Two Natural Pacific Northwest Treasures ~

Ann Thibeault Signature, hand-crafted Vancouver Island Big Leaf Maple serving and cutting boards, and Dungeness Crab.

Both are valued treasures of the Pacific Northwest.

The Dungeness crabs are common on the west coast and fairly easy to come by during crab season here.

However, the unique boards ~ each made with one single piece of hardwood Vancouver Island Big Leaf Maple are one-of-a-kind, and not common.

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My friend Ann authors one of my favorite blogs, Thibeault's Table. She and her husband Moe, are a very talented couple who reside in British Columbia, Canada.

Besides being an extraordinary cook, baker and photographer, she and her husband also handcraft beautiful one-of-a-kind Vancouver Big Leaf Maple boards. The sandwich boards above, are just one example of their fine work.

Along with sandwich boards, they also offer Baguette Boards, Cheese Boards, Presentation Boards as well as Butcher Blocks.

You must see them in the Gallery ~ And keep in mind, as lovely as the photos are, the boards are even more impressive in person.

These are no ordinary mass-produced boards; each one is skillfully finished, allowing the beautiful natural wood grain to reveal itself. These are not boards you will hide in a cabinet or cupboard ~ they are works of art!

The pieces are available at the finest gift, kitchenware and cookware shops in Vancouver, British Columbia. And recently The Wickaninnish Inn and Spa, (the world-class Tofino resort) decided to include one of Ann Thibeault's signature cheese boards in each of the gift baskets given to their holiday guests.

What lucky guests! ~ And what an honour for the Thibeault's, I'm sure.

The good news is, even if you can't get to Vancouver, BC immediately, you can purchase their boards via the web. Click below to browse the abundant selection at their on-line Gallery.

Learn more about the

'Ann Thibeault Signature Cutting and Serving Board Collection' at:

The Maple Cutting Board Gallery.

The boards can be shipped to Canada and to the U.S. as well.

If you are outside of these areas please inquire through the Gallery email (on the site), to see if other options are available.

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Dungeness Crab (pronounced: DUN-ge-NESS)

Metacarcinus magister (formerly Cancer magister) named after a small town and the shallow bay inside of DungenessSpit on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. Dungeness crabs are harvested along other parts of the west coast as well.
As far a sustainability, SEAFOOD WATCH, has given Dungeness Crab a rating of "Best Choice".

Usually we enjoy our Dungeness as shown above (after being cleaned of the inedible parts*), then after being cracked everyone picks the crab meat themselves, (aka~ a "Crab Feed"). But there are so many other ways of serving this delectable crustacean . . . as crab cakes, in seafood crepes, seafood omelets, quiche, as a substitute for Canadian Bacon in Eggs Benedict, or a Crab Louis, etc.
This is yet one more way ~ a simple but very tasty sandwich.

A (now long gone), small local restaurant chain in my hometown of Palo Alto, California would serve these beauties up every Friday during Dungeness Crab season in the SF Bay area. A sublime treat!
After many years, the little chain sold a couple of their restaurants and several years later, eventually closed their doors for good. BAH!
What were we to do?!
Well, make our own at home, of course. You don't need a "recipe" ~ here's how you do it~
All it takes is a good quality French Roll, split lengthwise. I used a baguette this time... Preheat the oven to 350*F.
In a bowl mix the crabmeat with a generous amount of GOOD quality (non-sweet) mayonnaise; Best Foods/Hellmann's for example. A little squeeze of lemon and a few shakes of traditional Red Tabasco (TM) sauce. Mix that up and slather on the bread, being as generous with the crab meat mix as you like.
Place the sandwich halves on a shallow baking sheet (helps with clean-up if you line with parchment, or foil) Sprinkle generously with grated cheddar cheese. Place in the oven until the crab is hot, and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with a little Cayenne pepper before serving ~ and offer more Tabasco (TM)Be careful! They will be uber HOT right from the oven.
Note: I like the rolls a little crispy, so I place them in the oven for a few minutes after splitting them (before the crab goes on them), then continue the recipe from that point.
Tip: To serve as 'two-bite' size appetizers ~ cut the baguette into 1/4 to 1/2-inch slices (vertically), toast under the broiler on one side. Then spread the crab mix on the un-toasted side, place pieces on a shallow baking pan and continue with the recipe. It will only take a couple of moments for them to be hot and bubbly.
*You can easily clean the crabs yourself, or ask your fish monger or fish-counter person to do it for you, usually this is a complimentary service.

Thanks for stopping by today, and thank you for any thoughts you'd like to share.