With the Thanksgiving holidays approaching, it’s always nice to have appetizers lurking around while you’re waiting for the big bird to emerge from the oven or for the day after when you’ve got leftovers galore and just want a little something different to brighten up the vestiges from the previous day. I’ve got just the ticket – crabmeat. Consider it one more thing to be thankful for.
I’ve got a crabmeat dip that, of course, can be used as a basic dip, but it’s quite versatile, in that it can be utilized in any number of ways, with just a few adjustments here and there to doctor it up. I’ll be using it to stuff mushrooms, fill phyllo cups, and wrap in wontons, among other things. I’m only using ½ pound of the crabmeat for the dip and its variations; the rest I’m using for crab balls with a tangy tartar sauce for dipping.
Rosie’s Basic Crabmeat Dip
In small sauce pan over low heat, melt butter, Brie, and cream cheese. Whisk until it’s a smooth white sauce. Gently, add crabmeat, trying not to break up the meat. Heat through. Stir in lemon juice, Lea & Perrins, and sherry. I never completely mix the lemon juice, L&P, and sherry. I like to have what I call “pockets of flavor.”
The basic crabmeat dip can be poured into a serving dish and scooped up with any type of cracker, but since I prefer edible serving bowls, I use a boule. I hollow out a round loaf of bread, fill it with the crabmeat mixture, and use the pulled pieces of bread for dipping. Bake in a 350° oven until the bread pieces are toasted and crabmeat heated through. Top with chopped red bell pepper, sliced green onions, and a sprinkling of paprika.
Now that I have my basic crabmeat mixture, there are a number of tangents I can explore. All make for wonderful appetizers, but if you’d like to graze your way through a meal, this will work perfectly.
Crabmeat Filled Wonton Cups
Take individual wonton wrappers and press into muffin tins. Lightly brush with butter. Bake at 350° for about 8 minutes, or until golden. Fill with warm crabmeat mixture. Top with sliced scallions and roasted red bell peppers.
Crabmeat Filled Phyllo Shells
Place phyllo shells on baking sheet and bake at 350° about 5 minutes. Fill with crabmeat mixture and sprinkle sliced scallions and chopped parsley over top.
Crabmeat Filled Mushroom Caps
Remove stems from mushrooms and spoon in crabmeat mixture, rounding it. Top with a sprinkling of panko breadcrumbs or Ritz crackers and grated Parmesan cheese. Place caps in a rimmed baking tray and pour sherry in bottom of tray. Bake at 350° for about 12 minutes, until topping is golden brown.
Crab Rangoon
Dipping Sauce
Mix all ingredients.
Rosie Note: It’s virtually impossible to get juice out of fresh ginger, so whenever I buy ginger root, I cut it into 1-inch cubes and freeze it. Nuke a cube for about 15 seconds, then you can easily squeeze the juice out.
You can use a garlic press for this and scrape some of the ginger pulp into the dip for extra ginger flavor.
For a final presentation using my crabmeat filling, I offer you a decadent Eggs Hawthorne with Hollandaise Sauce. It’s the perfect way to start off your morning.
Eggs Hawthorne with Crabmeat
For poached egg:
Pour about a quart of water in a medium sauce pan. Add a tablespoon of vinegar. This helps the whites coagulate better. Bring to a light boil. Swirl water to make a whirlpool and carefully break egg into the vortex. For runny yolks and cooked whites, I lightly boil the egg for 2 minutes 15 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain.
For Hollandaise sauce:
A lot of people use a double boiler for Hollandaise. I find it unnecessary. I use the “hover” method and it works just fine for me.
Juice half a lemon in a small sauce pan.
Whisk in one egg yolk.
Hovering the pan over low heat, constantly whisk yolk and juice. When the mixture first starts to thicken and emits a wisp of steam, whisk in a tablespoon of cold, unsalted butter incorporating the butter and emulsifying the mixture. Continue adding half stick of butter, one tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly. Remember to HOVER!
Rosie Note: If your pan gets too hot and your Hollandaise curdles, not that that’s ever happened to me, all is not lost. Throw in an ice cube and continue to whisk. It works!
To serve:
If you’re using ham slices, place on top of toast. Make a spinach nest on top of toast or ham. Nestle in a poached egg. If you’re using bacon, place strips around egg. Pour Hollandaise over egg. Place a heaping spoonful of warm crabmeat mixture on top. If desired, sprinkle on cayenne or paprika.
I still have ½ pound of crabmeat left, so I’m making crab balls with a tangy tartar sauce.
Mix all together. Use a melon-baller to scoop out small balls of the mixture. Roll by hand to pack tighter. Refrigerate balls at least one hour. Roll in mixture of 2 parts crushed Ritz crackers and 1 part cornstarch. Pour a thin layer of peanut oil in a medium skillet and heat to 350°. Add in a tablespoon or two of butter (for flavor). When the butter is done sizzling and melting, add in balls, being careful not to crowd the pan, and fry about 4 minutes, rolling around to brown all over. Drain on paper towels.
Serve crab balls with tartar sauce dotted with Sriracha sauce and sprinkled with chopped basil, chopped parsley, and sliced scallions.
Enjoy!
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