Tampa: Deviled Crabs at La Cubanita

One of my best childhood memories is going down to the docks in Tampa with my Dad and getting deviled crabs at Seabreeze Restaurant. They'd come out steaming hot and we'd load em up with hot sauce and eat em outside by the water... never mind the smell of the bay or the industrial nature of the area. I've had them since at Alessi and other spots, but they never seem to be quite as good at Seabreeze. (Maybe it's the moment in time.)

Today, I popped by my favorite Cuban place near my parents house (La Cubanita Cafe) for some cafe con leche. When I saw "Deviled Crabs" on their daily menu, I had to order one. I brought it home to split it with my Dad. Damned if it wasn't pretty close to what I remember. If you haven't had a Tampa-style deviled crab before, here's what you do:

1) Remove from the bag and breathe it in.

2. Break it in half to check out the quality of the crab meat inside. Lump meat... awww yeah!

3. Rip hot sauce packet open with your teeth and drizzle over the top until well saturated (to taste). Stuff it in your gullet.

UPDATE: I just popped by La Cubanita again this morning for cafe con leche and Cuban toast and chatted with the owner about how good the deviled crabs were. Turns out there's good reason why his taste better than Alessi's. Alessi's uses frozen ones from the distributor. He used to also, but eight years ago, he got his shipment in and the crab meat was poor quality and they had ketchupy taste (ed note: and I think they come out soft instead of crisp when you bite into them). Then and there he decided La Cubanita would hand make their own deviled crabs in the shop. As he said, "Ingredients matter. I use quality crab meat to ensure a good filling and Japanese panko bread crumbs to get the crispy outside."

For the purported recipe of the famed Seabreeze Restaurant deviled crabs, click here. Maybe one day I'll attempt it. (Dear Santa, please bring me a Fry Baby)

In the mean time, who do you think has the best deviled crabs in Tampa?

La Cubanita is located at 3240 Lithia Pinecrest Road in Valrico, FL.  

Sausage, Spinach and Mushroom Risotto with Parmesan

While home for Christmas, my Mom asked me to teach her how to make risotto. I guess she'd tried it before and it came out gummy. She and my Dad ended up dumping it and going out to dinner.

I learned risotto from Giada and, for whatever reason, I took to it. Risotto's my go to thing. Provided I have arborio rice (risotto), I can make it with virtually anything in the kitchen. The other thing I love about it is, you don't have to be exact. Measurements, schmeasurements... it's done when it tastes right. A little too thick, add liquid... Too soupy, cook it down... too bland... add something tasty.

The main thing risotto takes is time. You have to hang out by the burner with your spoon and your wine for a good 30-40 minutes. But the reward, mmmm! (And, I love the process too.) Here's what I did last night, but you can tweak it with any cheese, protein or vegetables you have around:

Sausage, Spinach & Mushroom Risotto with Parmesan
Main Course Serving Size for 4

Ingredients
2 cups arborio rice (approx)
1 bottle of cheap white wine
1 carton of chicken broth
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic (chopped as fine as you can get em)
1 link andouille sausage (you can use more, this is just what we had in the fridge)
1 cup parmesan cheese (I prefer the grated to the powdery kind, but both work)
2 handfuls spinach
1 cup mushrooms

[Note: for vegetarian version, use vegetable broth and omit sausage]

Directions

1. Pour yourself a glass of wine. Heat burner to medium high.
2. In a stock pot (you want it to be fairly deep, the rice is gonna grow a lot,) coat bottom of pain thinly with olive oil and toss in the garlic. Cook til translucent.
3. Add the rice. Yes. Straight into the pot on top of the garlic and olive oil. Give it a slight stir so the rice gets a nice olive oil and garlic coating and then step back. Don't stir. This is the biggest risotto lesson. Like an awesomely bad Kenny Rogers bar song, you gotta know when to stir and when to walk away. You want the rice to toast. It'll start getting a light brown coloring and you'll smell it toasting. OK, now give it a stir. And let it sit til the rest of the rice gets toasty.
4. Now you can add liquid. I alternate wine and broth. It doesn't so much matter the order, but I usually start with broth. Add one cup, stir into the rice and step back. Let it cook down until almost all of the broth has been absorbed.
5. Now add one cup of wine. Stir (only enough that it doesn't stick to the bottom as it thickens.) Step back. 
6. Relax. Drink your wine, chat with friends, watch Days of Our Lives that you've DVR'd guiltily. For the next half hour or so, you'll alternate wine and broth. Stir. Let it absorb. Repeat. There are life lessons in risotto. Good things take time. Some times, it's best to let it lie. You know the drill.
7. Know how you know it's almost done? Not the clock, not the number of cups of liquid added... no... it's when you taste it and you are like, OMFG this needs to get in my belly. Is your risotto there? Ok, now add 3/4 of your cheese and your sausage with your next round of liquid. Stir it all in and let it absorb. (If your sausage is uncooked, toss it in and cook it in the broth, your risotto will absorb the awesome flavors.)
8. When it's cheesy awesomeness is absorbed and the rice tastes perfect but it's still slightly liquidy, you're done (you don't want to cook it down too much because even after you take it off the heat, it's still going to reduce... you want it perfect at the table. If it's perfect on the stove, by the time it gets to the table it'll be overcooked.) Toss the spinach on top and stir. Portion into bowls and top with shredded parmesan. 

