Tulip~ crab~ & asparagus appetizers
25 Servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | ounces | Cream cheese; softened |
| 2 | teaspoons | Lemon juice |
| 1 | tablespoon | Minced chives |
| 1 | teaspoon | Minced fresh dill or mint (Optional) |
| 1 | dash | Pepper or cayenne |
| 1 | cup | Crab meat, flaked |
| 25 | Fresh asparagus spears | |
| 25 | Tulip petals | |
Directions
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 ¼-inch rounds as you have tulip petals. Save extra ends for salads. Fill each tulip petal with about ½ 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).