Crab and Orange Summer Duo

Here's something different and fresh for your next dinner party.

I had already discussed verrines in a previous post a few months ago. They're  appetizers and desserts served in a little glass, like a parfait. They've been very popular in France among homecooks over the past few years. You see them everywhere!

This crab and orange verrine recipe is the perfect answer to a warm day. They're wonderful served as an appetizer. I make them ahead of time and leave them in the fridge until ready to serve. 

My personal tip is "don't forget the orange". It really makes the whole dish and adds absolute freshness. I've made it with pink grapefruit as well, and it's also wonderful. 

If you're wondering what kind of glass to use, I personally found tiny glass prep bowls at Ikea (it's important to be able to see through to see the layers), but you could use anything small, narrow and small. The smaller, the better. 

Crab and Orange Summer Verrines

(makes 6 individual verrines)

1 ripe avocado, cubed + 1 tbsp lemon juice

6 oz of good quality lump crabmeat, drained

1 orange, segmented 

Sauce:

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp French mustard

1 tbsp ketchup

10 drops of Worcestershire sauce

1 drop of hot sauce (I use Cholula)

Salt, Pepper

Goat Cheese Whipped Cream:

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup fresh goat cheese

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tbsp chopped chives

Measure the heavy cream for the Goat Cheese Whipped Cream, place it in a large bowl, along with the beater or whisk, and leave in the freezer until ready to use. 

Segment your orange and reserve in a bowl, in the refrigerator. 

Prepare the sauce by mixing together all the ingredients. Reserve in the refrigerator.

Prepare the goat cheese whipped cream. Take the bowl, the cream and the beater out of the freezer. Season with salt. Using an electric beater, start whisking at low speed until foamy. Switch to high speed, until you see very soft peaks (after about 2 minutes). Quickly whisk in the goat cheese, pepper and chives. Do not overbeat. Reserve in the refrigerator. (You could cut thin pieces of orange segments and incorporate it in at that stage to add some flavor. Just make sure to keep enough orange segments to decorate the top of each glass) 

Peel and cube the avocado into a bowl. Pour some lemon juice over it and gently stir with a spoon. Add the crab meat and some of the mayonnaise sauce. Incorporate one tablespoon at a time, tasting every time, to make sure the consistency isn't too creamy and the flavors too strong. Less is more. Use only what's necessary.

Fill in the bottom of 6 little verrines or glasses with the crab/avocado combo, that's the first layer of the verrines. The second and last layer is the goat cheese whipped cream. Smooth out the top with the back of a clean tablespoon. 

Decorate each glass with an orange segment and one or two chives. Chill until ready to serve. Enjoy!