Home accessories: The Novel Bakers Present Apple Week

Crisp autumn air arrived just in time for Apple Week,

presented by The Novel Bakers, a group of readers, friends, and bakers.

Our organizer, Jain, selected a delightful novel to inspire us this month: The Apple Orchard by New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs.

After I read the book, I started to crave apples.

I'd just weathered the Summer of Sickness, battling tick and mosquito bites, and I was eager to stay well. If an apple a day kept the doctor away, then our family needed a bushel.

I was ready to put on my apron and cook.

Bandwidth and I came up with a fresh, early Autumn meal: Apple Crab Cakes and a Crispy

Apple Salad.

The apples 'woke up' the crab meat, adding a fresh, zingy taste. And there's nothing

like apples and homegrown lettuce.

Apple Crab Cakes

Serves: 6

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

3 cans white crab meat, drained

lemon juice (juice of 1/2 lemon)

1/2 cup (less or more; your call) chopped celery

1/4 to 1/2 cup white onion, chopped

1/4 cup shallots, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 heaping tablespoons Duke's Mayonnaise (or more if the mixture if too dry)

1/2 teaspoon honey

1/4 cup peeled and grated apples (I used Granny Smith and Honeycrisp)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning

Sherry

Tabasco and hot pepper flakes (optional)

Salt, freshly ground pepper

all purpose flour (for dredging)

breadcrumbs (plain and Panko, for dredging)

Procedure:

Place drained crab meat in a deep bowl and set aside.

Sautee onions and celery in 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons EVOO until

vegetables are "clear" and tender. Add apples and cook two to four minutes, depending on the texture you want.

Cool.

Add sautéed vegetables/apples to crab meat. (Save the pan to fry cakes.)

Add beaten egg and mix.

Add mayonnaise, honey, Old Bay, sherry, Tabasco, hot pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Add bread crumbs until the mixture isn't sticky and will hold its shape.

Mix well and shape into cakes. Place on a cookie sheet.

Find 2 long, shallow pans. Fill one with all purpose flour and the other with Panko bread crumbs.

One at a time, dip each cake in flour, then in Panko.

Drizzle olive oil in pan. Fry patties in the sautée pan over a medium-high flame. Cook until the cakes are brown, turning once. Transfer cakes to a serving platter (line it with paper towels).

Squeeze a fresh lemon over the cakes, if desired.

Cooking Notes:

Crab cakes can be bland. We like plenty of sautéed vegetables, with generous helpings of mayonnaise and sherry. Two types of bread crumbs help hold the cakes together; panko
crumbs add crunch with every bite.