Hope you try it and love it! Let me know what you think or if you have other risotto tips to share in the comments or tweet me @floridagirlindc.

PS. Got leftover risotto? Add a little liquid before you reheat it to get it the right consistency. Or, form it into patties, coat with breadcrumbs and fry up into Risotto Patties or Risotto Balls (Aranciata if you wanna be fancy!)

PSS. Like this? Check out my Butternut Squash and Vanilla Risotto or Parmesan Risotto with Ramps, Morels and Asparagus blog posts.

Learning How to Decorate Christmas Cookies from Gail Dosik

Way before I was thinking about Christmas, Cathy (aka Mrs. Wheelbarrow) emailed me and told me Gail was coming to town to teach a cookie decorating class. I'll admit, I signed up to just to meet Gail. You see, Gail and I are those nerdy Twitter pals who've talked for gosh, years? but never met. We talk food, Ike, Morning Joe. She's my kinda gal... and she also happens to be one of the most talented bakers in New York City and the owner of One Tough Cookie.

Then I found out who else was coming... cookbook authors, food editors, food writers... all cool chicks that I admire. Talk about intimidating. You see, even though I fancy myself an artist and novice cook, my cookie decorating was always plain sloppy. Luckily, once I settled in, I realized everyone was thinking the same thing.

Gail gave us the basic tools - pastry bags, tips, flat pastry spatula and the game changer, rolling pin bands. She also gave us her stiff and flood icing recipes which I won't reveal here (take her class though, and you'll be gifted!), but suffice to say, these results can not be attained with store bought icing. Despite begging, Gail's cookie recipe remains a trade secret... and who can blame her. They are the perfect balance - not cloyingly sweet, firm enough to decorate, but not hard.


She gave great tips and step-by-step directions (we practiced a lot first on parchment paper with designs to trace underneath). What do you think of the results? Obviously, I'm only showing you my favorites - I ate the ugliest ones to hide the evidence!

The class photo and info on other classes after the jump...

Sparkling Cranberry Brie Crackers

I stumbled upon Yummy Mummy's Sparkling Cranberry Brie Bites on Pinterest about a month ago and pinned them to my Thanksgiving Menu. I got all of the ingredients, but didn't realize you had to start them the day before (story of my life) so they got 86'd. Then I was going to make them for a tree decorating party, but ran out of time. But I was determined to make them so why not tonight to take to an impromptu cookie and wine house party...

Sparkling Cranberry Brie Bites

I subbed a cranberry pepper jelly I found at Whole Foods for Mummy's chutney... and I was too lazy to go snip mint from the community garden today, so mine aren't quite as pretty as hers. But, they taste amazing and the cranberries look like they are covered in a morning frost.  Get the recipe here and try them for your upcoming Christmas parties!

Deep-Fried Bacon-Wrapped Peanut Butter Cups at The Passenger

Last night, I was flying back in from Chicago. Easy peasy into DCA. Except something or other wasn't cool with landing gear of some sort (the flaps not the wheels thankfully), so we got diverted to Dulles to take advantage of the longer runways... much appreciated as I wasn't interested in a winter dip into the Potomac. But after that, I needed a drink, so I met Marshall, Sylvie, Alejandra and crew at The Passenger where I saw this sign.

I mean, when life gives you deep-fried, bacon-wrapped, peanut butter cups in a Coca-Cola tempura batter... in my book, you owe them a try. I didn't even take a picture because they basically look like fried blobs on a stick, but boy, they taste damn good. Try to get by The Passenger while Chef Joe still has 'em on the board.

The Passenger is located at 1021 7th Street NW, Washington, DC. You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter for the latest cocktail and menu concoctions.