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5 Ways To Cook Crab Claws
Crab claws are delicious and easy to prepare

Crabs are a widely prepared and eaten crustaceans around the world. While some species are eaten whole like the soft shell crabs, with other species crab claws and legs are relished. Particularly, with larger crab varieties the claws are immensely popular all over the world. The snow crab, Alaskan king crab, blue crab, cromer crab etc. are some of the more popular varieties prepared and eaten.

Crab claws are surprisingly easy to prepare and cook, contrary to the popular belief that they are hard to cook. The meat in crab claws/legs is extremely succulent and flavorful, and snow white in color. Interestingly people use various tools from nutcrackers to pliers to knives and forks to reach the meat inside the claws.

The easiest way to cook crab claws would be to saute garlic in butter, add the crab claws, let that sit for 15 minutes and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. There are many recipes for crab claws on Recipebridge.

Ways to cook crab claws
What other ways do you cook crab claws?
January 5, 2013
Cherry Chocolate Pie Recipe

We present here a cherry chocolate pie recipe that is sure to please any crowd. This is a family recipe using chocolate chips, and cherries to make this scrumptious pie.

Find more pie recipes on Recipebridge.

January 4, 2013
How To Frost A Cake
The art of frosting a cake

If you remember the ongoing slogan in “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”, it was “Frost Yourself”. I always thought this was a bit of an odd slogan seeing as frosting, to me, should only ever belong on a cake!

“But what does ‘frosting’ mean?” I hear you ask – well, it is quite simply decoration in the form of icing or meringue for your baked goods.

Tools You Need for Frosting

Turntable – to allow you to turn your cake smoothly and with ease.

Offset Spatula – to enable a smooth levelling of the frosting.

Large spoon or scoop – to dollop the frosting on top.

Scraper – For getting rid of rough edges around your frosting.

Non-slip Base – to place under your cake so it doesn’t end up on the floor as you decorate!

How to Frost a Cake
1. Frosting a cake needn’t be a complicated process, but you do need to have a good deal of patience and a steady hand to get the best results possible. When it comes to frosting, practice usually makes perfect!
2. Get rid of air pockets in your icing by whisking using a hand mixer for 5 mins – this gives it a much easier texture to work with.
3. Scoop a small amount of frosting on top of your cake. You will only need a thin first layer so don’t go overboard. This is to simply smooth down and stick crumbs to the base so they don’t get everywhere! Use your offset spatula to push the layer down, and spread it out from the centre to the edges.
4. Push the frosting out enough that it spills over the sides a little, then spread it around the sides of the cake. Add more frosting to the cake using a clean spoon if you need more to cover the sides.
5. Thin the frosting using the edge of your spatula and gently scraping it along the sides and top of the cake then use the scraper to get rid of excess frosting. Hold it in one place and rotate the cake on the turntable.
6. After you have finished the Crumb Coat as it is called, add a big amount (e.g. 3 scoops) of frosting to the top of the cake. Repeat steps as before, but this time make sure the frosting is evenly thick all over the cake so that you can’t actually see the cake’s base. Don’t worry about any lumps and bumps for now, just make sure it is covered.
7. Hold your scraper against the cake at a 45 degree angle then spin the turntable towards it steadily for a smooth and even finish. If there are any lumps, scrape them off, if there are any holes, fill them in then scrape off the excess!
8. Do the edges first then work on smoothing the top by using your spatula to smooth from the edges into the centre of the cake. And hey presto, your frosting is done – either leave it as it is to admire your efforts or add further decoration!
Find many recipes for frosting a cake on Recipebridge.
January 4, 2013
Sweet Potato Souffle Recipe

Whether you typically like sweet potatoes or not, you really need to try Chef DeJuan Roy’s recipe for sweet potato souffle. A great source of vitamin A, sweet potatoes cook easily and have many nutritional advantages.

Find more sweet potato recipes on Recipebridge.

January 3, 2013
Gazpacho Recipes To Savor
The refreshing flavors of Gazpacho

Traditionally served cold, a gazpacho is a chilled soup which is a great lunch time meal or light starter before your entree. A traditional gazpacho is tomato based, but there are a wide range of different types out there which are popular all over the world.

