Gateau of Crab Recipe

Gateau of Crab

Ingredients

Crab Cakes
• 1 1/4 cups softened cream cheese
• 1/2 cup grated smoked cheddar
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 whole egg
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/3 cup diced, sauteed and cooled red onion
• 2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 3/4 cups crabmeat
• 2 tablespoons freshly minced chives
• Butter for greasing molds
Orange Fennel Cream Sauce
• 2 cups diced Spanish onions
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 1/2 cups diced fennel bulb (no stalk)
• 1/3 cup Pernod
• 1 cup orange juice
• 2 oranges zested, sectioned and juiced
• 1 each bay leaf
• 4 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
Fennel and Tomato Slaw
• 1 fennel bulb, sliced paper thin (no stalk)
• 1/2 cup late harvest Riesling vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup halved grape tomatoes

Instructions

Crab Cakes
1. Heat oven to 225 F.
2. Put cream cheese, cheddar and heavy cream into bowl; mix until smooth.
3. Mix in egg and egg yolks.
4. Scrape down sides of bowl.
5. Add Parmesan and sauteed onions.
6. Add Tabasco and lemon juice.
7. Fold in crab and chives.
8. Chill mixture.
9. Put crab mixture in souffle dishes or cupcake molds.
10. Make sure the molds are greased with butter (see note).
11. Fill almost to the top of molds.
12. Bake until golden brown and slightly risen, 25-30 minutes.
13. Let crab cakes cool before unmolding.
Orange Fennel Cream Sauce
14. Heat stainless-steel pot on medium.
15. Add onions, fennel and salt; cook 5 minutes.
16. Add Pernod and flame off the alcohol.
17. Add orange juice, zest, segments and bay leaf; simmer 10 minutes.
18. Add cream and extract.
19. Cook until reduced in volume by half.
20. Puree in blender until smooth.
21. Pass through strainer; keep warm.
Fennel and Tomato Slaw
22. For fennel and tomato slaw, put fennel in stainless-steel bowl or glass bowl.
23. Add vinegar, salt, and pepper; let sit for 2 hours at room temperature.
24. Mix in oil and sliced tomatoes.
Putting It Together
25. Warm cake in 300 F oven until heated through.
26. Top with orange-fennel cream, then slaw.