Chilled Crab Cakes With A Tropical Fruit Coulis Recipes

FRUIT KABOBS WITH TROPICAL FRUIT COULIS

Steps:

• Thread 4 to 6 pieces of fruits (except mangoes) on each of twenty-four 6-inch skewers. Place skewers on large serving platter; set aside.
• In food processor, place mango pieces and pineapple preserves. Cover and process until smooth; pour into small serving bowl. Serve kabobs with mango coulis.

CHILLED CRAB CAKES WITH A TROPICAL FRUIT COULIS

Steps:

• Pureé the cantaloupe in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment until smooth. Pour into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
• Purée the pineapple until smooth. Combine pineapple purée with cantaloupe purée.
• Tie the fresh cilantro leaves in a 5-inch-square piece of cheesecloth. Add sachet to purée. Add lemon juice and stir to combine.
• Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight. Before serving, taste and adjust seasoning with a pinch of sugar, if necessary.
• Combine crabmeat, lemon juice, cilantro, fish sauce, and jalapeño in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Fold carefully with a rubber spatula to prevent breaking up lumps of crabmeat.
• Place a ring mold, cookie cutter, or PVC piping that is about 2 inches tall and 2 1/2 inches wide on each of 4 chilled plates.
• With a teaspoon, scoop about 1/4 of the avocado from the shell and place at the bottom of the mold. Pack it down lightly with the back of the spoon.
• Place 1 tablespoon of mango on top of the avocado and press down gently.
• Top with 1/4 of crabmeat mixture and smooth off the top with the flat side of the knife. Carefully remove ring mold.
• Repeat process on the 3 remaining plates. Ladle Tropical Fruit Coulis around the edges of the crab mold and serve chilled.

SEARED CRAB CAKE WITH CORN RELISH, ROASTED TOMATO AND PEPPER COULIS

Steps:

• For the corn relish: Add the milk and 2 cups water to a 3- to 4-quart pot and bring to a simmer. When it's at a simmer, stir in the butter, salt and sugar; give it a few minutes until the butter has melted. Place the corn in the pot, cover and cook until tender, about 45 minutes. Remove the corn and cool down enough to handle, and then cut off the kernels with a knife. (Hint: it will be easier to remove the kernels off the cob if still warm.) Mix together the corn, vinegar, cilantro, shallots, garlic and salt and black pepper to taste in a large bowl.
• For the coulis: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. As that is working, mix together the oil, vinegar, shallots, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, cilantro and some salt and white pepper in a large bowl. Make sure to coat the ingredients evenly with the oil. Place on a baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes, and then transfer to a blender and mix until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Set aside.
• For the crab cakes: Turn the oven down to 350 degrees F. Mix together the breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, cilantro, egg, onions and peppers in a large bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes while you open and drain the crabmeat. Once the crab is drained of all excess liquid, fold it into the breadcrumb mixture. Form into 8 equal crab cakes. Heat oil to 350 degrees F in a saute pan, and then sear the crab cakes until golden brown on both sides. Transfer to the oven to for 10 minutes.
• To plate this dish, we use an 8-inch round white plate. First, place a small amount of the corn relish in the center. Place the browned crab cakes directly onto the corn. Finally, spoon a few ounces of the coulis around the corn and serve.

TROPICAL-FRUIT CREPE CAKE

Steps:

• Pastry cream: In a large sauce-pan, bring milk, coconut, and salt to just under a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand until cool, about 2 hours. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve; discard solids.
• In a medium saucepan, whisk together granulated sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in egg yolks, then milk mixture. Stir in butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then continue to cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Pass mixture through fine-mesh sieve. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto surface of pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
• Crêpes: Combine flour, granulated sugar, salt, milk, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter in a blender. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Lightly brush an 8-inch non-stick skillet or crêpe pan with butter. Heat over medium until just starting to smoke. Remove from heat and pour a scant 2 tablespoons batter into center, swirling to cover bottom. Cook until edges are golden and center is dry, about 30 seconds. Flip and cook about 20 seconds more. Slide crêpe onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining batter, brushing skillet with more butter and adjusting heat as needed; stack crêpes as you go (you should end up with about 40). Let cool completely. Crêpes can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days.
• Whisk chilled pastry cream to remove any lumps. In a medium bowl, whip 1 cup heavy cream to stiff peaks. Fold into pastry cream. Place a crêpe on a flat serving dish. Spread about 1/4 cup pastry cream onto crêpe. Repeat process with remaining crêpes and pastry cream, finishing with a crêpe. Refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• To serve, whip remaining 1 cup heavy cream with confectioners' sugar to stiff peaks. Arrange pineapple slices on top of cake, overlapping slightly. Dollop whipped cream on top and garnish with toasted coconut.

TROPICAL FRUIT CAKES

Steps:

• Grease and lightly flour eight 1-cup fluted tube pans or six 4-1/2x2-1/2x1-1/2-inch individual loaf pans and set pans aside.
• In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
• In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds, add brown sugar; beat until combined.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed until combined (The batter may appear curdled).
• Combine 1/4 cup rum or pineapple juice, 1/4 cup pineapple juice, the corn syrup, ginger, and vanilla.
• Add flour mixture and rum mixture alternately to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.
• Fold in fruit bits and nuts.
• Spread batter in prepared pan.
• Bake in a 325 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes for fluted tube pans or 30 to 35 minutes for loaf pans or until a toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean.
• Cool cakes in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool at least 1 hour on racks.
• Poke holes in cakes using a wooden toothpick or bamboo skewer.
• Soak eight or six 8-inch-square pieces of double thickness 100-percent cotton cheesecloth with the 1/3 cup rum or pineapple juice and wrap each cake in rum- or juice-soaked cheesecloth.
• Wrap each cake tightly in foil or seal in a plastic bag.
• Chill in refrigerator for 24 hours.
• Remove foil or remove cakes from bags; drizzle with 1/4 cup rum or pineapple juice. Rewrap with foil or return to plastic bags and refrigerate at least 24 hours.
• Remove cheesecloth before serving.
• If desired, sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar. Makes 6 or 8 cakes (24 servings).
• Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare Tropical Fruit Cake as directed through until the 24 hr chill, except refrigerate up to 5 days. (Or prepare Tropical Fruit Cakes as directed through up to 24 hr chill, except do not sprinkle with powdered sugar. Place in self-sealing freezer bags. Seal, label, and freeze up to 3 months.)
• To serve, thaw frozen cakes in freezer bags in the refrigerator overnight. Serve as directed.