alright, i firmly believe unless you live in the mountains or the arctic tundra the temperature should never dip into the teens. i hate the cold. i just can't handle it and i must have terrible circulation because as soon as i step outside my fingers and toes immediately turn to popsicles. i've been dreaming of sandy beach escapes, breezy summer dresses and sunday brunches on patios. oklahoma really doesn't have unbearable winters but that's just a testament to how much i crave the warm weather months. in an effort to pretend the bitter winds weren't nipping at my ears and freezing my car doors and windows shut i decided to make the theme of this week's sunday pinterest dinner a meal i could see myself enjoying on a balmy summer night under the twinkle of outdoor lights, drinking light crisp wine and surrounded with my best friends.
as i mentioned in a post last week, i've been dying to try my hand at the soft-shell blue crab i bought and froze a couple of months ago. this was the perfect time. then i found this recipe for soft-shell crab sandwiches with pancetta and remoulade from food & wine on pinterest. just the sound of it made my mouth water. it all came together when i found this recipe on savoring the thyme for baked sweet potato fries with parmesan and cilantro. are you hungry yet?
the soft-shell crab sandwiches called for brioche buns. i should have prepared to make these sandwiches earlier in the week because half the bakeries around town are closed on sundays and the other half didn't have any on hand. if you've ever had brioche you know i had to use this light and fluffy french bread to accompany the sweet crab and salty pancetta. i just had to. so never having baked bread before i searched for a recipe and to my surprise found this one from smitten kitchen that you can prepare in less than a day. perfect!
there's not much more i could ask of these sandwiches (which i decided to minimize into cute sliders). the buns were gorgeous and light, the pancetta and crab were crisp, and the creaminess of the remoulade, the peppery bite of the arugula and the juiciness of the ripe tomatoes provided all the tastes, textures, and aromas to make each savory but sweet bite so delicious. and even though i wasn't able to get that so-desired crisp on the sweet potato fries, the combination of the parmesan and cilantro was an enjoyable surprise this recipe will definitely be remade in the future.
i invited my sister and my friend jeff over for this dinner and we wined and dined (and wined some more) while watching the golden globes. what a great way to indulge and reset before the beginning of the week. and i didn't think once about how cold it was outside. i might have to make these summer inspired meals more often to get me through this chilly winter.
hope you had a happy monday!
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