Asparagus Crabmeat Souffle with Balsamic Reduction

Finished Product

I have made this several times and it is always a hit! It is relatively easy to make - the trick is to make a smooth roux, and not to over beat the egg whites - white, foamy and just starting to peak worked best for me.  I served this at a Wine Appreciation class with three different Sauvignon Blancs - which were perfect for it.






Ingredients:

Asparagus/Crab Paste
Proper Base Consistancy
Fold in egg whites last
3 TBS Butter
3 TBS Flour
¼ TSP Salt
1/8 TSP Pepper
¼ TSP Thyme
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Asparagus Tips
2/3 Cup Fresh Crabmeat ( reserve about ¼ cup)
1 Shallot
2 Cloves Garlic
Pinch Cayenne
4 eggs separated
Balsamic Reduction
Pinch Dry Mustard

Directions:

Baking in Bain Marie
Pre heat oven to 400 degrees.  Cook Shallots and Garlic in 1 tbs butter, remove when translucent.  Blanch Asparagus, cool under water.  Puree asparagus and crabmeat and dry ingredients in blender till a paste.  In a separate pan, beat egg whites until stiff, and set aside.  Melt 3 tbs butter in small sauce pan, whisk in flour until a paste forms.  Slowly add milk, whisking continually until smooth. Fold in egg yolks , then fold in asparagus mix – fold in egg whites last.  Add a bit of crab meat to individual 4 oz ramekins that have been greased with butter, and pour mixture over top.  Bake in a deep baking pan in about 1 inch of water (called a bain marie)  400 for ½ or until they rise, and a tooth pick comes out clean.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Crispy Chicken Thighs, with Schmaltzy Viaigrette

Image
I made this about a week or so ago - its a Cooking Light recipe - which almost always are excellent.  With this dish, you get all the richness of a roasted chicken, but it uses bone in thighs, instead of a whole bird.  The recipe uses the chicken fat from the cooked thighs ( the "Schmaltz" ) for a really nice, bright vinaigrette sauce over the finished thighs.  I used my cast iron saute pan for even heating, but if you use a steel pan, watch the heat so you don't scorch the fat.  Here is the recipe - this is a GREAT Fall, comfort food meal, that truly does serve 4 at about 420 calories per serving. ( 23g of fat, because of the thighs though) Ingredients: 1/3 cup EVOO, divided 3/4 tsp kosher salt 1 lb small Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into about 3/4 inch pieces 4 (6oz) skin on, bone in thighs 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper, divided 2 cups Brussels Sprouts, cut in half 1 1/2 cup rough chopped carrots 3 tbs finely chopped shallots 4 tbs apple cider vinegar 1 tbs light brown s...
Read more

Sausage Ragu, with Polenta

Image
Kudos to Cooking Light for this recipe - REALLY tasty, and fairly easy to make.  Total time to cook, about 25 minutes.  We just used off the shelf  Stop and Shop Italian Sausage links - very tasty, with lots of fennel.... yumm. Ingredients: 1 tbs olive oil 12 oz Italian Sausage - chopped.  If you get links - squeeze out of the skin. 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper 2 cups coarsely chopped onion 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped carrot 3 garlic cloves, minced 3 1/2 cups water, divided 1 15oz can  unsalted tomato sauce 2/3 cup polenta 1 oz parm cheese, grated ( about 1/4 cup) 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley, for garnish Directions: Heat, oil in large, high sided skillet.  Crumble, and cook until browned, about 6 minutes or so.  Stir in pepper.  Remove sausage from pan, and remove pan from heat - do NOT wipe out pan.  Add onion, carrot and garlic to pan, Cook 7 - 9 minutes until tender ( add a splash of water if needed to help the carrots along), c...
Read more

Oh, Man..... the PERFECT Summer Grilling Salad! Grilled Romaine, with Tomato and Corn Tumble.

Image
So I died and went to heaven tonight.  Some of the women with whom my wife works out had been talking about grilling Romaine lettuce during exercise class last week.  She said to me - I think I pulled a recipe for that somewhere...... and lo and behold, in our massive recipe files - she found it!  Its from Better Homes and Gardens, June 2013 ( yeah I know - we save a ton of stuff!!  But in this case it was worth it!)  We did this salad ....... almost....... exactly to the recipe.   It called for grilling corn on the cob, but we were hungry, so I had a bag of frozen sweet white corn, and sauteed it in butter till slightly caramelized.  The finished product was crunchy and nicely charred, the dressing was amazing.  We gave it a 10 out of 10.  In fact, we are going to an outdoor cookout tomorrow night - I think I will bring it - it is the PERFECT company dish.  Especially one to bring and really wow your host.  Make the tumble and the ...
Read more