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Prep Time: 25 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes |
Ready In: 35 Minutes Servings: 4 |
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A delicious hot Welsh starter course. Crabs used to be so plentiful around the coast of Wales that, in great houses and castles, several different ways of serving them were invented, in case family and guests should tire of them. Though the crabs are no longer in such great abundance, this dish remains one of the most popular. Ingredients:
2 ounces unsalted butter |
1 ounce plain flour |
6 fluid ounces milk |
1/2 teaspoon ground mace |
1/4 teaspoon salt |
1/4 teaspoon pepper |
1/2 lb fresh backfin crab meat or 1/2 lb frozen backfin crab meat, picked over |
2 tablespoons double cream |
2 ounces fresh white breadcrumbs |
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese |
Directions:
1. Melt 1 ounce of the butter in a heavy 1-quart saucepan.
2. Stir in the flour and mix to blend thoroughly.
3. Slowly stir in the milk and boil gently to make a smooth thick sauce.
4. Stir in the mace, salt and pepper.
5. Mix in all the crab and bring just to the boil.
6. Stir in the cream and check the seasoning.
7. Pour into 4 small buttered ovenproof dishes and sprinkle each with breadcrumbs and then Parmesan cheese.
8. The dishes can wait in the refrigerator for several hours before cooking.
9. Dot the top of each dish with the remaining butter and stand the small dishes in 1/2 inch of water in a baking tray.
10. Bake for 10 minutes in a preheated oven at 400°F.
11. The tops should be crisp and golden brown and the crab thick and creamy.
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