Crabby

My Beloved is one of the most even-tempered guys on earth - he is consistently sunny and optimistic in nature. Well, maybe not in traffic, but then who is? There is only one exception to his good nature that I know of; when he is ill, which he very rarely is, his whole outlook changes and instead of the cheerful optimist I married, I have a whiny, self-pitying, crabby kid on my hands.

This Christmas didn't turn out for any of us the way we had hoped. 

Younger daughter and her huz cut out on the spur of the moment for Palm Springs to have a little down time together. They found they didn't have to go to work this week, so they decided suddenly to head for the warmth of the desert. It's hard to blame them when they haven't had a vacation alone since their honeymoon 18 months ago, but admittedly we were disappointed. 

Older daughter Sarah probably expected to have her Dad and her sister with her for her first living-in-California Christmas, but My Beloved came down with flu on Christmas Eve day, and he decided not to pass it along to the rest of the family, so we stayed home. We were supposed to eat crab with them on Christmas Eve, so I drove over and picked up our allotment of crabs, and he and I ate them by candlelight at home.

There was so much crab in the package that we were both full with half a crab to go, so I picked it out of the shells and bagged the rest for an omelet the next day. Come lunchtime, after a trip to the Kaiser pharmacy for flu meds for My Beloved, I whipped up an omelet with a little green onion and fresh thyme. While it was a big hit and he loved it, I don't think it has cured his flu or his attitude. 

I'll be glad when he feels better and stops being crabby.


Crab Omelet, serves two

This general "recipe"  - it's really more of a technique than a recipe - can be used with any fillings you choose - you're just luckier if you have crab on hand.

1/4 cup Dungeness crab, picked out of its shell (and be careful! I cut my thumb on the shell)
4 eggs
1-2 Tbs water
About 1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 scallion, sliced
1 Tbs butter

In a shallow pan or omelet pan over medium heat, melt the butter until it bubbles but don't let it brown. Add the thyme and scallion, and cook until you begin to smell the fragrance of herbs and onion. Whisk the eggs and water together until well blended. Pour into the pan and let it cook undisturbed for a few minutes, just to set the bottom.

Add the crab, distributing the pieces across the top of the eggs. As the eggs cook, gently lift the sides of the eggs and tilt the pan to allow the egg on top to run under. Keep doing this until most of the loose egg is cooked - there may be a little left uncooked on top. If you like a loose omelet, now is the time to fold it onto the plate. If you like it all cooked, put a lid on the pan for a minute or two to firm up the rest of the egg.

To serve, put the plate under the omelet pan about halfway across. Tilt and jiggle to pan to loosen the omelet and, as soon as it touches the plate and "grabs" on a bit, keep pulling until half the omelet is on the plate, then fold it over onto itself. 

It is imperative to say, with élan, "Voilà!" as you serve it.