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Looking for a new and different finger food for parties? You can use fresh or canned crab for these delicious light morsels. If you can't use beer, substitute clam juice or chicken broth. Crab puff appetizers may be served warm or at room temperature.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup lump crabmeat, picked clean (pasteurized canned is fine)
- 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese (Gruyere suggested)
- 2 Tbsp chopped chives
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp dill weed
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1 cup lager beer (not light beer)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp lemon pepper
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.
Combine crabmeat, Swiss cheese, chives, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, lemon juice, and dill weed in a bowl. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, melt butter, beer, salt, and lemon pepper. Bring to a boil. Add flour, remove from heat, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. Return to heat. Continue to beat until a dough ball forms. Remove from heat.
Add eggs to dough, one at a time, beating vigorously after each addition until well-combined.
Fold crab mixture into dough.
Pour puff dough into a large zip-top bag, squeeze out the air, and seal. Cut about 1/3-inch from one corner of the bag. Pipe dough onto baking sheets into mounds about 1-1/2 inches in diameter.
Bake crab puffs 25 to 30 minutes until crispy and golden brown. May be served warm or at room temperature.
Note: Crab Puffs, like all choux pastry, are best made under low humidity conditions. If you cannot use beer, you may substitute chicken or clam broth. As a last resort, use water, but they will not be as flavorful.
Yield: about 40 crab puffs
Photo © 2005 Peggy Trowbridge, licensed to About.com, Inc.
Combine crabmeat, Swiss cheese, chives, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, lemon juice, and dill weed in a bowl. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, melt butter, beer, salt, and lemon pepper. Bring to a boil. Add flour, remove from heat, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. Return to heat. Continue to beat until a dough ball forms. Remove from heat.
Add eggs to dough, one at a time, beating vigorously after each addition until well-combined.
Fold crab mixture into dough.
Pour puff dough into a large zip-top bag, squeeze out the air, and seal. Cut about 1/3-inch from one corner of the bag. Pipe dough onto baking sheets into mounds about 1-1/2 inches in diameter.
Bake crab puffs 25 to 30 minutes until crispy and golden brown. May be served warm or at room temperature.
Note: Crab Puffs, like all choux pastry, are best made under low humidity conditions. If you cannot use beer, you may substitute chicken or clam broth. As a last resort, use water, but they will not be as flavorful.
Yield: about 40 crab puffs
Photo © 2005 Peggy Trowbridge, licensed to About.com, Inc.
