a glass bottle/jar in the fridge. It’ll keep for some time.

I rub it on the fish, letting it marinate for a few minutes, then either broil or pan fry the fish, reserving some of the sauce to spread on the cooked fish when it’s served.

To transform it into a salad dressing, whisk in some neutral-flavor vegetable oil (Canola is good, peanut oil is best).