Crab Custard With Lemon Butter Sauce

1 brocolli; bunch, medium cut into sm
1/2 lb crab meat; fresh or frozen trimmed o
3 eggs
3/4 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup milk salt & ground white pepper
1 pinch nutmeg, ground
----LEMON BUTTER SAUCE----
1/2 cup white wine
1 shallot, dry; finely chopped
1 cup butter; cut in pieces
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 lemon; juice of
In this recipe Quebec snow crab is combined with brocolli, oven-poached
and served on a sauce, nouveau cuisine fashion. This appetizer is the
creation of Chef Denis Pelletier of Moulin de St. Laurent, a contemporary
French restaurant located in an old stone mill in the village of St.
Laurent on Ile d'Orleans. Ramekins can be filled ahead and oven poached at
the last minute, or you can reheat the cooked flan in a microwave oven for
about 2 minutes at Medium (50 percent).
Cook brocolli florets in boiling salted water just until tender-crisp;
drain. Generously brush 6 to 8 ramekin or custard cups with melted butter.
Divide crab meat with brocolli among the ramekins. In a bowl, whisk
together the eggs, cream and milk; season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Fill ramekins three-quarters full with the custard and set in a shallow
panof hot water. Oven poach for 1 hour at 325F or until set. (A knife
insertedin centre should come out clean.)
Make Lemon Butter Sauce and pour onto 6 to 8 serving plates. Run a
knife around the edge of each ramekin and unmold onto sauce.
Lemon Butter Sauce:
In small saucepan, heat wine and chopped shallot. Bring to a boil
and reduce over medium-high heat until only 2 tablespoons of liquid
remain. Reduce heat to low and whisk in butter, a few pieces at a time,
until sauceis smooth and all the butter is incorporated. Whisk in cream and
lemon juice. Keep warm in the top of a double boiler set over hot
water until serving time. MAKES: about 1 1/2 CUPS SAUCE
SERVES: 6-8 as an appetizer