Buttery Crab Bread Pudding from The River Cottage Fish Book

A far nicer photograph from Food and Wine
@Kate Mathis

         When I came across this recipe in February’s Food and Wine, I tried to resist it.  With its glorious crabmeat peeking out from layers and layers of French bread and creamy egg-y custard, I though it would be far too rich, far too full of carbohydrates and just far too all the way around.  But then when I pointed it out to Andrew, he too had glommed onto the irresistibility of the dish.  So I made it.  And I am so glad I did!  It is not heavy at all. Its richness comes from the crab and not the custard.  Lemon juice lightens the whole dish and I confess to cutting back on the butter and using a delicious whole wheat baguette to cushion the carb count.  It was simply delicious served with a green  salad.  There were leftovers, which I brought to a friend and disappointed Andrew who was looking forward to another delicious go at it.  And where did this delicious concoction come from?

Melissa Clark’s Chicken Dijon

Melissa Clark 

   

I love Melissa Clark and not only because she has the 5th most popular post on Chewing the Fat...see            http://www.chewingthefat.us.com/2011/05/melissa-clarks-mothers-recipe-for-thyme.html).  She consistently creates truly accessible recipes for readers of her  New York Times weekly column “In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite”.  And I love her because she shares my passion for dark meat chicken.  She adores the thigh for its flavor but, according to this recipe, her true love is the drumstick.  She is a huge fan of how easily drumsticks brown and how juicy they are.  And she’s advocate of cooking one chicken part per dish when she can.  Chicken is notorious for cooking unevenly which explains why dried out breasts are often accompanied by undercooked thighs.  When you confine yourself to one chicken part, you largely eliminate that possibility. And if you, like me, are a Costco shopper, you’re likely buying packages of various chicken parts including those containing 5 lovely  drumsticks