Today I am going to share with you one of my newest food creations. It is a luscious lump crab filling that has the consistency of a quiche, which is then wrapped in phyllo dough. It is so easy to make. I think you will really like it. Let's get started.
Start by combining two eggs, one tablespoon flour, one-half cup mayonnaise, one-half cup whole milk and a quarter teaspoon salt in a large glass bowl. You can use a large hand whisk for this step. There is no need to pull out the electric hand mixer. See, I told you this would be easy.
Measure four ounces of shredded cheddar cheese.
And four ounces of shredded Swiss cheese.
Mix into egg and mayonnaise mixture with a whisk.
Mix it in thoroughly.
The next four ingredients are - Old Bay seasoning;
Sliced, sweet pimientos;
Diced green chilies and onion.
Add one tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning, one tablespoon pimiento, one tablespoon diced green chilies and one tablespoon finely diced onion.
Whisk all ingredients together. Place mixture in refrigerator while preparing phyllo dough.
For this dish, we are using an eight inch square non-stick baking pan.
Even though the pan has a non-stick coating, a quick overall spray of any brand of cooking spray will not hurt. The last thing you want is to have the pastry stick to the pan and not remove cleanly. That would not make for a very happy host in my situation. I do not want to take any chances with this.
Thaw your phyllo dough in the refrigerator for 24 - 48 hours before assembling.
After you have made the filling, remove the phyllo from the refrigerator. Unroll it from the inner wrapper and lay flat. First thing to do is give the top sheet a hearty spray of Olivio Buttery Spray.
I use Olivio brand because it contains olive oil and has a rich buttery taste. If this brand is available in your local market, I highly recommend you use it. If not, use a similar brand.
We already sprayed the top sheet of phyllo, Now fold it so it will fit in the pan and give the underside you folded over a light spray of Olivio. Lay down your first sheet with the end of the phyllo touching one side of the pan and the rest of the sheet overlapping and draped over the opposite side. Now move on to the next sheet of phyllo and repeat the process except this time place the end of the sheet of phyllo on the side of the pan with the overlapping first sheet and let this sheet overlap on the opposite side. Do this once more, then do the same thing on the other two sides of the pan
Altogether you will lay down twelve sheets of phyllo. Here's how it goes in order: Four heading east and four heading west; four heading north and four heading south; two heading east and two heading west; and finally two heading north and two heading south. You pan should resemble this. You can replace "east and west" and "north and south" with "right and left" and "top and bottom" if that works better for you. Don't angst over this. The idea is to get six sheets of phyllo going one way and six going the other. I used the "four, four, two, two" method. If you wanted to put down six sheets one way and then six the other way, that would probably work too. I don't know since I have not made it that way. But you could try it.
Just before adding your filling to the pan, combine the lump crab meat with your egg and mayonnaise and milk mixture.
Gently, ... gently,... fold in the crab meat and try not to break the lumps too much.
Pour this mixture into the phyllo lined pan.
Then fold over the phyllo on top of the crab meat mixture. Fold east, west, north, south. Or right, left, top, bottom if that is easier for you to remember.
Sprinkle with a little Old Bay seasoning and slice the top a couple times to allow it to vent.
Spray the top liberally with Olivio Buttery Spray. Place into a preheated, 350 degree oven for forty minutes.
Forty minutes later, this is what you will have.
Let it cool for about 5 minutes. It can be served warm or at room temperature.
A dollop of sour cream (I put sour cream on everything; it is totally optional) and a sprinkling of diced green chilies and you have a dish you would be proud to serve to company.
This is one of my favorite dishes. The phyllo is so light and airy and such a great complement to the heavier crab filling. You notice we used no filler in the crab mixture, so you can really enjoy the sweetness of the crab meat in this dish. I would serve this anytime of the year. It would be wonderful on a buffet table on the patio in the spring or summer and equally appropriate by a roaring fire with a loaf of crusty bread and bottle of Gewurztraminer in the fall or winter.
As taken from Wine Folly (www.winefolly.com):
I hope you will give this recipe a try. I am certain you will be pleased with the outcome.