Originating from Spain, the gazpacho is also the name of a particular type of Spanish salad as well as a cold soup. A traditional gazpacho is mainly made up of 3 basic ingredients; tomatoes, bell peppers and cilantro. Some recipes also use spices such as cumin to add extra depth of flavor. This makes a bright red gazpacho, but there are other varieties which are just as popular and make a great cooling snack or lunch.

The summer season in the southern hemisphere and even during the cold winter months in the north, gazpacho is one of the healthy yet filling and refreshing soups? Each serving is under 50 calories and it’s an ideal way of easing yourself into a healthy eating frenzy after the onslaught of the Christmas holiday indulgent period! Also great for people that eat on the go, you don’t even need to worry about keeping this hot as its chilled temperature makes it special.

Classic Gazpacho Recipe

For a classic gazpacho, you will need:
- 2 cups peeled and chopped cucumber
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- Pinch of pepper
- 1 (32-oz) bottle vegetable juice
- 1 can diced tomatoes in juice
1. Mix all ingredients together and stir well.
2. Place one third of the mixture into a food processor or blender; process 30 seconds or until smooth.
3. Pour mixture into a bowl. Repeat procedure twice with remaining mixture. Cover and chill at least 3 hours.
Cucumber Avocado Gazpacho Recipe

You will need:
- 1 avocado
- 1 cucumber, peeled, de-seeded and chopped.
- 1 tbsp minced onion
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp chilli powder
- 1 cup water
- Smoked paprika (optional)
1. Place the avocado, cucumber, onion, oil, lemon juice, vinegar and water in a blender.
2. Puree on high speed until smooth texture.
3. Add salt and chilli powder then blend again.
4. Serve – garnishing with extra cucumber cubes and smoked paprika if you want to.
If you want to try a variety of different gazpacho recipes, the best thing to do is use vegetables that are in season for the best possible taste. Generally, gazpacho is a summer dish so if you are going to prepare this type of dish in the colder seasons, you might prefer to use carrot or cabbages instead!

Whether you go for a hot soup in the winter or a chilled gazpacho, you are sure to want to try a new recipe this season!
January 3, 2013
Sweet And Savory Pastry Recipes
Pastry dough and more

Pastry is a dough that makes a lot of products of the same name. Bakeries sell a lot of pastry based products and depending on the consistency of the dough, it can be short and crumbly, tough and chewy or light and flaky.

There are so many types of pastry that there are probably more out there than you realize, and if you have never baked with pastry many of these types will be unfamiliar to you:
- Shortcrust
- Rough Puff
- Flaky
- Puff
- Choux
- Hot Water Crust
- Filo
With this unique type of very versatile dough, there are many fantastic treats that you can make including a range of savory and sweet pastries to suit any taste!

Savory Pastries
- Pasties
- Pies
- Sausage Rolls
- Quiches
Find recipes for savory pastries on Recipebridge.

Sweet Pastries
- Tarts – made with short crust pastry
- Danishes – made with puff pastry
- Croissants – made with puff pastry
- Profiteroles and cream puffs – made with Choux pastry
Find recipes for sweet pastries on Recipebridge.

National Cream Puff Day

It’s the National cream puff day today, so what better day than to try the mysterious choux pastry, here’s a great recipe to get you to grips with making one more variety – profiteroles!

The Perfect Profiteroles

You will need:

