Stone crab success and other reasons to give thanks.
By Judi Gallagher
Forgive me for not going into details about turkey, stuffing and the various versions of sweet potatoes. I have what you might call turkey fatigue. In fact, since our younger son cooks for a living, we still have one more Thanksgiving dinner to go this week. Post holiday meals always seem a bit less stressful. So what if the turkey is a little dry-- we already had two full turkey dinners and too many leftover sandwiches to count. So, now that I just finished a big steak, spinach salad and grilled vegetables, I am ready to reflect back on a few wonderful events recently- and best of all, none involved even the mention of Pilgrims and cranberry sauce.
Sarasota Magazine executive publisher Jeff Lawenda and his wife, Bonnie.
Stone Crab Fest 2008 at the Colony Beach and Tennis Resort was a total success, with a beautiful evening sky showing the space shuttle launch on Friday evening while an assortment of guest chefs served up stone crab fritters, sliders and what the entire Sarasota Magazine team deemed the best darn raspberry squares we have ever had!
Although I had to miss the cooking demos due to prior commitments, and the fear of exploding from all the good food, I was fortunate to experience the Chef’s Collaboration Dinner Saturday evening. The high note was everything, with Colony chef Jamil Pineda setting the bar with stone crab salad served with ginger aioli. Dinner that evening made even more special by my dining companions, Clarke and Steve Dvoskin. Steve proclaimed the Straight Wharf Lobster Bake with Corn Fondue, Artisanal Chorizo and Littleneck clams to be the “best dish all year.” I think I concur, along with the best wine served being Anthony Bell’s 2002 Clone 6- more. please! Nice change with the Stone Crab Festival now happening in November; the evenings were cool and a wonderful weekend of the sweet luscious stone crabs abound.
Raspberry Guava Bars
Colony Beach and Tennis Resort
Makes 16
Ingredients
½ cup butter or margarine (at room temperature)
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ cup oats (quick-cooking or old-fashioned)
¼ cup raspberry preserves
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Coat an 8x8-inch pan with cooking spray.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until smooth and fluffy.
Mix the flour, baking powder and oats until mixture is combined and crumbly. Reserve ¼ cup of the mixture for topping, and set aside. Pat the remaining mixture into the bottom of prepared baking pan.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine raspberry and guava together until they are a smooth consistency. Then spoon the preserve mixture on top of the oat layer, spreading as much as possible without disturbing the bottom layer. Sprinkle reserved topping on top of preserve layer evenly.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool. When completely cooled, cut into squares and enjoy!