Start by combining two eggs, one tablespoon flour, one-half cup mayonnaise, one-half cup whole milk and a quarter teaspoon salt in a large glass bowl. You can use a large hand whisk for this step. There is no need to pull out the electric hand mixer. See, I told you this would be easy.
Measure four ounces of shredded cheddar cheese.
And four ounces of shredded Swiss cheese.
Mix into egg and mayonnaise mixture with a whisk.
Mix it in thoroughly.
The next four ingredients are - Old Bay seasoning;
Sliced, sweet pimientos;
Diced green chilies and onion.
Add one tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning, one tablespoon pimiento, one tablespoon diced green chilies and one tablespoon finely diced onion.
Whisk all ingredients together. Place mixture in refrigerator while preparing phyllo dough.
For this dish, we are using an eight inch square non-stick baking pan.
Even though the pan has a non-stick coating, a quick overall spray of any brand of cooking spray will not hurt. The last thing you want is to have the pastry stick to the pan and not remove cleanly. That would not make for a very happy host in my situation. I do not want to take any chances with this.
Thaw your phyllo dough in the refrigerator for 24 - 48 hours before assembling.
After you have made the filling, remove the phyllo from the refrigerator. Unroll it from the inner wrapper and lay flat. First thing to do is give the top sheet a hearty spray of Olivio Buttery Spray.
I use Olivio brand because it contains olive oil and has a rich buttery taste. If this brand is available in your local market, I highly recommend you use it. If not, use a similar brand.
We already sprayed the top sheet of phyllo, Now fold it so it will fit in the pan and give the underside you folded over a light spray of Olivio. Lay down your first sheet with the end of the phyllo touching one side of the pan and the rest of the sheet overlapping and draped over the opposite side. Now move on to the next sheet of phyllo and repeat the process except this time place the end of the sheet of phyllo on the side of the pan with the overlapping first sheet and let this sheet overlap on the opposite side. Do this once more, then do the same thing on the other two sides of the pan
Altogether you will lay down twelve sheets of phyllo. Here's how it goes in order: Four heading east and four heading west; four heading north and four heading south; two heading east and two heading west; and finally two heading north and two heading south. You pan should resemble this. You can replace "east and west" and "north and south" with "right and left" and "top and bottom" if that works better for you. Don't angst over this. The idea is to get six sheets of phyllo going one way and six going the other. I used the "four, four, two, two" method. If you wanted to put down six sheets one way and then six the other way, that would probably work too. I don't know since I have not made it that way. But you could try it.
Just before adding your filling to the pan, combine the lump crab meat with your egg and mayonnaise and milk mixture.
Gently, ... gently,... fold in the crab meat and try not to break the lumps too much.
Pour this mixture into the phyllo lined pan.
Then fold over the phyllo on top of the crab meat mixture. Fold east, west, north, south. Or right, left, top, bottom if that is easier for you to remember.
Sprinkle with a little Old Bay seasoning and slice the top a couple times to allow it to vent.
Spray the top liberally with Olivio Buttery Spray. Place into a preheated, 350 degree oven for forty minutes.
Forty minutes later, this is what you will have.
Let it cool for about 5 minutes. It can be served warm or at room temperature.
A dollop of sour cream (I put sour cream on everything; it is totally optional) and a sprinkling of diced green chilies and you have a dish you would be proud to serve to company.
This is one of my favorite dishes. The phyllo is so light and airy and such a great complement to the heavier crab filling. You notice we used no filler in the crab mixture, so you can really enjoy the sweetness of the crab meat in this dish. I would serve this anytime of the year. It would be wonderful on a buffet table on the patio in the spring or summer and equally appropriate by a roaring fire with a loaf of crusty bread and bottle of Gewurztraminer in the fall or winter.
As taken from Wine Folly (www.winefolly.com):
Gewürztraminer Food Pairing
Duck, Chicken, Pork, Bacon, Shrimp and Crab
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I hope you will give this recipe a try. I am certain you will be pleased with the outcome.
