Laverbread And Crab Souffles With Cockle Sauce

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.02

Title: LAVERBREAD AND CRAB SOUFFLES WITH COCKLE SAUCE
Categories: Seafood, Sauces
Yield: 8 servings

--------------------------------THE SOUFFLES--------------------------------
1 Boiled crab; -OR-
6 oz -Prepared Crabmeat
6 oz Prepared laverbread
-OR- nori or spinach
2 oz Butter
2 oz Flour
3/4 pt Milk
3 Eggs
1/2 ts Grated nutmeg
Salt & pepper

--------------------------------COCKLE SAUCE--------------------------------
1/4 pt White sauce from souffle mix
1/4 pt Whipping cream
4 oz Cockles or clams (shelled)
2 oz Prepared laverbread **

If the crab is whole, pull the body apart and pick out all the meat -
discarding only the mouthpiece and the grey "dead man's fingers" that
fringe the inside carapace. For extra flavour, make a stock with crab
shell, flavoured with a piece of carrot and a quarter of onion, and boil
down to a couple of well-flavoured tablespoons which can replace the
equivalent milk in the basic white sauce given above.

Prepare the white sauce; melt the butter in a small pan. Stir in the flour
and fry gently until the mixture is still pale but sandy. Whisk in the
milk slowly, beating till you have a thick sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C) gas mark 6. Stir the crabmeat and
prepared laverbread into the sauce. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Separate the eggs. Beat the whites until quite stiff. By now the sauce
will be cool enough to stir in the yolks. Fold in the whites, turning well
to "tire" the mixture. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Butter eight small
souffle dishes and spoon in the mixture, leaving a finger's worth for
expansion. Bake for 10-12 minutes until puffed up and golden.

Meanwhile make the cockle sauce. Heat up the reserved white sauce with the
cream. Stir in the cockles and laverbread. Season with the salt and
freshly milled pepper. Serve with the souffles as soon as they are ready.

Source: Elisabeth Luard in "Country Living" (British), April 1989. Typed
for you by Karen Mintzias

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