Cooking With Chef Ben D'Amico

Chef Ben D'Amico stopped by Pittsburgh Today Live to share some great dishes. Here are the recipes featured on the show:

Petite Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes

• 1 can Jumbo Lump Crab Meat
• ½ cup Mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley, minced
• 2 tbsp Fresh Chives, minced
• ½ tbsp Lemon Zest
• ¼ cup Lemon Juice
• 1 ½ cups Panko Bread Crumbs
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt
• ½ tsp Black Pepper

Cajun Remoulade

• ½ tbsp Cajun Seasoning
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• ½ tbsp Hot Sauce
• 2 tbsp Horseradish, prepared
• ½ cup Mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp Dijon, Creole, or Whole Grain Mustard

Lemon-Dill Sauce

• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tbsp Fresh Dill, minced
• ½ cup Yogurt
• 2 tbsp Sour Cream
• ½ tsp Kosher salt
• ½ tsp Black Pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium mixing bowl mix everything together except the jumbo lump crab & panko breadcrumbs. Gently stir in the crab & panko using a rubber spatula to fold the crab & breadcrumbs in with the wet mixture. Spray a pan with non-stick spray. Use a small scoop (or large scoop if serving as an entree) to scoop the crab mixture into a ball & place onto the pan. Cook the crab cakes in the oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Sauces: Simply mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl and chill until ready to use.

Ginger-Chardonnay Poached Shrimp Lollipops

Makes: 12 lollipops Prep Time: 10 min. Cooking Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 24 pieces (1 ½ lbs) Large Raw Shrimp, peeled & deviened, tails removed
• 12 each Medium Wooden Skewers

Poaching Liquid

• 3 cups Water
• 1 cup Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio
• ½ Lemon, cut into 4 pieces
• 2 tbsp Ginger, fresh or candied
• 5 cloves Garlic, fresh, chopped
• 2 tbsp Whole Peppercorns, mixed colors
• 1 tbsp Kosher Salt

Spicy Thai Plum Sauce

• 1 tbsp Sraicha, hot sauce
• ½ cup Thai Chili Sauce
• ½ cup Plum Sauce
• ½ tsp Ginger Powder

Directions:

To make the shrimp lollipops: First take the large "head" of the shrimp & place it onto the skewer. Then take another shrimp & place the larger part of the shrimp through the skewer over top the other. Then take the bottom shrimp's "tail" and place it through the skewer, finally do the same with the other shrimp's tail. You should now have a "ying-yang" of shrimp, in the form of a lollipop.

Poaching: Combine all of the ingredients for the poaching liquid together in a small pot. Bring the liquid to a simmer on the stove. Place the shrimp lollipops in the poaching liquid for 2-3 minutes, remove and allow chilling before serving.

Sauces: Simply mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl and chill until ready to use.

• Mini Pastrami Sandwiches

Makes: 12 sandwiches Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 2-3 min

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ lbs Market District House-Smoked Pastrami
• 8 slices Swiss or Muenster Cheese, each sliced into 3 long pieces
• 12 Pieces Market District Pretzel "Sticks"
• ¼ cup Dijon, Whole Grain, Brown, or Yellow Mustard

Garnishes

• ½ cup Red Onion, Peeled, Thinly Sliced
• ½ cup Gherkins, drained
• ½ cup Mustard, your favorite

Directions:

Cut the pretzel rolls in half and set aside. Equally divide the pastrami into 12 equal piles. Top the pastrami with 2 thin slices of Swiss cheese. Place the meat & cheese onto a microwave-safe plate & cook for 20-45 seconds, just so the cheese melts & meat heats up. Spread mustard onto each side of the pretzel roll, top with the warm pastrami & Swiss. Place the sandwiches onto a serving plate & serve with suggested garnishes.