| | Published January 1st, 2014
| Want a Festive New Year's? Don't forget the crab!
| | By Susie Iventosch |  | | Photos Susie Iventosch
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It is January, and that means it's crab season once again! Apparently, the catch is plentiful this year, and Dungeness crab is selling anywhere from $4.99 to $10.99 per pound in the shell. You can also purchase lump crab meat for a premium, but it does save a lot of time.
This mushroom-crab puff pastry is wonderful as an appetizer or as a side dish to accompany a light meal. I have served it twice as an appetizer during the holiday season, and on Christmas Eve, we served it as a side dish for my sister's posole.
This recipe is typically done using all of the ingredients mixed together, however everyone at our Christmas Eve celebration wanted a totally different combination. So, we put all of the ingredients out in separate ramekins and everyone made their own. We aim to please!
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Crab-Mushroom Puff Pastry with Blue Cheese and Gruyere
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| By Susie Iventosch |
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(Makes approximately 2 dozen appetizer pieces, or 6 large pieces to serve as a side dish to dinner, soup or salad.)
INGREDIENTS
1 and 1/2 sheets puff pastry
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound cremini or shitake mushrooms, caps and stems, chopped
1 large shallot, finely diced and sautéed until translucent
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup roasted red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon
1/2 to 1 cup lump crab meat (your choice, depending upon how much you love crab)
Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the puff pastry onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cut into desired sizes. Poke pastry with a fork so the pastry does not puff too unevenly while baking. With a knife, make a line around the edges of the piece of puff pastry, about 1/2 inch from outside edge, forming a sort of frame. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool.
Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, cook shallots in olive oil until translucent. Add mushrooms and cook until beginning to brown. Remove and cool to room temperature. Add chopped roasted red pepper, both cheeses, tarragon and crab meat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread mixture over pre-baked puff pastry and bake again at 400 degrees until cheese is melted and just beginning to brown. Cut into desired number of servings for appetizers or side dishes. Enjoy!
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 | | Photo Susie Iventosch
|  | | Photo Susie Iventosch
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA