Crab and Sweet Corn Bisque

From Chef John Howie of Seastar Restaurant

Serves 6
This can be made a day in advance.  Cool it quickly.  When ready to serve, bring to boil over high heat and ladle into bowls.  The Madeira-Port reduction can also be made in advance and refrigerated; bring it to room temp or warm it before serving.

Ingredients for Bisque:
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter
1/2 cup minced white onion
2 Tbl.  minced shallot
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup dry sherry
8 cups half-and-half
3/4 cup fresh sweet corn kernels
1 cup clam juice
1/2 tsp. dried ground thyme
1/2 tsp. white pepper
2 tsp. salt

Ingredients for Madeira-Port Reduction
1/2 cup Madeira
1/2 cup tawny port
2 tbl. Balsamic vinegar
2 tbl. Sugar

Ingredients for Serving
18 oz. Dungeness crabmeat, picked over to remove cartilage
1 1/2 Tbl. Fresh chives, cut on diagonal into 3/4 inch lengths

The Bisque:
In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the onion and shallot and sauté until translucent, about 8 minutes.  Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, but not browned, about 5 minute, lowering heat if necessary to keep roux from coloring too quickly.  Stirring constantly, add the sherry, then the half-and-half.  Bring to a simmer, stirring.

As the half-and-half mixture is heating, put the corn and clam juice in a blender and purée until very smooth.  When the bisque reaches a simmer, add the corn mixture and return to a simmer.  Add the thyme, white pepper, and salt and simmer until thickened, 15 or 20 minutes.



Madeira-Port Reduction:
In a small saucepan, combine the ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat.  Boil until the mixture is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 10-12 minutes.



To Serve:
Bring the bisque to a boil, add the crabmeat, then immediately ladle it into 6 soup bowls.  Drizzle with a bit of the reduction (you won't use all of it) and garnish with the chives.  Serve immediately.

Crab, Mango and Avocado Salad

From McCormick & Schmicks

Posted by Andie Evans

The key is to build a tower using a ring mold (available in specialty cookware stores--or cut the top and bottom off a soup can) to form the salad tower. If you can't find the pomegranate reduction, use a light syrup or boil down pomegranate juice until it makes syrup.

Yield: 4 servings

3/4 c. diced mango
3/4 c. diced avocado
10 oz. canned crab
4 Tbsp. pomegranate reduction
4 Tbsp. chive oil (see below)
1/2 c. micro greens tossed in a small amount of the citrus vinaigrette

To create the tower, place a 2-inch ring mold on a salad plate. Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of diced avocado into the mold. Layer 2 heaping tablespoons of diced mango on top of the mango. Finish with 1-1/2 oz. of crab meat to fill the mold. Press down lightly to set the ingredients. Keeping your fingers or a spoon on the top of the tower, apply pressure, and gently slide the ring mold up and off the salad. Rinse and dry the mold before moving on to the remaining plates.

Garnish the top of each salad with the micro greens. Drizzle pomegranate reduction, citrus vinaigrette and chive  oil on the plate and around the tower.

Chive Oil
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 bunches fresh chives

Blend the chives and vegetable oil in a blender for 5 minutes. Place the finished oil in a squirt bottle and set aside. This oil may be made ahead of time.