The Deans Divide
Suzanne Pollak
She Crab Soup - one of us can't get enough and the other won't touch it. Dean Pollak stated "it's just like drinking heavy cream", and Dean Manigault said, "Exactly!"
Dean Pollak thinks fresh picked crab is tastier cold and luxurious all on it's own. She wants as little tampering with the pristine jumbo lump crabmeat as possible. She likes a squeeze of lemon and a few twists of black pepper, no more. Dean Manigault, on the other hand, thinks that hot and creamy crab is the bees knees, be it in a soup, puff pastry, or in a souffle. Dean Pollak just realized that if you were to break down the Deans go to flavor profiles, Dean Manigault prefers hot and creamy, and Dean Pollak dry and crispy. Examples can be found in our different preferences for Thanksgiving stuffing (p 119 of our book), fried oysters and crab preparation. If you live in South Carolina, you can catch the crabs yourself. Crabbing is such a fun activity to do with friends and family. Just grab some chicken parts, string, a bucket to fill with sea water and crabs, and a long handled net. Find shallow sea water near the shore and start crabbing. Picking the crab clean is a bit of a chore, but the end result is well worth the effort.
"Lowcountry Crabbers" by Charleston artist Doug Grier
One of Dean Manigault's favorite soups is from our friend Paula Deen. Don't forget to watch us on her new network. We are in the Naked Hot Wings segment and the Leftover Do Over Chicken Pot Pie segment. Here are two recipes to use for your crab!
SHE CRAB SOUP
(from Paula Deen)
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup chopped green onion, with tops
2 teaspoons minced garlic
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups fish stock
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 pound crabmeat, picked free of shell
1/4 cup sherry
1/2 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
1. Sauté chopped green onion and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in flour, stirring until well blended. Slowly add 2 cups of the fish stock, continuing to cook until smooth and bubbly. Slowly add cream and milk. Stir in crabmeat. Add sherry, lemon-pepper seasoning, salt and white pepper.
2. Simmer until piping hot; adjust seasoning (sherry, salt, and pepper) to taste.
3. Serve in bowls topped with cheese and chives.
Dean Pollak's favorite way to eat crab:
Pick jumbo lump crab meat carefully to remove the cartilage, leaving the crab piece in tact. Chill crabmeat. Snip chives on top, add a slice of lemon and serve in cocktail glasses.