crab recipes

A perfect summer evening happened last week. Wonderful food and captivating conversations in the company of great people, on a gorgeous summer day which couldn’t have been any better for a Summer fete.

The loving and ever so gorgeous couple Brooke of FoodWoolf and her husband, Hans of BarFood, hosted a crab fest at their Los Angeles home. Their set up, attention to detail and menu was amazing. Right smack in the middle of their driveway alley, a long feasting table was set up, all wrapped with newspaper and ready for the onslaught of fresh Santa Barbara rock crabs.

collage

Our gracious hosts Brooke & Hans

It was an ocean’s bounty piled on top of wood tables, in the middle of suburban concrete, complete with graffiti and high rise fire escapes  for the views.  Fresh garden flowers graced the table and refreshing cocktails and bottles of Rosé quenched our thirst. A robust and fragrant pot of crab soup filled the warm summer air. It was a scene straight  out of a magazine as we were nestled in their private cove, living the evening with fabulous food and real people.

The guests were Leah from SpicySaltySweet, Neal from @nealferrazzani, Steve & Marisa from Infinite Fress and beautiful Pilar, actress and model. Brooke’s well crafted menu included the best Crab Soup in the World,  an exquisite Cast iron Baked Cornbread to accompany the soup, a Suzanne Goin inspired Plum Salad,  and plenty of fresh, heavy Santa Barbara Rock Crabs .  The soup and cornbread were flavorful & comforting, the salad was perfectly summery and the crab was meaty, sweet and just so perfect.

We all drank, slurped, pounded, picked and discussed food, music, life & politics into the late, late evening.

crab-fest

Brooke and Hans  are immersed in the food world on a daily basis. They have an amazing relationship and respect for  food and for each other. As professionals in the food industry they take their knowledge and experience and bring it all home, back to the kitchen, into their recipes, and then continue to share that love with their friends. We’re so lucky to be part of that food and friendship circle.

Hans made sure we were always topped off with delicious wine and his music selection almost brought us to dancing on top of the tables. Almost, not quite, but if he opened up just one more bottle, it would have been a White On Rice Couple cabaret show. Brooke guided the evening’s execution with her outstanding dishes and smooth, warm hostessing as the rest of us just played the role of messy crab eaters, part time dishwashers and happy boozers.

It was a perfect summer evening. Summer is in full swing and there’s so many more perfect evenings like this. Let’s all enjoy the season, our loved ones, and gatherings to celebrate the simple things in life that bring us so much joy.

Thank you to Brooke and Hans! And for everyone else, tell us what your perfect summer evening would be!

-Diane and Todd

Brooke’s (FoodWoolf blog) write up and recipes from the evenings Crab Fest Menu & more recipes for Summer celebrations