Crab Dip "Pizza"

August 27, 2010

Ok. I know it sounds weird.  I thought so, too.

When I was selecting appetizers for a party, I had a list about a mile long.  I searched through old recipe boxes, binders, and cookbooks.  And then my mom suggested this one.

I thought it was weird.  But she assured me that I had eaten this as a kid and loved it.  She made it for special occasions and holidays.  I had no recollection of this.  Go figure.  Anyways, I did end up making it, and, as soon as I tasted it, I remembered.  I remembered how much I loved this dish.  It’s purely awesome.

I made a very large batch and served it with your run-of-the-mill Townhouse crackers.  By the end of the evening, the entire platter was scraped clean.  I am glad I have rediscovered this one.

Pizza Crab Dip

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

12 ounces (one and a half packages) of  cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon finely minced onion

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 bottle (12 ounces) of chili sauce (I prefer Red Gold brand, found usually near the tomato sauces/ketchup in your grocery store)

1 6.5 ounce can of lump crabmeat (I splurged on the expensive stuff)

Fresh parsley, chopped

Sliced black olives, for garnish

Hot sauce, optional (I used Sriracha)

Crackers, for serving

Instructions

1.  Lightly grease a pizza pan or large platter. I used a 9 x 13″ platter.

2.  In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, combine the Worcestershire  sauce, mayonnaise, cream cheese, onion, and lemon juice until well combined.

3.  Using a spatula, evenly spread the mixture on the greased pan/platter.

4. Spread the chili sauce and hot sauce (if using) over the cheese mixture to form an even layer.

5. Sprinkle with crab meat.

6. Sprinkle the parsley and black olives (if using) over the crab meat.

7.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.

8.  Serve with crackers.

Recipe courtesy of Georgia.

Filed in:Appetizers
comment
August 27, 2010 - 9:58 am

RavieNomNoms - Holy shmoley I love this! Crab dip pizza?? That sounds like a great time to me!!

August 27, 2010 - 11:44 am

Sprinkled with Flour - If it’s got crab meat in it, i’m eating it!

August 30, 2010 - 4:26 pm

Kelli - This was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! I have to leave your site now. I am so hungry and this is giving me pangs! YUM!!!

August 31, 2010 - 5:10 am

Caramel Corn « The Curvy Carrot - […] Crab Dip Pizza […]

Salmon Mousse

August 25, 2010

Sometimes I feel a little “iffy” about fish.  Sometimes I force feed it to myself….convincing myself that the essential fatty acids are worth the taste…and that I need the protein….and that it’s soooo good for me.  But, let’s face it.  Unless it’s in a sushi roll with some (hopefully) cream cheese and a lot of wasabi…I’m not a big fish eater.  I’m learning.  I’m trying.  Bear with me.  It’s just a fish thing.

So, when Annie had a dinner party a while back and she mentioned that she was having this amazing appetizer for the guests, I secretly thought, “Ewww.  Fish paste.”  But, when she had it all piped out and looking so beautiful on the trays, and then when the other guests started raving about how awesome this salmon mousse was, I gave in.

And, so, I got my essential fatty acids that night because I ate about 15 of these little salmon mousse bites.  And, then, when my father purchased a smoker and decided to smoke about 80 fish (not really), freeze some, and give them to me, I thought, “All right.  Game on.  I’m making this salmon mousse.”

And the funny thing is, that I know that I am not alone.  When I served this as an appetizer at a get-together, the guests were asking “What is that?  It looks so good!”  And when I said, “Amazing salmon mousse,” they immediately thought “Ewww. Fish paste.”  But, then, one by one, they tried it, and….they liked it!

So here I am, converting the population of my Midwestern corn-fed friends (one by one) onto this amazing salmon mousse.  Three cheers for essential fatty acids!  (well, and also for the cream cheese in this recipe…..).

