Crab Toasts
This is a simple crab and mayo starter, enriched with both Grand Marnier and red wine, much admired by visiting Russian friends who came for dinner.
To emphasise the elegance of this you could pair it with a bottle, or two, or Mâcon-Milly-Lamartine 2015. This is a balanced Burgundy, a little woody and toasted flaked flavours of almond and coconut, a slightly salty finish.
Of course, it can take on a simpler persona – make two…or three toasts per person and enjoy it for lunch with a Belgian white wheat ale – Blue Moon for example.
Recipe for orange liqueur enhanced creamy crab
For 10, serve one toast per person
Ingredients
- 240ml/1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tbsp cream
- 60ml/¼ cup red wine
- 80ml/⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp grand marnier or cointreau
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp curry powder
- 1 tbsp grainy mustard
- 450g/1 lb crabmeat
- 115g/4 oz mushrooms
- 80ml/⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed with a little smoked salt
- 1 packet of chives – reserve 20 x 3”/7cm stems and chop the rest
Method
- Mix together the chicken stock, orange liqueur, and wine and reduce to about a half
- Add the cream, mustard, and mushrooms and heat until the mushrooms are cooked, keep warm
- Mix the olive oil, garlic and parsley
- Slice the ciabatta (the slices should be quite small) and either coat them both sides with the olive oil mix and toast in the aga toaster, or toast in a toaster and then coat one side
- While the toasting is happening add the crabmeat to the cream and booze mixture and heat gently
- Add the mayonnaise, the lemon juice, the curry powder and the chopped chives, and get it so that it is warm
- Garnish with the chive stems (you could also sprinkle on a little paprika if you wanted to give more colour, and make a fork shape with the paprika on white part of the plate).
This post is dedicated to Andrei and Liudmila.
Listen to Nancy Griffiths singing Blue Moon while you make these…wonderful!
