1. Combine the milk and lemongrass in a shallow bowl large enough to hold the crabs in a single layer. Add the crabs and allow to soak at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. (This makes the crabs very moist and plump.) Drain crabs and discard the milk.
2. Season the flour with salt and pepper and dredge the crabs in the flour mix.
3. Melt half the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add crabs in a single layer when butter is heated and sauté 4-5 minutes per side or until golden brown. Drain and keep warm.
4. Melt the remaining butter in a sauté pan, allowing the butter to caramelize to a golden brown. Lower heat and add the minced ginger and pinch of brown sugar and sauté for 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and pink peppercorns. Cook for a few more minutes. Stir in the parsley and salt to taste. Serve immediately over the crab.

1. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add the green onions and thyme. Sauté until onions wilt, 1 minute. Add rice and stir to coat.
2. Add 2 ½ cups broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Mix in peas. Simmer until rice is tender and mixture is creamy, adding more broth by ¼ cupfuls if risotto is dry and stirring often, about 5 minutes. Mix in 1/3 cup cheese, season with salt and pepper.
4. Garnish with the remaining cheese.

1. Preheat oven to 200°F.
2. Pat steaks dry and season both sides with kosher salt.
3. Coarsely crush peppercorns in a sealed plastic bag with a meat pounder or bottom of a heavy skillet. Press pepper evenly onto both sides of steaks.
4. Heat a 12-inch heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron) over moderately high heat until hot, about 3 minutes. Add oil and one tablespoon of the butter, swirling skillet, and sauté steaks in 2 batches, turning over once, about 6 minutes per batch for medium-rare.
5. Transfer steaks as cooked to a heatproof platter and keep warm in oven while making sauce.
6. Pour off fat from skillet, then add vinegar and deglaze by boiling over high heat, scraping up the brown bits. Simmer vinegar until reduced to about ¼ cup. Remove from heat and whisk in remaining tablespoon butter until melted. Season sauce with salt and drizzle over steaks.

CORN ON THE COB WITH TARRAGON BUTTER
The corn can be prepared easily in advance and refrigerated until ready to grill or roast.

Serves 4
4 ears corn, with husks
compound butter (recipe follows)
kosher salt and pepper to taste

You may either grill the corn over coals or roast in the oven at 375°F.

1. Clean ears by pulling back the husks and removing the silk. Do not remove husks.
2. Spread 1 tablespoon of the butter over each ear and season with salt and pepper.
3. Rewrap each cob in its husk. Grill about 4 inches above the coals for about 30minutes, turning frequently. Alternatively, place close together in an oiled baking pan or sheet. Roast, turning frequently for about 30-45 minutes.

TARRAGON BUTTER
The sky is the limit on making compound butters. They keep well in the freezer for 6 months.

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, finely chopped

1. In an electric mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy. Stir in the orange zest and tarragon..
2. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

SPRING MUSHROOMS
Serves 4
2 pounds mixed exotic mushrooms (morel, porcini, oyster, shiitake, lobster, etc) cleaned and sliced to about the same size
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (and if you’re really hedonistic, some shavings of black or white truffle)

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic. Quickly sauté until the mushrooms are wilted and the liquid is evaporated.
2. Remove from heat. Season to taste. Toss in parsley. Garnish with truffle shavings.

MUSCAT DRIZZLED BLACKBERRIES IN A COCOA MERINGUE SHELL WITH GRATED DARK CHOCOLATE
Serves 4
1 recipe Cocoa Meringue (recipe follows)
2 pints blackberries
½ cup Buller’s Fine Muscat
1 recipe Quick Crème Fraîche (recipe follows)
4 ounces finest quality bittersweet chocolate, grated

1. Prepare cocoa meringue the morning of or day before serving.
2. Clean blackberries and drizzle with Muscat. Allow to sit at room temperature for up to an hour, tossing carefully every once in awhile.
3. Prepare quick crème fraîche.
4. Just before serving, slide meringue shells onto individual dessert plates, fill with berries, drizzling remaining juice and Muscat over them. Top with crème fraîche and grated chocolate.

COCOA MERINGUE
From Death by Chocolate, by Marcel Desaulniers

Preheat oven to 225°F.
4 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa, sifted
1 tablespoon cornstarch

1. Trace 4 five-inch circles on a sheet of parchment paper cut to fit a baking sheet. Turn the paper over and, with trace mark down, place on a baking sheet.
2. To prepare the cocoa meringue, place the egg whites, the cream of tartar, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a balloon whip. Whisk on high speed until soft peaks form, about 45 to 50 seconds. Gradually add 1 cup sugar while continuing to whisk on high. Whisk until stiff, about 1 ½ minutes.
3. Meanwhile, sift together the remaining sugar, cocoa, and cornstarch in a small bowl.
4. Remove the bowl of meringue from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to fold in and thoroughly combine the sugar, cocoa, and cornstarch mix.
5. Fill a pastry bag with the cocoa meringue. Fill each traced parchment circle with meringue: start in the center and pipe a ¾ inch spiral towards the outside of the circle. At the edge of each circle, pipe a raised edge to form a shallow bowl.
6. Place the meringue in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 200°F and bake for 2 hours and 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 45 minutes before handling. Store in a cool dry place.

QUICK CRÈME FRAÍCHE
(From The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum)
Makes a scant 2 cups.
¾ cup heavy cream
¼ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon sugar

1. In a large mixing bowl, place all the ingredients and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
2. Beat just until soft peaks form when the beater is raised or until it mounds when dropped from a spoon.