Salmon Mousse

Ingredients:

8 oz. smoked salmon, flaked with a fork

8 oz. cream cheese

1 tsp. dried dill weed

Freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste

1 clove garlic, finely minced

Fresh chives, for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

1.Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor.

2.Pulse repeatedly until all the ingredients are blended and smooth.  (Make sure you taste test it, as mine tasted a little gritty at first)

3. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least one hour.

4. I then placed everything in a pastry bag fitted with a coupler and a large pastry tip (I used a Wilton 4B) and piped it onto some herbed crackers.

5.  Garnish with some fresh chive or other herb and be prepared to enjoy.

Adapted from Annies Eats, passed on to Annie by Robin C. (her mother-in-law).

Filed in:Appetizers
comment
August 27, 2010 - 10:19 am

Annie - I know, man, salmon mousse is the bomb! I thought it sounded a bit strange at first but once I tried it, I was so addicted. In fact, now I’m craving it.

August 27, 2010 - 12:08 pm

Shanon Lacy - Dang, Annie! You look smokin’ in that pic! 🙂

August 31, 2010 - 5:11 am

Caramel Corn « The Curvy Carrot - […] Salmon Mousse […]

January 16, 2011 - 9:38 pm

Erica - I used your recipi to make lil apps for a holiday party, and they were a HIT! very delicious! I had some different crackers, and I added sage to the spices. Thank you for posting this 😀

April 10, 2011 - 3:31 am

Finger Food Ideas for Holiday Party Foods | Cool Cooking Recipes - […] The Curvy Carrot » Salmon Mousse […]

Chocolate Covered Cherries

August 23, 2010

I bookmarked this recipe from Le Petit Pierogi way back in December, knowing that it was on my must-do list.  I have always been such a huge fan of chocolate covered cherries, and I thought that attempting them could be a good challenge.  Plus, I could adapt them to my own liking….i.e vanilla coating, dark chocolate, etc.

My friend Kelli and I were already planning on throwing a fun little get-together, so this was the perfect excuse to try my hand at them.  I actually made them one and a half weeks prior to the party-the extra time allows for the sugar paste to break down a little and create the sugary syrup.

These little delights were a favorite among the party guests.  Honestly, although they were a little messy to work with when making them, they were actually quite simple.  I will definitely be making these again sometime soon.

Chocolate Covered Cherries

Makes approximately 60 cherries

Ingredients

60 maraschino cherries with stems (I used two jars)

3 tablespoons butter, softened

3-4 tablespoons corn syrup

2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted

1 lb. chocolate candy coating (I also used vanilla-flavored candy coating.  I found these in my grocery store’s baking aisle.)

Instructions

1. Drain cherries and set on paper towels to dry.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine butter and corn syrup until smooth.

3.  Add confectioner’s sugar gradually and mix until a dough forms (I used the paddle attachment for the mixer-this helped a lot.)

4. At this point, you may have to refrigerate the dough until it stiffens a little (about 10 minutes).  Wrap each cherry in about 1 teaspoon of dough.  (I actually ended up doing this in batches because the Indiana humidity was making the dough extremely sticky, and I had to chill the dough several times during this process.)

5. Chill the dough-covered cherries until ready to dip.

6. Melt the chocolate candy coating in a saucepan over low heat.

7. Dip each cherry in by its stem, rolling to completely cover.

8. Place cherries on waxed paper until hardened. (The bottoms will end up being a little flat…if anyone has any good suggestions on how to avoid this, let me know.)

9.  Place in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.

Adapted from Le Petit Pierogi.

Filed in:Candy | Desserts | Junk Food
comment
August 23, 2010 - 5:45 am

Peggy - These look awesome! Love the juicy photo!

August 23, 2010 - 3:29 pm

Kelli - I love you, Shan! These cherries were one of the most delicious things I have EVER tasted! Can we make more together around Christmas time? This majorly beats buying cherry cordials! 🙂

August 31, 2010 - 5:10 am

Caramel Corn « The Curvy Carrot - […] Chocolate Covered Cherries […]