I thought about this recipe all weekend. I knew it was going to be pricier than my average meal, but once we started talking about crab dip, I just had to get my fix.
I wanted to make it a mixer recipe, but the directions didn't call for use of a mixer. Mr. V remembered however that at the restaurant they whipped the crab meat before adding it. (FYI...I think you could just as easily skip this step)
This meal was a LOT of work. You could make it a little easier by buying pre-quartered artichokes, minced garlic and pre-shredded cheese. But it was so worth it. We sat down to eat and the smell just made us groan with pleasure. Mr V took one bite and started to grin. At first I thought he was laughing because I seriously goofed something up, but he said 'Some foods are so good they just make you smile to eat them' I have now been declared 'Master Chef' which is a pretty high compliment from someone who cooks for a living!
Ingredients: yield 4 or 5 servings
adapted from allrecipe's crab meat sycamore
1 6oz can lump crab meat, drained
11oz of quartered canned artichokes (3/4 of a can with enough left over for a pizza)
8oz shredded Swiss cheese (I don't care for Swiss, but go for it!)
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon shy of 1 cup cream
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
salt and pepper
Italian breadcrumbs
sweet paprika
Serve with lemon wedges and slices of French bread
Equipment:
Saucepan
Whisk
5 Ramekins (or a 9in casserole dish) on a cookie sheet
Directions:
- Whip the crab with the whisk attachment (optional)
- Layer the artichoke pieces in a solid layer over the bottom of your bake-ware
- Evenly spread the crab meat over the artichokes
- Completely fill your baking dish with shredded Swiss (don't pack too tight or the sauce won't run through later)
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low
- Add the garlic to the butter while it's melting
- Whisk in the flour until smooth
- Slowly whisk in the cream and stir until just starting to thicken (if it gets too thick you can add a couple tablespoons of milk until it's a pouring consistency)
- Mix in the hot sauce, Worcestershire, parsley and salt & pepper
- Pour over the shredded Swiss cheese, using a fork to poke holes in the cheese if you need to
- Top with bread crumbs & paprika
- Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes until bubbly
Cost:
Artichokes | 2.68 | |||
Crab | 1.78 | |||
Swiss Cheese | 1.75 | |||
Cream | 0.98 | |||
Flour/Butter/spices/breadcrumbs | 0.25 | |||
7.44 | $1.48 per serv. |