# Crab Tarts



## victoriabc (Jun 28, 2011)

The crab tarts can be made in advance and served at room temperature or heated until warm.

Oven 375 F - Makes 24 

2 teaspoons butter
1 cup mushroom, finely chopped
1/3 cup shallots, minced 
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 can crabmeat, 113 grams or 4 oz.
1/2 cup shredded cheese, packed (I use the 3 cheese pkg.)
1 tablespoon lemon juice, not fresh
1/4 cup parmesan, grated
3 tablespoons cream cheese, light
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped fresh or less for dried
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 small can of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

1. Spray a mini muffin pan and set aside.
2. Filling: heat butter in a fry pan over medium heat Add mushrooms, shallots and garlic. Cook and stir until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat and cool slightly. When cooled combine mushroom mixture with remaining ingredients, except the crescent rolls, in a medium bowl. Mix well.
3. Unwrap the crescent rolls and lay entire rectangular sheet on a lightly floured surface to prevent sticking. Do not separate dough at perforations. Instead, pinch together perforations with your fingers. Using a very sharp knife, cut the rectangle into 24 perfect squares by first cutting the dough into 6 equal short strips, then into 4 equal, long strips. Place dough square into mini muffin cups. The 4 points for each square will be sticking up. Fill each cup with crab mixture. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until dough is puffed up and golden around the edges. Let tarts cool for a few minutes before serving. They are very hot.


----------



## babetoo (Jun 28, 2011)

those sound wonderful. what a great idea. will definitely try.


----------



## BreezyCooking (Jun 29, 2011)

So many people have come up with interesting ways to use Pillsbury Crescent Roll dough that Pillsbury now makes it without the roll perforations - just in one solid rolled up sheet of dough.  It's usually right in the same section the regular Crescent Rolls are.


----------



## CWS4322 (Jun 29, 2011)

Thanks--if I have time to leave my office this weekend, I'm going to try these using up some of the shrimp in the freezer.


----------



## victoriabc (Jun 29, 2011)

Good tip - BreezyCooking - I will look for that in my local grocery store.


----------



## dcSaute (Jun 29, 2011)

first thing came to mind as I read that is the frozen premade puff pastry shells . . .
I'm fond of puff pastry (g)


----------



## victoriabc (Jun 29, 2011)

If you try the frozen premade puff pastry shells DcSaute or anyone else let us know how it turned out. Sounds even easier! Are they mini?


----------



## dcSaute (Jun 29, 2011)

this is the stuff I've seen in the store:
Pepperidge Farm® - Puff Pastry & Turnovers

I need to look over 'the selection' more carefully - I usually just use the sheets but I've been itching to try the shells.

we're due for crab - mebbe tomorrow....


----------



## CWS4322 (Jun 29, 2011)

I've used this recipe (super easy) to make puff pastry. I think I have about 1/2 of this recipe in the freezer, if not, I'll be making the shells using this recipe.

Food Processor Quick Puff Pastry - Martha Stewart Recipes


----------



## victoriabc (Jun 29, 2011)

Yes, that looks like what it turns out like but stuffed with the crab mixture of course. I am a bit of a calorie count person. I will see what it says on the box and compare. Thanks


----------



## CWS4322 (Jun 29, 2011)

I have read that you can sub margarine for the butter...but I typically use butter...


----------



## vitauta (Jul 2, 2011)

CWS4322 said:


> I have read that you can sub margarine for the butter...but I typically use butter...




what do people use margarine for today?  besides being much less expensive than butter, are there any advantages, nutritional or otherwise?  i suppose it could always be a taste preference for some....


----------



## dcSaute (Jul 2, 2011)

so........ picked up some Pepperidge Farm puff pastry shells and some crab and did my thing.
my intention was for an entree, not an appetizer.

oops.  did not work out quite so well as I expected.  the Pepperidge Farm pastry shells are (I guess) intended for two blueberries & some whipped cream - they are simply too small for entree size crabs-in-puff.  between us two, we ate all six shells for din-din.

if you can find - or make - larger shells, it'd work much better.

