The Crab Cake Competition

Good morning all. I all of my beloved foodies are doing well out there! It is ANOTHER rainy dreary day here in Chicago. I swear it's been raining here for a month straight. If I wanted weather like this I would move to Seattle or London.
Well it's Father's Day week and everyone here is busy trying to get all the gifts out to Dads across the country in time. I ordered my Father's Day gift the other day, and I really think my Step Dad is going to LOVE it. He is a big meat eater, he had never tried out Bison Sampler before and unfortunately he was out of town on business while I was preparing my Bison Steaks & Burgers (and so disappointed he couldn't' partake). So I ordered him his very own Bison Sampler for Father's Day. It should be at the house on Saturday morning. So I just have to hope the dry ice holds out so I can keep it hidden in the cooler until Sunday.
Yesterday Andy and I were in the kitchen preparing some crab cakes. One crab cake was just like our Maryland Style Crab Cakes, and the other was a reformulated version of the same thing. I think the vendor wanted to know if we could tell the difference. Anyone looking at the following pictures for even a split second will be able to tell the difference between these two crab cakes. they both pretty much tasted the same but the texture was worlds apart. I know who the winner is of this contest. What do you guys think?


I'm sure you can see the difference by now. And no worries...we have no intentions on selling the "reformulated" version :)

Bison Burger Images

*Phew*... This is a LOT of Bison Pictures! Hopefully everyone has enjoyed my little bison education chapter. I know I enjoyed preparing and enjoying everything!

Bison Steak Images

And here are my pictures from my Soy Marinaded Bison Steak recipe this weekend. Soon I will post the images from Bison Burgers last night. Enjoy!

Awesome BBQ Bison Burgers

Last night I grilled up my Bison Burgers from my Bison Sampler. I really didn't have a good Bison burger recipe, so before I left the office for the day, I got together with our Creative Director and creator of the Lobster Gram Cooking Manual, Nancy and we created a BBQ sauce with simple directions and complex flavor. Here is the video from the recipe, and I will be working on these pictures as well as the pictures from the Bison Strip Steaks & Rib eyes to post very soon. Happy eating foodies!



Nancy & Nikki's BBQ Bison Burger Recipe

• 4 1/4 lb Bison Burgers
  
• 1 Cup Sweet Baby Ray's Award Winning BBQ Sauce (Original)
  
• 1 Tsp Sea Salt
  
• 1 Tsp Pepper
  
• 1 Tsp Ground Garlic
  
• 1 Tsp Ground Thyme
  
• 1 Tbs Brown Sugar
  
• 1 Shot of Jack Daniels
  
• Spray on Olive Oil (such as Pam)

Directions
In a mixing bowl, combine BBQ sauce and other ingredients and blend well. Spray Bison Burgers with olive oil. Using a rubber spatula, cover one side of burger with BBQ Sauce and flip. Cover other side of burger and set to the side. Repeat this with all burgers.
Heat electric grill on high (5) and sear burgers for 1-2 minutes per side. Turn grill heat down to low (3) and cook burgers 4 minutes per side. When burgers are about 4 minutes from being done, give them another slathering of BBQ sauce and lay your cheese on the burger to melt.
Remove burgers form heat when cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Soy Marinaded Bison Steaks

Good Monday morning Foodies! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I know I did. Over the weekend I brought home some Bison Strip Steaks and Bison Rib Eye Steaks to marinade and grill. The recipe was super easy, and after letting them sit over night they grilled up to perfection on the outdoor grill. I really love preparing our Bison from Lobster Gram for several reasons...after you read through this list, perhaps you will consider trying bison next time too!

• Lower in calories, fat and cholesterol than chicken, beef and pork
• Higher in protein than chicken, beef and pork
• Our Lobster Gram Bison is FREE RANGE
• Hormone free
• Antibiotic free
• Fed Natural Grains and Hay

After all of these excellent health benefits, the bison steaks taste almost identical to a prime beef steak. Only the chef will know just how healthy the meal is! Well, here is my video and the recipe is below the video window. I can't wait to share some more of my bison adventures with you guys! I will be back with images soon!

Bison Marinade Ingredients
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup aged balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. fresh crushed or minced garlic
1 Tbsp. minced dried onion
1 tsp. hot sauce or to taste (optional)
Ground black pepper to taste
Two 10 oz. Bison Strip steaks
Two 10 oz. Bison Ribeye steaks

Directions
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl with a whisk, then pour the marinade into a 1-gallon plastic bag. Add the Bison steaks and place in refrigerator, laying flat, for at least 4 hrs. or, better yet, overnight. Remove from marinade and sear both sides on a hot grill. Then, turn the heat down to medium and cook “Low and Slow” until medium rare, about 4-5 minutes per side. Use tongs, never a fork, to turn. Times will vary - be careful not to overcook! Let stand 10-15 minutes before cutting.

Images from Broiled Maine Lobster Tails Au Gratin

And here are some of the images from my Maine Lobster Tails Au Gratin Recipe. If you want to see all of them, you can by visiting my Flickr photo stream! Happy eating Foodies!

Broiled Maine Lobster Tails Au Gratin

Good afternoon foodies! I hope everyone had an awesome weekend...I know I did! I took some vacation time last week to celebrate my 25th Birthday. It was nice to get some time to relax and get back to a normal pace, but it makes everything seem so much more rushed when I get back to the office. I guess that's the great trade off. Well, before I started my awesome Staycation, I made some Broiled Maine Lobster Tails Au Gratin. This recipe was pretty simple, and absolutely mouth watering. I also show everyone how easy it is to butterfly a Lobster Tail so it looks like the lobster you would order in a nice restaurant. I have some great images on the way as well, so get ready to drool! I need to choose a recipe for this week, and I think I'm leaning towards a good steak recipe. I have been meaning to do one for a while and I think it's time. I'll let you guys know what I come up with on that one.


Ingredients

• 4 Maie
Lobster tails (6-7 oz. each)

• 2 Tbsp. breadcrumb


• 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese


• 1 Tbsp. fresh minced parsley


• 1 dash paprika


• 1 Tbsp. butter, melted


• 2 Tbsp. dry white wine


• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice


• 1 clove garlic, crushed

Directions
First, you need to prep your tails. With kitchen scissors, cut lengthwise through the top of the lobster shell (the round, hard side of the shell). Note: When cutting the shell, you will also be cutting through the lobster meat which is okay - this butterflies the meat for you and makes a very nice presentation. If you wish to remove the digestive tract (the dark line that runs along the length of the tail), this is a good time to do that as well. Then pry open the shell using your fingers. Starting at the wide end, carefully loosen meat from bottom of shell, keeping meat attached at the small tail end. Lift meat through the cut shell opening and place on top of shell. Combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley and paprika in a small bowl. Stir in melted butter. Set aside.Combine wine, lemon juice and garlic, and stir well. Brush lobster with half of wine mixture. Broil 5" from heat for 9 minutes, or until lobster meat turns opaque. Watch closely to avoid overcooking. Baste after the first 5 minutes with the rest of the wine mixture. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over tails at the end of 9 minutes, then broil an additional 30 seconds or until golden brown.