Posted on May 1, 2008
Filed Under Out of My Comfort Zone
This week’s cooking adventure is… Flaky Crabmeat Bundles. I’d love to know, does that sound like something you’d just up and make without thinking twice?
My husband, Shannon, reads my blog… ok, yeah, I guess you’d know that since I told you he’s my tech support and the one that got it up on the web and customized it for me. Anyway, last night, I said, “You know the thing about cooking something once a week that’s out of my comfort zone?” He said, “Yeah, I saw it in your last post.” I said, “Well, first up is Flaky Crabmeat Bundles”. He was in the next room and after a slight pause, he appeared in the doorway and said, “HUH?!” I think he was afraid he had heard me right.
Well, I made them…
First, while thinking about making them, I had to get over the ‘crab’ thing. Ewwwww! And then it didn’t help matters when I opened the can. Flaky describes it for sure.
Next, there was the thing of phyllo dough. I had bought some awhile ago because it kind of intrigued me, but never got the nerve to try it. I was looking forward to that part, though.
This recipe comes from a Pampered Chef Stoneware Sensations cookbook. Since I only have one piece of stoneware, when I use that cookbook, I start by looking in the Stoneware Index (which is categorized by the different stoneware pieces used) instead of the Recipe Index. And, no, I don’t really want to own more than one piece… I should say that quietly because I know there are some die-hard stoneware fans out there. I am, however, a big fan of Pampered Chef and have LOTS of things and there are still more in that catalog that I think I can’t live without. Well, anyway, we can talk about Pampered Chef some other time, let’s get on with these crab things…
Flaky Crabmeat Bundles
2 cans (6 oz. each) lump crabmeat, drained (I couldn’t find anything that said ‘lump’ on it. Mine ended up looking more grated.)
1 container (8 oz) chive and onion soft cream cheese
2/3 cup fresh pea pods or sugar-snap peas, coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
1 medium carrot, shredded (1/2 cup)
2 garlic cloves, pressed (don’t miss the lazy man’s tip for this at the end of the post)
6 sheets frozen phyllo pastry, thawed
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Sauce:
1/2 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup balsamic or white wine vinegar
2 tsp. peeled fresh ginger root (I used about 1/3 tsp ground ginger… I found online that 1 tsp. ground ginger is equal to 2 Tbsp. fresh ginger root, although not as good. I looked for ginger root for quite awhile in the produce section at the grocery store, but couldn’t find it. We live in a little town.)
2 tsp. sesame oil (couldn’t find that either, I used olive oil)
Preheat oven to 375. For bundles, combine crabmeat, cream cheese, pea pods, and salt in a bowl.
Shred carrot.
Add carrot and garlic to crabmeat mixture; mix well.
Unfold one phyllo sheet onto an 18″ long piece of parchment paper. (Keep remaining sheets covered with plastic wrap.) They’re not kidding about that! Those sheets are paper thin and dry out SO fast. And after they dry, they break instead of bend. Using Kitchen Spritzer filled with vegetable oil, generously spray phyllo sheet. I don’t have a Kitchen Spritzer, so I used a pastry brush. Worked ok, but a sprayer would’ve been much better. Top with second phyllo sheet; spray with oil. Repeat with 3rd sheet of phyllo and oil. Trim phyllo sheets to a 16″ x 12″ rectangle. Cut thro’ all layers of phyllo to make 4″ squares. My sheets were smaller, so I only got 6 squares out of each batch.
Using small Stainless Steel Scoop, drop rounded scoops of crabmeat mixture onto center of each square.
For each bundle, bring 4 corners together at top; pinch. Place bundles on flat Baking Stone.
Bake 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and place on nonstick cooling rack. Repeat with remaining phyllo sheets and crabmeat mixture to make 24 bundles. I just made a half batch for us.
For sauce, combine all ingredients in small bowl; mix well. Serve warm bundles with sauce. I warmed up the sauce, too. Yield: 24 bundles, 3/4 cup sauce
They were good! Shannon liked them even better than I did. I liked them better with the sauce. With or without the sauce was a toss-up for Shannon. It was definitely a different taste than what we’re used to.
They’d be great to serve at a ladies’ afternoon tea party or as appetizers for a formal meal.
Back to the phyllo dough… I have over 3/4 of the pack left. I’m looking forward to using the rest. Maybe next time it’ll be for a dessert.
Just a quick tip for garlic cloves… I’ve never bought a garlic clove or used a garlic press. I use this:
It’s fresh minced garlic, found in the spice aisle, and you refrigerate it after opening. On the side of the jar, it says, “1 tsp = 1 average fresh garlic clove”. I should compare this stuff side by side with a freshly pressed garlic clove and see if I can tell a difference.
Up next week on Out of My Comfort Zone cooking… Baked Apples and Cheese. Yes, they are mixed together in the same dish, and yes, that would be cheddar cheese, not cream cheese. No, I didn’t make it yet. But I’m looking forward to it.
Comments
21 Responses to “Flaky Crabmeat Bundles – Out of My Comfort Zone Cooking #1”
The bundles look good. I am coming over for supper the night you have Apples and Cheese…
So much to comment on…speaking of Pampered Chef, I love my garlic press! I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that I would love these crab bundles. Now I just want to know how they’d bake up on a regular baking sheet as I own no baking stones and don’t wish to. As for apples and cheese, have you ever had an Apple Grande at Taco John’s? If your Baked Apples and Cheese is anything like that, it will be scrumptious!
we LOVE an appetizer that must be just like these. i’ll have to try these out once i go grocery shopping. IF there’s anything left to spend after buying milk, eggs, butter, diapers…
P.C. stoneware is great. Took me a long time to convert, but I’m a fan now.
