The Nantucket Restaurants Cookbook: Menus and Recipes from the Faraway Isle Hardcover - 2001

Oysters with Gazpacho Vinaigrette

2 oz. green beans (1 inch lengths)
1 red bell pepper, minced
1 celery stalk, minced
1/2 medium red onion, minced
1/2 large cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded, minced
juice of 2 limes
2 strips lime zest (1 inch wide)
1 cup V-8 juice
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
1 tsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
6 dashes Tabasco sauce
salt and pepper
36 oysters
crushed ice or fresh greens for serving
lemon wedges

1.Fill a bowl with ice water. To blanch the beans, bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat, add the green beans, and cook until crisp and bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the beans, then immediately plunge them into ice water to cool. Drain and finely mince.
2.In a bowl, mix together the bell pepper, celery, onion, cucumber, blanched beans, and lime juice and zest and let sit for 2 or 3 minutes.
3.Stir in the V-8, oil, cilantro, vinegar, ginger, Tabasco, salt, and pepper and let sit for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 days refrigerated).
4.Clean and open the oysters. Arrange them on crushed ice or fresh greens. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and add lemon wedges for garnish. Just before serving pour 1 teaspoon of the vinaigrette over each oyster.


Mixed Nantucket Field Greens with Arugula Oil and Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette

2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
julienned zest of 1 lemon
1 bunch of arugula
1 tbsp. minced shallots
1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp. chopped garlic
1/4 tsp. anchovy paste
salt to taste
2 quarts field greens

1.In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring 1 cup of the olive oil to 200 F (it will be too hot to touch but not yet smoking) and add the julienned lemon zest. Cover the pan, turn off the heat, and let sit for 2 hours. Transfer the oil and zest to a bottle and let sit at room temperature, covered, for at least 2 days. You can then store the lemon oil in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
2.To make the arugula oil, in a food processor, puree the arugula with the remaining cup of olive oil. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover, and let sit overnight in the refrigerator before straining through a fine sieve. Arugula oil will keep for 5 days in the refrigerator.
3.In a bowl, combine the shallots, vinegar, mustard, rosemary, grated lemon zest, garlic, anchovy paste, and salt and whisk to combine. Slowly drizzle in 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the lemon oil, whisking constantly to combine the ingredients smoothly.
4.Toss the field greens with the dressing to taste and mound on each plate. Drizzle with arugula oil and serve.


Maryland Crab Cake

8 oz. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb. jumbo lump crabmeat, well drained
2 1/2 tbsp. chopped scallions
1 tbsp. strained fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 tsp. dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
generous dash of Tabasco sauce
generous dash of Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 to 4 tbsp. clarified butter or flavorless oil

1.To prepare the crab cake mixture, lay the shrimp out on a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour so the shrimp are semifrozen and firm but not frozen solid
2.In a medium bowl, gently mix together the crab, scallions, parsley, lemon juice, mustard, white pepper, salt, Tabasco, and Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.
3.Place the semifrozen shrimp in a food processor and pulse a few times to finely chop. Do not overprocess into a paste. Add the egg and pulse to combine. With the motor running, gradually add the heavy cream, scraping the bowl down with a rubber spatula. Scrape the mousse into a large metal bowl halfway with ice water. Place the bowl with the crab mixture inside the ice bath, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
4.Form the crab mixture into 10 cakes. Place them on a tray lined with waxed paper and chill for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
5.To cook the crab cakes, preheat the oven to 375 F. Heat 2 tbsp. of the clarified butter or oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add a few of the crab cakes to the pan (do not crowd them) and cook for 30 to 60 seconds, until golden brown. Flip the cakes and fry for another 30 seconds. Transfer to a baking pan. Repeat with the remaining cakes, adding more butter or oil to the pan as you go. When the cakes are all browned, bake them for 5 to 7 minutes, or until just firm in the center.

Crème Brulee

2 cups heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and scraped
3 tbsp. superfine sugar

1.Preheat the oven to 350 F. To prepare the custard, in a medium bowl, whisk together the cream, egg yolks, granulated sugar, and vanilla scrapings. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve, then divide it among six 4-oz. ramekins.
2.Arrange the ramekins in a baking pan and place it on the oven rake. Pour enough very hot water into the baking pan to reach two thirds of the way up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the baking pan with foil and prick in a few places with a knife. Bake the custards for 40 to 45 minutes, or until set around the edges but still slightly loose in the center. Transfer the ramekins to a rack and let cool, then cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours to overnight.
Right before serving, sprinkle a thin, even coating of the superfine sugar on the surface of each custard. Use a preheated broiler or a blowtorch to caramelize the sugar. It will take about 1 to 2 minutes in a broiler, about 30 seconds with a blowtorch.

Melissa Clark has authored ten cookbooks and writes regularly for "The New York Times" dining section. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband.
Samara Farber Mormar was a chef at two Nantucket restaurants and the Russian Tea Room in New York. After a ten-year culinary career, she turned to food -- and wine-related public relations. She currently lives on Nantucket with her husband and son.