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Title: Tulip, Crab, and Asparagus Appetizers
Categories: Appetizer Seafood
Yield: 25 Servings
3 | oz | Cream cheese; softened |
2 | ts | Lemon juice |
1 | tb | Minced chives |
1 | ts | Minced fresh dill or mint (Optional) |
1 | ds | Pepper or cayenne |
1 | c | Crab meat, flaked |
25 | Fresh asparagus spears | |
25 | Tulip petals |
In a medium bowl, beat cheese with lemon juice, herbs, and pepper; stir in crab.
Break tough ends off asparagus. Blanch in 1 inch of boiling water in a large skillet with a lid, or steam standing upright in a couple of inches of water in a tall, narrow pot, until crisp-tender, 2 to 5 minutes, depending on thickness of stems. Plunge into an ice-water bath for 1 minute; then pat dry. Trim asparagus to abut 5 inches; from the trimmings, cut as many 1/4-inch rounds as you have tulip petals. Save extra ends for salads.
Fill each tulip petal with about 1/2 a rounded teaspoon of crab mixture and garnish with an asparagus round. (If your petals are large and asparagus thin, you can use 3 rounds to garnish each filled petal.) Arrange asparagus in a fan on a serving platter and place tulip petals alternately (or create your own pattern).
Source: Cooking from the Garden - by Rosalind Creasy ISBN: 0-87156-731-8 Typed for you by Karen Mintzias
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