Way back in high school Home Ec class, we made a Dairy State Apple Pie that had cheddar cheese in it…we all thought that it would be so gross but we were in for a surprise! It was YUMMY.
I love trying different things…when I have time…and extra grocery money (what a joke!). These crab bundles look great, but I’m too tired to be tempted right now.
I love crab so the appetizers sound good to me. And my husband likes cheddar cheese with his apple pie. So we might do okay with your OOMCZone food. =)
I have to agree with Jo on the stoneware.
I love it but it took me awhile to get used to it, too. But, as a (used-to-be) PC consultant, I better love it. 
The garlic press is awesome too. And that recipe… I never tried it but am sure it is wonderful. This gives me the urge to try it soon. 
Course I’ve never had a PC recipe that I didn’t like, no matter how weird it sounded. ???? I’m impressed with your bravery. 
O.k. at what section of the grocery store do you find phyllo dough/sheets or whatever its called?
They look wonderful, and they look similar to crab rangoon that you can get on a buffet at a chinese restaurant. We LOVE those. My husband would be happy if I could figure out a way to make them at home. If I can find the phyllo ????….
By the way, Kay…
I can’t get enough of your website. It is the best cooking/baking blog that I have found, and I’ve been all around and seen lots of them.
You do an awesome job. Thanks for sharing, I love it.
Barb
These remind me of something very similar I’ve had at a Chinese Restaurant a few times. If its anything like those, they are good! Cheers for cooking out of your comfort zone.
I have found no difference in the jar garlic and the fresh garlic.
By the way, why am I the only man commenting here?
The crab bundles look good and may try that sometime, we happen to have fresh crab handy here.
Evidently the people who are thinking , “gross,” aren’t commenting today.
This looks like the kind of thing I’d love if someone else would make so I could try it. I love eating something a little more exotic, but don’t like buying all the ingredients when it’s not something I’d normally buy. The dough reminds me of wonton wrappers. Is it similar? Michelle makes some killer sausage wontons using those.
Hummm, something I might eat, but I doubt my family would.
I don’t like cooking OOMYCzone but maybe I should more often cause we just eat the same things all the time. 
O how lovely. I have that cookbook and I have not tryed them yet!!! Well i better make them this week or maybe i will make them at my next show. I dont really care for sea food but i love the crab rangoons at the chinese resturants. Someone was wondering where to get the phyllo dough, you can find it in the frozen section where they would have bread dough. Now, for the garlic i never liked garlic, cuz i would buy that stuff in the jar. But wants i got a PC garlic press i couldnt believe the difference. The aroma is enough to get your taste buds watering. You will need to get one at your next show. OR become a consultant like me and get it with your kit. HUM!!!! sounds like we have a few PC lovers on here. I love my stoneware as well, once you use it for a while, that is all you want to use. I love mine, i have bought 2 pieces at yard sales, yeah!! i was so excited. Thanks for sharing all your great ideas. I love your website.
I’m glad for the positive comments on the apples and cheese stuff! I still can’t imagine that going together, but now I’m REALLY anxious to try it.
Christy, I’ve never used wonton wrappers, but it seems like they’d be a bit thicker than phyllo. Seriously, I couldn’t believe how thin the stuff was… literally at least as thin as a piece of lightweight paper, only more delicate.
Barb, I got my phyllo dough at Walmart by the frozen pie crusts. Not sure what else is around there… oh, yeah, probably bread dough, like Katie said above.
I just found your website via Jadens Steamy Kitchen and I had to tell you I’m having a blast checking things out. So many great recipes. I have 2 boys and 2 hubby so easy and simple always works for me. I bookmarked you so I will be visiting often! Come check out my site too!
http://thecuttingedgeofordinary.blogspot.com/
You can come here to the Outer Banks and fix those things any time you want! And we’ll make sure your crab meat is not only lump, but right out of the crab.
OH, those look so yummy! I just wish someone would make them for me to try…
I’m not hearing any volunteers.
Hi Kay, Maybe you all knew the correct pronunciation of phyllo. I didn’t. The packaging that I had when I used it had (fillo) written on it or something like that right beside the phyllo word. So I was pronouncing it “fillo”. My friend Susan who knows these things laughed at me and said, “Don’t you know? It’s Fi- (long I)lo Dough.” I argued that with my own theory, and ended by looking it up. Friends,it is FEELOH dough. So, now you know.
Thanks, Arla! I didn’t know how to pronounce it. In my mind, I say Fi(long i)lo. Glad to know now… it may become a more common part of my cooking/baking, once I get past the thing of being a bit intimidated by it. Now, if I can just get my brain to switch to a long E!
These look good, but yeah, I’d have to get a few things I haven’t ever used–although phyllo has always intrigued me. Had to comment on the garlic. I always minced fresh garlic, then found out about the jarred stuff and decided it would be much better and quicker. Well, it wasn’t for me–the fresh has just much better flavor, I think. But really, it’s probably just what you’re used to!
I just read this post and thought I should tell you to try the sauce with the sesame oil. It will totally add a new flavor. You should be able to find this in the Asian section at your grocery store.
Want to try these sometime soon!