Kendall Jackson

[mrdutton]

Technically they could label this stuff as Zinfandel. It is 76% Zin and 24% Syrah. What am I talking about?

Vintage 1998. This wonderful spicy, fruity wine is just up my alley. Not a lot of hot alcohol, lots of fruit on the nose and on the palate with a decent amount of peppery spice from the syrah.

They could call it Zinfandel, but I am glad that Kendall-Jackson decided on Collage instead.

This stuff is great with grilled anything. I especially liked it with my hamburgers and also with my Maryland style crab cakes - cuz them suckers is spicy!

Mike's Southern Style Crab Cakes (formerly known as Mike's Maryland Style Crab Cakes):

1 lb Lump crab meat.
Worchestershire sauce (about 1 tsp.)
One egg
Mayonnaise (about 4 tbs.)
Lemon Juice (about 1 tsp. fresh)
Sweet Red Bell peppers (about 2 tbs.)
Sweet Green Bell peppers (about 2 tbs.)
Onion (about 2 tbs.)
Butter (sufficient to sautee the above 3)
Parsley Flakes (about 1 tsp.)
Dijon Mustard (about 1 tsp.)
Old Bay or Phillips Seasoning (to taste)

Fine chop red and green pepper along with onion and saute with butter until translucent.

Meanwhile, whisk together the egg, worchestershire sauce, mustard, mayo, Old Bay, parsley flakes and lemon juice.

Fold the sauted mixture into the sauce, set aside in the refrigerator. Sauce should be fairly thick, add mayo if required to thicken to a ketchup "like" consistency.

Carefully pick through the crab meat to remove any shells without breaking up the lumps. Place the crab meat in a very large mixing bowl.

Pour the refrigerated sauce over the crab meat. Fold the crab meat over until the sauce is evently distributed with the meat. Do this very carefully to avoid breaking up the lumps of crab meat.

Refrigerate for about 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the sauce to set-up a bit.

Form approximately five patties with the mixture and place on a buttered cookie sheet or shallow pan. Spoon a bit of fresh lemon juice over each patty and then season with the Old Bay or Phillips Seafood Spice. Place in the freezer, allowing the crab cakes to firm up a bit.

Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 375-400. When at temperature, place the crab cakes about mid-level and bake them for about 15 minutes. Switch over to the broiler setting and then cook them only long enough to brown the outside of the cakes.

Serve immediately with fixings such as fresh tomato slices, potato salad, corn on the cob, or other such summer delights.

Really try these with the Kendall-Jackson Collage. If you can't handle that thought then try a Pinot Grigio or a Sauv Blanc. But go red first.........

(Editor's notes: I changed the title of the recipe to calm down all the Maryland purist's. I reluctantly added approximate ingrediant quantities. When I cook, I don't really pay much attention to measurements. Hope this helps a bit.)

[This message has been edited by mrdutton (edited 07-12-2001).]