"Drunken" Peekytoe Crab Salad with Soft Cardamom Custard

Adapted by StarChefs.com
June 2006
Yield: 4 Servings

INGREDIENTS:

Crab Salad
4 ounces Peekytoe crabmeat
4 Tablespoons sliced scallion
½ teaspoon minced Thai chile
olive oil to taste
½ teaspoon salt
Custard
10 ounces chicken stock
6 cardamom pods
6 ounces egg whites
1½ teaspoon salt
Ginger Syrup
7 ounces lime juice
10 ounces sugar
4 ounces ginger, sliced
Dressing
5½ Tablespoons Shaoxing wine
4 ounces Ginger Syrup
½ teaspoon salt
Garnish
cilantro leaves

METHOD:

*Shaoxing wine is an aged Chinese rice wine.

For Crab Salad:
In a small bowl, season crab with olive oil, scallion, chili and salt. Keep chilled until assembled.

For Custard:
Preheat oven to 300?F. Simmer chicken stock with cardamom pods for 5 minutes until infused. Remove from heat and season with salt. Whisk egg whites into the stock and then pass mixture through a sieve into a bowl. Pour custard into ovenproof ramekins. Place custard in a bain-marie and bake for 17 minutes.

For Ginger Syrup:
Bring lime juice and sugar to a boil. Add ginger slices and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer until syrup reaches a nappé consistency. Remove from heat and let syrup steep for 10 minutes. Let cool, cover and set aside.

For Dressing:
In a small bowl, combine Shaoxing wine and ginger syrup. Season with salt and set aside.

To Assemble and Serve:
Remove custard to serving plate. Mound crab salad on top of custard and drizzle with dressing. Garnish with cilantro.

Wine Pairing:
A delicate white such as a Riesling or Chenin Blanc.