Crab Strudel
Both recipes below create a roll, or strudel, which is cut into slices. You could also shape these into triangles to make them easier to eat as finger food. See the technique used for Spanokopita (Spinach Pie).
Pepperidge Frams has a recipe for Crab Strudel that uses puff pastry instead of the phyllo dough sheets. They mix crabmeat with cream cheese, a little sour cream, Gouda cheese, and green onion. For seasoning they use Old Bay seafood seasoning.
FMM: We used Ina's recipe and the strudel was very good. The recipe with Brie cheese and pears would be nice in the fall - we made ours in the summer and I liked the strudel made primarily with crab. It seemed summery. I think it could have used some dill and perhaps a bit of mustard flavor. We used puff pastry instead of the phyllo dough which worked well enough. The dough was a bit undercooked in the center and we had to put them back in the oven. The puff pastry version should bake for 30 - 35 minutes.
I found this tip for baking with puff pastry from http://www.bonappetit.com/: "If you're making a filled pastry, like a pot pie, for example, cut a few vents in the dough so hot air can escape and circulate as it bakes. Skip this step, and you'll have a soggy interior. And don't forget to preheat the oven properly—a hot (over 400-degree) oven is ideal, because the higher temperature is what creates steam. Steam is what makes it "puff," and, of course, imbues a golden hue."
Next time I use puff pastry I will put some diagonal cuts in the top, as Ina does, to let the steam escape. If the pastry is getting too dark before it finishes baking, I'll turn the temperature down to 375 degrees and perhaps cover with aluminum foil.
Crab 'n' Brie Strudel
from http://www.tasteofhome.com/
Mouthwatering brie, succulent crab and a hint of pear make this delicate pastry a favorite.—Jennifer Pfaff, Indianapolis, Indiana.
1/2 pound fresh crabmeat
6 ounces Brie cheese, rind removed, and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2-1/2 cups finely chopped peeled ripe pears
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup diced fully cooked ham
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
Dash pepper
14 sheets phyllo dough (14 inches x 9 inches)
3/4 cup butter, melted
In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients; set aside.
Place one sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface; brush with butter. Repeat with 6 more sheets of phyllo, brushing each layer with butter. (Keep remaining phyllo covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.)
Spread half of crab filling to within 1 in. of edges. Fold the two short sides over filling. Starting with the long side, roll up jelly-roll style.
Transfer to a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Brush top with butter; score top lightly at 1-in. intervals. Repeat with remaining phyllo, butter and filling.
Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes. Cut into slices along scored lines.
Yield: 2 dozen.
Crab Strudel
2007, Ina Garten, All Rights Reserved
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
3 scallions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 pound lump crabmeat, drained and picked to remove shells
2 teaspoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 lime, juiced
Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10 sheets phyllo dough (such as Pepperidge Farm)
1/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saute pan, add the scallions and garlic and cook over medium-low heat until the scallions are soft, approximately 5 minutes. Add the curry powder and stir.
Shred the crabmeat into a bowl and mix with the parsley, lime juice, salt, to taste, and pepper. Add the crabmeat to the scallion mixture.
Melt 10 tablespoons of butter in a small pan and set aside.
Unfold 1 sheet of the phyllo dough. Brush the sheet with melted butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Repeat the process by laying a second sheet of phyllo dough over the first sheet, brush it with melted butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs until 5 sheets have been used.
Spoon a 1-inch wide row of the crab mixture along 1 edge of the phyllo dough. [It may be better to spread the crab out across the entire sheet to within 1" of the edge so that it is more like a jelly roll. I think the filling would stay in better.] Roll it up. Brush the top with butter and set aside. Repeat the entire process using the all the phyllo dough and crab filling.
Cover a sheet pan with parchment paper. Score the crab strudel diagonally into 1 1/2-inch pieces and bake for 12 minutes, or until the top is lightly brown. Slice and serve.
6 to 8 servings
