The Heirloom Pan: I Dream of Crabs and Iced Tea

Monday, April 29, 2013

I Dream of Crabs and Iced Tea

This past Saturday, I woke up dreaming about Maryland's iconic blue crabs, which someone told me is a "new one" since "usually people wake up thinking about bacon". Which kinda sounds like a euphemism for 'That's weird!'. Which is actually not weird at all considering I'm pescetarian and crab benedict is absolutely phenomenal for breakfast. Since everyone is so hashtag crazy these days, I'd just like that person to know that ~~#MyPalateIsMoreSophisticatedThanYours~~ #CrabIsBetterThanBacon #MindYourBusiness #NoThankYouWouldHaveSufficed

On Sunday, it was iced tea. The unfiltered, verbatim quote that I remember from my dream is, "If I have one more disgusting glass of iced tea up here! These [northern] folks need to learn that it's okay to add a few tablespoons of sugar or honey or citrus to your tea while it's brewing." Obviously, I was scarred by that unmemorable glass of orange blossom iced tea that I had at a local restaurant the day before. Lol...

"Aha! Why don't I try them together!" I thought. Good idea. So, yesterday, I made a proper glass of iced tea (see recipe below) and had steamed crabs for the first time. I was in heavennnnnn! The crabs were only $1 per crab (quite a bargain) and I even got a lesson on picking crabs at the crab shop. The Old Bay coating was delicious and crab meat was divine. Yeah, this is gonna be a problem...

A Proper Glass of Iced Tea

Ingredients:

1 cup water
1 tbsp honey
2 lime wedges
1 sprig mint
1 bag of your favorite tea

Directions:

Add water to a small pot and bring to a boil. Stir in honey, squeezed lime wedges and mint. Add tea bag. Cover with a lid and steep according to package directions. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then add to a tall glass filled with ice cubes.

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More about me...

I grew up in the rolling hills of North Mississippi with four large garden plots directly adjacent to my home. I spent my summers sowing fields, eating fresh, homegrown produce, and steering clear of indigenous reptiles.

My first food memory is shelling purple hull peas with purple-stained fingers at our kitchen table, and most of the early part of my life revolved around food. As a family, we farmed the land. We hunted the woods. We fished the lakes. We raised our own pigs. We foraged the native foods that grew wild around us (such as blackberries, plums, muscadines, and poke salad). Quite naturally, we also did a lot of cooking. So, it's no surprise that I take the Virginia Wolfe approach to life: "one cannot think well, love well, sleep well unless one has dined well."

At age 23, I became pesceterian. Some people tell me, I've lost my southern roots. I find that absurdity pretty funny. I find solace in my buttery, delicious cornbread muffins. As I strive to live healthier and continue to expand my culinary repertoire, I build on the history and traditions that have brought me and sustained me thus far.