CRAB SOUFFLES

Whenever I publish seafood recipes on my blog I always seem to get comments about  how could that possibly be cooking on a shoestring?? However whilst using fresh is always the ultimate, there is a lot of great tinned seafood like tuna, prawns and crab meat that make beautiful tasting meals at a fraction of the price of the fresh stuff. So I say to the doubters, cooking on a shoestring doesn't have to equal bland, boring, tasteless meals and crab doesn't have to be a luxury item. By using tinned crab meat, you too can make this delightfully light Crab Souffle and impress your family and friends when you tell them that you're having Crab Souffle for dinner tonight.....I'm sure once you taste this no one will be any the wiser that the beautiful meal you served up started out in a tin!!

                                                              CRAB SOUFFLE




20g Butter, melted PLUS 60g extra
1/4 cup dried Breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Plain Flour
1/2 teaspoon Mustard Powder
1 1/2 cups Milk
4 Eggs, separated
125g Crab meat
1/2 cup finely grated Tasty Cheese
2 T chopped Parsley
1 teaspoon finely grated Lemon Zest


1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Brush 6 x 1 cup capacity ramekins
   with melted butter. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs to coat, shaking out excess.


2. Melt extra butter in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add flour and 
   mustard. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Remove from heat. Gradually blend in
   milk until smooth. Return to heat and cook, stirring until mixture boils and
   thickens. Reduce heat to low and simmer 3 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.


3. Whisk egg yolks into sauce, then add crab meat, cheese, parsley and zest.
    Season to taste.


4. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks
    form. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold into crab mixture.


5. Spoon mixture evenly among ramekins. Place on an oven tray. Bake for
    15-20 minutes until well risen and just set. Serve straightaway.


COOKING HINTS FROM VON:-


* The key to success with souffles is to prepare the base then, when ready
   to serve, beat egg whites, fold through the base and bake.