Pastry:
- 200ml Water
- 125ml Milk
- 150 g Plain Flour
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 1 tsp golden caster sugar
- ½ tsp Salt
- 4 Eggs – beaten lightly
Cream:
- 1½ Vanilla pod split
- 1½ tablespoons icing sugar
- 300ml whipping cream
Chocolate Sauce:
- 200g good quality Dark Chocolate 70% cocoa solids
- 30g unsalted butter
- 125ml full fat Milk
- 3 tbsp Honey
How to Do it:
1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Put the water, salt, milk and sugar in a pan over a low heat. Once sugar and salt has melted, add butter. Once butter has melted, bring to a boil.
2. Remove from heat and pour in flour. Beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture starts to come away from the side of the pan. Tip onto a plate to cool.
3. Return the mixture to the pan and gradually beat in the eggs and mix well until you have a smooth paste.
4. Line a baking tray with parchment. Spoon the pastry into a piping bag fitted with a large nozzle. Now squeeze about 20 spread out balls onto the baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes until and golden brown and risen.
5. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely before filling.
6. For the Chantilly cream scrape vanilla seeds into a large mixing bowl. Add cream and icing sugar then whisk until the texture of a soft meringue. Spoon cream into a clean piping bag fitted with a small nozzle. Pierce the base of a choux bun with the tip of the nozzle and pipe in the cream. Repeat with the remaining choux buns.
7. For the chocolate sauce, break chocolate into small pieces in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and heat. Add butter and honey and stir occasionally, until the chocolate begins to melt. Gradually mix the milk in until you have a smooth sauce. Drizzled over profiteroles!
Try this choux pastry or find many recipes for cream puff pastry on Recipebridge.
January 2, 2013
Pasta And Mushroom Recipe

Learn how to make Duck a l’Orange with pasta and mushrooms. Chef Diner shares this recipe for pasta and mushrooms flavored with orange juice. A great recipe for weeknight dinners.

Find more pasta and mushroom recipes on Recipebridge.

January 2, 2013
Biscochitos Recipes

Debbie Ball, owner of The Candy Lady store in Old Town, shows off her grandmother’s recipe for biscochitos. Biscochitos are traditional Mexican cookies which are butter or lard based, extremely crisp, and often flavored with anise or cinnamon. It’s served during special occasions like weddings, receptions and of course the holidays.

Find more biscochitos recipes on Recipebridge.

January 1, 2013
Cocktail Recipes for Your New Year’s Celebrations

Here are some great cocktail drink recipes for your new year’s celebrations. Brittany Gilbert shares some great holiday drink recipes with us and show us five easy steps to open a bottle of champagne, with some great cocktail mixes.

Find more champagne cocktail recipes on Recipebridge.

December 31, 2012
Make Your Own Coffee Syrup
Coffee Syrup for the coffee lovers!

When you go into any well known coffee shop, they always have a great range of syrups awaiting you, and when it hits the festive season, more and more coffee syrup flavors appear on their shelves and make our tongue tingle in anticipation. Whether you love a dash of flavored syrup in your Frappuccino or your latte, why not create your own this winter and give them to your coffee loving friends?

Making your own coffee syrup, for yourself or indeed someone else, is a great way of expanding your coffee regime. If you feel like the same taste of coffee just isn’t hitting the spot anymore, then creating your own syrup and keeping it ready to add a bit of excitement to your morning brew is a great idea!

Some popular flavors of coffee syrup you can find today include:
- Amaretto
- Raspberry
- Gingerbread
- Vanilla
- Caramel
- Cinammon
- Toffee
- Hazelnut
…and many more!

How to Make Your Own Coffee Syrup

First, you need to choose which type of syrup you want to make and then gather the ingredients accordingly. It’s incredibly easy to make and will totally transform your everyday cup of Joe!

Vanilla Coffee Syrup

You will need:
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups water
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Heat your water in a small pan over a medium-low heat. Add the sugar and stir until it is dissolved. Stir in the vanilla extract and allow the syrup to cool before you pour it into a bottle of your choice. A bottle with a pourer attachment will allow you to control your portions.

The main thing you need to remember with syrup is that boiled sugar can get very hot. Be careful when heating up a batch because the sticky substance can easily burn.

If you’re not a big coffee drinker, these different flavoured coffee syrups might just change your opinions of the drink forever. They add so much depth of flavour to a coffee, that you will find that the syrup can totally take away the bitterness of any coffee and can make it much smoother to drink.

Treat yourself to festive flavors during the holiday season such as gingerbread or pumpkin and enjoy a unique take on the coffee flavors.

Find more recipes for coffee syrup on Recipebridge.
December 31, 2012