FOOD WITH MIGUEL MAESTRE KING CRAB Rocky Mountaineer Executive Chef, JP Guerin, takes Miguel to the T & T supermarket in Vancouver to collect some huge crustaceans from the deep - live king crabs. Miguel then heads to the Fairmont Hotel to prepare the most delicious Crab Cakes and gribiche sauce to go with them.
COOKING WITH KING CRABS The king crab can grow large, with a carapace measuring up to about 30cm in width and their leg span around 1.8m. King Crabs are most commonly sold as frozen cooked clusters, three large legs and a claw leg with plenty of meat at the base. The meat is white with a red membrane and has a rich tender texture and sweet delicate flavour. It is surprisingly easy to extract the meat, as the shell of the King Crab is actually very thin & flexible. This can be done by either cutting the legs into pieces when still frozen, or thawing the legs and using scissors to cut lengthwise up the underside of the leg. T&T SUPERMARKET T & T Supermarket features many uniquely Asian food products not available in other retail outlets. Shopping at T & T is like taking a journey through parts of Asia with products from Philippines, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, China and a variety of other Asian countries. The seafood department has fresh fish, shrimps and crabs swim in large holding tanks waiting to be chosen by discerning customers. Apart from the Alaskan King Crab, other exciting finds include the giant elephant clam (Geoduck) with its long trunk, and lobster. http://www.tnt-supermarket.com/ THE FAIRMONT HOTEL VANCOUVER, CANADA Fairmont Hotel Vancouver is known as the 'Castle in the City, with a downtown location, close to shopping, dining and entertainment. Executive Chef, Cameron Ballendine, has worked in locations like China, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, and France, but the west coast of Canada has always been home. He has cooked for Queen Elizabeth ll, former US presidents Bush and Clinton, and Sir Elton John at the Four Seasons Sharm el Sheikh. He has worked with Moet & Chandon and in the kitchens of Dom Perignon s Chateau de Saran with Chef de Cuisine Pascal Tinquad. His international expertise also includes a passion for Chinese cuisine developed during his time in Shanghai. CONTACT DETAILS 900 West Georgia Street
Vancouver British Columbia, Canada Phone: + 1 604 684 3131 http://www.fairmont.com/hotel-vancouver/ ROCKY MOUNTAINEER Rocky Mountaineer has been recognised as one of the world s greatest trips. Operating for 24 years, Rocky Mountaineer has won several World Travel awards and is known as the most spectacular train trip in world and is one of the largest privately owned rail services in North America. Rocky Mountaineer offers 45 Canadian vacations along five unique rail routes. The train journeys travel by daylight offering non-stop scenic experiences of Western Canada. More than half a million guests have travelled on the Rocky Mountaineer, which offers various levels of service including Gold Leaf Service with a la carte meals on a bi-level dome carriage. Rocky Mountaineer prides itself on service, not only on the train journey but also assisting with accommodation bookings and self-drive or sight seeing bus tours. http://www.rockymountaineer.com
RECIPE Crab Cakes Makes 5 cakes 500 g of crab meat (alternatively you could use cooked prawn or white fish meat) 1 red capsicum and yellow finely chopped 3 pink Shallots finely diced 1 /2 bunch coriander washed and finely chopped 3 tbsp Mayonnaise 100g Panko Salt & Pepper to taste Flour to dust cakes 2 eggs whisked Sauce Gribiche 6 eggs cook until soft boiled 2 tbsp capers roughly chopped 5 cornichons roughly chopped 1/2 bunch chives finely chopped 4 sprigs tarragon leaves chopped 1/2 bunch parsley roughly chopped 1 eschallot finely chopped 2 cloves garlic minced 1 tbsp dijon mustard 30 ml extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp sherry vinegar Fennel & radish salad 1 orange, segmented 150 g cherry tomatoes, chopped 1 watermelon radish, thinly sliced (mandolin) 1 bulb fennel, finely sliced (mandolin) Pre-heat the oven to 180c In a mixing bowl add crab meat, the finely chopped capsicum and shallots, chopped coriander and then mayonnaise to bind it together. Season with salt and pepper. Mix together. Roll the above mixture into patties, the size of a meatball. Place the patties into some flour before dipping in the whisked egg and then coating with
breadcrumbs. On a small saucepan fry the patties in a small amount of vegetable oil and over a medium heat then cook them until they are brown on both sides, (being careful to avoid breaking them). Then pop them into the pre-heated oven (180º) for 5 minutes until cooked through. For the sauce Gribiche Soft boil six eggs (place the eggs in boiling water for six minutes and then place the eggs in ice water to stop them cooking). Add the chopped cornichons and capers. Add garlic and shallots, along with fresh tarragon, chives and parsley. Add a spoonful of Dijon mustard and olive oil then season with salt and pepper. Whisk all the ingredients all together and add vinegar to balance. Serve with side salad
WEBLINKS For further information on the Rocky Mountaineer or anything else in the story take a look at the following websites: http://www.rockymountaineer.com/ http://www.tnt-supermarket.com/ http://www.fairmont.com/hotel-vancouver/