Grilled Vegetables Salad With Crab Cakes And Saffron Aioli Recipes

SAFFRON ALIOLI

Steps:

• Put saffron threads in a small cup, then add hot water and let stand 5 minutes.
• Purée saffron mixture with remaining ingredients in a mini food processor or a blender until smooth.

LENTIL AND ARUGULA SALAD WITH SAFFRON AIOLI

Steps:

• Cook the lentils in salted water, covered, for 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool. Add the shallot, vinegar and olive oil and toss well. Set aside.
• Make the saffron aioli. Peel the garlic cloves and mash them with half a teaspoon of salt in a mortar and pestle. Add the egg yolk and mix in thoroughly. Gradually add the olive oil little by little beating continually until you have a thick emulsion (this can also be done in a blender). Add the vinegar by the tablespoon to thin the sauce.
• Soften the saffron in the warm water. Add it to the aioli and mix in with a chopstick or a small fork. Let it sit for an hour or so, refrigerated, to develop the flavor.
• Thoroughly wash and dry the arugula. Arrange the leaves either on an individual plate or a large serving dish and spoon the lentils in the center. Serve with the aioli.

CRAB FRITTERS WITH HERB SALAD AND MEYER LEMON AïOLI

Steps:

• For aioli:
• Place mayonnaise in small bowl. Whisk in lemon juice, lemon peel, mustard, and vinegar. Gradually whisk in oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
• For fritters and salad:
• Whisk egg yolks and crème fraîche in small bowl to blend. Combine crabmeat, chives, shallot, and chopped parsley in medium bowl. Gently mix in mushrooms and yolk mixture. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover crab mixture and chill.)
• Beat egg whites in medium bowl until stiff but not dry; fold into crab mixture. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. For each fritter, drop 1/4 of crab mixture (about 1/2 cup) into skillet, spacing mounds apart. Sprinkle each with salt and pepper and flatten slightly. Cook fritters until bottoms are brown, about 3 minutes. Turn fritters over. Cook until bottoms are brown and fritters are cooked through, about 3 minutes longer. Meanwhile, whisk oil and lemon juice in medium bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in herbs.
• Transfer fritters to plates. Top each fritter with dollop of aioli. Place herb salad alongside and serve.