I par-baked the shells 15 minutes at 450'F to avoid a gummy bottom.
made the crab fixings - most excellent recipe - clip that one folks!
used fontina, gouda and parm 4:4:2; didn't have the light cream cheese so I used the leaded/aka fatfull type.  as I filled the shells, they looked a little lonesome, so I hit them with some panko bread crumbs on top.

one tip/suggestion - add the chopped parsley & mix well before adding the cheeses.  when the cheeses go in the mixture thickens quite nicely.

some extra filling left over - that got the quick toast&schmear . . . which made a tasty lunch.


----------



## vitauta (Jul 2, 2011)

zhizara wrote an interesting post including, among other things, her opinion of margarine.  it should have appeared on this page between post #12 and #13, but never did.  what could have happened to it?  i've not seen this before.


----------



## PrincessFiona60 (Jul 2, 2011)

vitauta said:


> zhizara wrote an interesting post including, among other things, her opinion of margarine.  it should have appeared on this page between post #12 and #13, but never did.  what could have happened to it?  i've not seen this before.




She deleted it herself.


----------



## Zhizara (Jul 3, 2011)

Thanks for the comment.  The thread I thought I was in was about butter, margarine or oil.

My new set up in Firefox allows me to "pin" certain tabs.  These tabs only show the icon and not the name of the thread I'm in, but it does keep the tabs in place and if I stop to ..say...check spelling, it now opens a new tab instead of the same one.

Before, if I stopped writing a post to check spelling, when I switched back to the post, whatever I had written was now gone!


----------



## babetoo (Jul 11, 2011)

babetoo said:


> those sound wonderful. what a great idea. will definitely try.


 

i made these tonight and called them dinner. they were as wonderful as they sounded. will definitely make these for company. thanks so much.


----------



## CWS4322 (Jul 12, 2011)

I have been burning the candle at both ends trying to meet aggressive deadlines. I've been eating a lot of FRESH eggs because they are fast and easy. But I definitely would like to give these a try and hope I can this weekend (using the shrimp). I am thinking this might be s/thing I could treat my parents with when I am there in August (well, actually, I am leaving July 28th because of aggressive work deadlines--and I'm staying until the 23rd of August so I don't miss the Church ice cream social on the 22nd--my dad churns all the ice cream the day before and I thought it would be s/thing fun to do with him. Good thing I can take my work with me). I am still debating having a lobster boil delivered while I'm there...


----------



## velochic (Aug 28, 2011)

dcSaute said:


> first thing came to mind as I read that is the frozen premade puff pastry shells . . .
> I'm fond of puff pastry (g)



I am as well.  The nice thing about puff pastry is that (some brands) are 100% natural and with all of those yummy whole ingredients in the recipe, it seems such a shame to put it all on a highly processed base of chemical bread.  

I'd say go for puff pastry if you can get it for this recipe.  Roll out a sheet a little bit, cut into 24 squares and press into greased mini muffin tins.  Dock them, fill them and bake them.  I have a lot of VERY recipes similar to this (using various fillings... sky's the limit really) and I always use puff pastry as the bae.  I've had these types of hors d'oeuvres with the pillsbury processed dough base and there is just no comparison in taste, IMO.


----------



## dcSaute (Aug 28, 2011)

pre-transfat BS, our market carried a couple different names - one was dang good - flour butter salt that's it.  now all they carry is the PeppFarms stuff.

the biggest problem was the size of the pre-made shells.  too big for bite-size-appetizers and too small for an entree.


----------



## velochic (Aug 29, 2011)

dcSaute said:


> pre-transfat BS, our market carried a couple different names - one was dang good - flour butter salt that's it.  now all they carry is the PeppFarms stuff.
> 
> the biggest problem was the size of the pre-made shells.  too big for bite-size-appetizers and too small for an entree.



Trader Joe's (and Aldi at Christmas time) carries a puff pastry (in sheets) that is 100% natural.


----------



## dcSaute (Aug 29, 2011)

we have an Aldi around the corner from work . . . will check'em out!  thanks!


----------

