Cookbook:Crab Meat Canapé

| U.S Cuisine | Louisiana Creole cuisine

This is a dish for company or a special occasion. It is large enough for a luncheon entrée; it may also be served as an appetizer. The dish is well known by habitués of Galatoire's Restaurant on Bourbon Street, New Orleans.

Ingredients

 * 1 cup Béchamel Sauce Louisiannaise
 * Salt to taste
 * White pepper to taste
 * 1 small bunch green onions, chopped
 * 2 tbsp butter
 * 1 tbsp butter, room temperature
 * 1 lb (about 0.5 kg) jumbo or regular-size fresh white lump crab meat (from the body only, not the claws)
 * 2 egg yolks
 * 2 tbsp fine breadcrumbs
 * 2 tsp Parmesan cheese
 * 4 slices toast
 * 1 tsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
 * 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Procedure

 * 1) Pick over crabmeat carefully with your fingers to assure the absence of crab shell. This is necessary.
 * 2) Sauté green onions in butter over medium heat until soft. Do not allow onions to brown.
 * 3) Add white lumpfish crab meat, then fold in béchamel sauce. When mixture begins to simmer, remove from heat and fold in beaten egg yolks.
 * 4) Refrigerate mixture for 10 minutes in order to form canapés. Or, let stay in refrigerator overnight until ready to use.
 * 5) Preheat oven to 350 °F (190 °C).
 * 6) Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese in a mixing bowl.
 * 7) Trim the ends of the toast. Place trimmed toast on a baking sheet and spoon refrigerated crabmeat mixture onto toast using an ice-cream scoop.
 * 8) Sprinkle canapés with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese mixture. Dot each canapé with soft butter.
 * 9) Bake canapés for 20 minutes.
 * 10) Garnish each serving with flat-leaf parsley and a wedge of lemon.