Crab Imperial Appetizer

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Crab Imperial is an easy-to-make, elegant appetizer recipe, perfect for a special occasion or holiday entertaining!

Disclosure: I’m thrilled to be working with Hood® Cream, as I cook with their products frequently! I received product samples as well as compensation for my participation in their blogger program. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make A Dish of Daily Life possible!

The Crab Imperial recipe I am sharing with you today is courtesy of the renowned Chef Chris Coombs of Deuxave, a French-American restaurant in Boston’s historic Back Bay. If you ever are in Boston, dining at Deuxave is a must! I have been there twice, and the food is outstanding.

This recipe is also included in the free Hood Cream eCookbook. If you downloaded last year’s version, you are going to want to update, because the second edition is LIVE with new recipes! Feel free to take a moment to download it now. 

You are going to love both this recipe AND the newest version of the eCookbook! If you’re looking for a little holiday inspiration, Hood’s eCookbook is the perfect place to find it. But it’s also a cookbook that will take you through the rest of the year as well. While all the recipes come from Chef Coombs, they are easily made by the home chef. Every recipe I have made (which is many) has been easy to follow and duplicate. In fact, one of the things that Chef Coombs mentioned in conversation with us was that when he cooks at home, he just wants to keep it simple, and so he created these recipes with that in mind.

Although my plan was originally to make these as an appetizer for Thanksgiving, it turned out we had too much food that day, and so I ended up making them for a friend’s college football party. Everyone loved them…they disappeared quickly and got rave reviews!

CRAB IMPERIAL

Making this Crab Imperial appetizer recipe couldn’t be simpler!

Follow the instructions on your puff pastry cups and prebake. They’ll take about 18-20 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. (If you just prebaked your puff pastry shells, you’ll be bringing your oven temperature down to 300 degrees, as they will be prebaking at a higher temperature)

In a small bowl, combine your brioche bread cubes and Hood ® Heavy Cream, and let it sit for 10 minutes at room temperature. Add the hot sauce and mix thoroughly.

In a medium size mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients including the brioche bread mixture. Make sure to check the crab meat for bits of shell or cartilage.

Mound the crab mixture into the prebaked puff pastry cups on a baking sheet. Cook these for 5-10 minutes to warm the filling.

I told you it was easy! Serve immediately as an appetizer, or you could also plate a cup or two with a small salad and serve it as a first course.

Believe me, you are going to WOW your guests with this recipe!

USING QUALITY INGREDIENTS

HP Hood is a Boston company, founded in 1846 by Harvey Perley Hood in Charlestown, Massachusetts, the oldest neighborhood in Boston. Hood uses farms across the Northeast for their production, and their milk and cream products are distributed regionally throughout the Northeast. While their distribution is regional, Hood is actually one of the largest branded dairy operators in the United States.

Hood® Cream is a staple in my kitchen. For as long as I have lived on the East coast, I’ve been cooking with Hood Cream. When I was newly married and a new cook (many years in the past), I tried other creams, but I always came back to Hood. I love that it never separates in cooking. It’s a quality ingredient that I feel like I can count on!

As I mentioned above, Chef Coombs has worked with Hood to develop an entire cookbook of delicious recipes. Many professional chefs across New England use Hood for its superior quality, performance and taste. If professional chefs are giving a product their stamp of approval, you know it’s good!

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Yield: 12

Crab Imperial

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Crab Imperial is an elegant appetizer, perfect for a special occasion or holiday entertaining. You'll be surprised at how easy it is to make!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• ¾ cup brioche bread, diced
• ½ cup Hood® Heavy Cream
• 1 dash hot sauce
• 8 oz. crab meat
• 1 Tbsp. shallot, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. mascarpone cheese
• 3 tsp. lemon juice
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. Cape Cod seasoning (can
• substitute Old Bay seasoning)
• 2 Tbsp. red bell pepper, diced small
• 2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. chives, sliced
• 12 pre-baked puff pastry cups

Instructions

1. Follow the instructions on your puff pastry cups and prebake, about 18-20 minutes.
2. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. (If you just prebaked your puff pastry shells, you'll be bringing your oven temperature down to 300 degrees, as they will be prebaking at a higher temperature)
3. In a small bowl, combine your brioche bread cubes and Hood® Heavy Cream. Let mixtuire sit for 10 minutes at room temperature. Add hot sauce and mix thoroughly.
4. In a medium size mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients including the brioche bread mixture. Make sure to check the crab meat for bits of shell or cartilage.
5. Mound the crab mixture into the prebaked puff pastry cups on a baking sheet. Cook for 5-10 minutes to warm the filling.
6. Serve immediately as an appetizer.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 3432Total Fat: 202gSaturated Fat: 32gCholesterol: 166mgSodium: 6491mgCarbohydrates: 293gSugar: 43gProtein: 111g