Butter-Poached Crab Over Roasted Pepper Corn Pudding
Recipe courtesy of Jason Wellnitz, Executive Chef, Bavarian Inn Lodge & Conference Center (Frankenmuth, Mich.)
Ingredients
- snow crab cluster - 1 ea.
- roasted pepper corn pudding - 3 portions
- pickled radish - 3 slices
- pickled onion - 3 slices
- beurre nantais - 3 oz.
- fennel fronds - 3 sprigs
- Ingredients for the Roasted Pepper Corn Pudding
- sweet corn - 50 oz., fresh off the cob or frozen
- milk - 1/2 gallon
- eggs - 11 ea.
- sugar - 4.75 oz.
- flour - 4.5 oz.
- kosher salt - 1.5 oz.
- melted butter - 10 oz.
- roasted red pepper - 1 ea.
- roasted poblano pepper - 1 ea.
- Ingredients for the Beurre Nantais
- butter - 8 oz.
- heavy cream - 4 oz.
- shallot - 1 ea.
- tarragon - 1 sprig
- parsley - 1 sprig
- white wine - 2 oz.
- white wine vinegar - 2 oz.
- grapeseed oil - 1 tsp.
- lemon juice - to taste
- Ingredients for the Pickling Liquid for Radish and Onion
- white vinegar - 2 cups
- water - 2 cups
- granulated sugar - 1/3 cup
- kosher salt - 2 tbsp.
- garlic cloves - 2 ea.
- peppercorn mélange - 1 tsp.
- dried tarragon - 1 tsp.
Instructions
Procedure for the Roasted Pepper Corn Pudding
- Clean and dice the peppers, removing the stems and seeds.
- Mix the milk, eggs, sugar, salt, flour, butter and corn together in a large container.
- Blend with immersion blender.
- Whisk in the diced peppers.
- Butter two 13×9” pans and split the mixture evenly between the two pans.
- Bake at 350º F. for 50 minutes.
- Rotate the pans and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until just firm.
- Let cool and cut once fully chilled.
- Cut with a 1 1/2” circle cutter.
Procedure for the Beurre Nantais
- In a saucepan, gently heat the oil. Add the shallot and sauté until aromatic.
- Deglaze with the white wine and white-wine vinegar.
- Add the herb stems and reduce the liquid by half.
- Strain the reduction and add it back to the pan.
- Turn the heat back on, and add the heavy cream.
- Bring the cream to a simmer and reduce the heat.
- Dice the butter, and slowly add it to the liquid a couple of pieces at a time, whisking constantly. Be careful not to break the sauce, and regulate the heat accordingly.
- Once all of the butter has been incorporated, season with salt and pepper.
- Add a squeeze of lemon to taste.
- Reserve the sauce in a double-wall insulated container for service.
Procedure for the Pickling Liquid for Radish and Onion
- Mix all ingredients together and bring to a simmer.
- Pour the pickling liquid while still warm over the item(s) to be pickled.
Final Procedure
- Steam the crab cluster to loosen the meat.
- Carefully crack the shells and remove the crab in whole sections, being sure not to tear the meat.
- Bake the corn pudding at 350º F. until heated through, approximately 10 minutes.
- Gently heat the crab meat in the beurre nantais in a sauté pan until just heated through, again being careful not to break the crab meat.
- Using the heated sauce, carefully spread three separate portions of sauce evenly on a plate.
- Place the heated corn pudding on the center of each section of sauce.
- Top the corn pudding with the butter-poached crab, splitting the crab evenly among the corn-pudding pedestals.
- Lay one slice of the pickled radish off center on each portion of crab. Follow with the pickled onion.
- Upon pickup, place one fennel frond on each pedestal of crab for final garnishing.
