CRAB PREMIER

This recipe is rich and creamy and is traditionally reserved for more formal
dinners, but we think you'll be able to eat it any time of day!


CRAB PREMIER

1 pound jumbo lump crab meat
6 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup light cream
6 ounces freshly grated Swiss Gruyere cheese (Swiss Emmentaler can be
substituted
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup dry (French) vermouth
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
paprika for garnish


Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Set shelf about 5-6 inches under the broiler.
Lightly butter the casserole or shells. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a heavy
2 or 2 1/2 quart saucepan. Use medium heat. When melted, add flour, stirring
with a wooden spoon. Cook 2-3 minutes after mixture is frothy. Add milk and
cream all at once. They should be at room temperature or warmer. Stir until
sauce is thickened and smooth. Add vermouth and lemon juice. Cook for several
minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed with salt and pepper. To hot
sauce, slowly add about 2/3 of the grated cheese. Stir until smooth. Do not
boil. This can be done ahead and held, off heat, until ready to finish. To hot
mixture, add crab meat. Fold in carefully to avoid breaking up the lumps of
meat. When mixed and warmed through, put mixture in casserole or shells. Do not
fill to the edge. Sprinkle remaining cheese on the surface. Dot with remaining
butter and dust lightly with paprika. Put casserole or shells in oven, and bake
for about 4 minutes. As soon as mixture starts to bubble, put under the broiler
for a minute or two, just enough to color the surface. Serve immediately.
Ingredients for 4 servings as a main course or 6 as a first course.

This recipe is credited to Mr. Douglas Bly of Wilmington, DE and was the Grand
Prize Winner in the 1971 National Hard Crab Derby in Crisfield, MD.


The Crab Place
http://www.crabplace.com
Toll-free (877) EAT-CRAB

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