Beach Dreams

Sometimes I dream about the beach.  I love the idea of lying in the sand, letting the warmth of the sun surround me.  The simple act of doing nothing and closing my eyes to the world is a decadent dream.  I would love to say that I had more time or money for such decadence, but in this season of my life, decadence is elusive.  And that’s ok.

But just because I can’t run off to a tropical beach at a moment’s notice doesn’t mean I can’t mimic the tastes of the coast.  And so, on the rainiest of Michigan days I decided that I was going to take my family on a trip to the beaches of the South.  I created a menu of crispy crab cakes, rice pilaf and a simple vegetable laden salad.  I bought the best lump crab meat I could find (which, up here in the great white north, came in a can) and set about recreating the taste sensations from the beaches I was craving.  Green onions, pimento, lemon zest, mayonnaise and mustard all played important flavor roles.  I also used panko (of course!) as a binder as well as a coating.  They were spectacular.  They were practically all crab, and the sweet flavor of the crab was the star.  They were fresh and light and tasted of sunshine, which was exactly what our homebound, rain-ridden family needed.  The rice pilaf was simple, as was the salad, which was perfect, because a real beach meal should be easy and delicate.  Shouldn’t it?

While I am looking forward to the day when I can lay on the beach, immune from reality, basking in the glow of the sun my Father created, for now I’m content to share the tastes that accompany this dream with the people who love me most.