5-13-2011 A Beautiful Shabbat Lunch with Krab Louis Parfaits

We had planned to go to our good friend's ranch this weekend, but the idea of spending 4 hours in the car, 2 weekends in a row sounded tortorous. See, it may take 4 hours to get there, but in reality for us it will take 6. I know this is true because last weekend we went on a 4 hour car trip, and after stopping a bunch of times, it took us 6 hours to get to our destination.

Since, we decided to skip out, our friends that invited us decided to stay home as well, and they so kindly invited us for shabbat dinner tonight.

So, I am not cooking for tonight, but I am making a lunch for tomorrow.

Here is our lunch menu:

1. Challah
2. Krab Louis Parfaits- recipe below
3. Apple Romaine Salad with lemon poppy seed dressing- recipe below
4. Deviled Eggs
5. Hummus, Salsa, Pickles, Olives, Potato Chips, Tortilla Chips
6.  Baby Iceberg Wedges with Thousand Island
7. Deli Rolls- recipe below
8. Tray of Deli Meats with assorted mustards and spreads
9. Cake Batter Cookies
10. Watermelon
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Krab Louis Parfaits

The original Neiman Marcus recipe that inspired this recipe, calls for real crab, I used what I like to call "Krab" to make it a kosher recipe. Makes 4 parfaits.

For the Louie Dressing

1/2 c mayo
3 T chili sauce (such as Heinz)
3 T thinly sliced fresh chives
1 T minced celery
1 1/2 t fresh lemon juice
1 t Old Bay seasoning
1/2 t freshly ground pepper

For the Avocado Mousse

1 ripe Haas avocado, about 6 oz., cut in half and seed removed
1 c sour cream (I used tofutti parve sour cream since it is a meat meal.)
1 1/2 t fresh lime juice
1/2 t salt
dash of Tabasco sauce

For the Tomato Salad

1 c seeded and finely diced tomato
2 T finely diced red onion
1/2 c peeled, seeded and finely diced cucumber
1 T minced fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 t salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

1 c crabmeat, about 7 oz. (krab)

To prepare the Louie dressing, place all ingredients for the sauce in a bowl, whisk to incorporate well. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in refrigerator.

To prepare the mousse, remove skin from avocado and cube it. Mash avocado in bowl. Add the remaining mousse ingredients and whisk until the ingredients are well incorporated and mixture is creamy. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

To prepare the tomato salad, toss all ingredients in a bowl, gently to combine. Cover bowl in plastic wrap and set aside in refrigerator.

Divide crab into 8 equal portions.

Place about 1 T of the tomato salad in the bottom of a chilled 8 oz champagne or parfait glass (I'm using a wine glass). Next, place one portion of the crabmeat to cover the tomato mixture. Top crab with 1 T of Louie dressing. Add about 3T of the tomato salad in an even layer over the dressing and then spoon about 3 T of the mousse over the tomatoes. Repeat these layers once more beginning with the crabmeat layer. Complete the other 3 parfaits and garnish each with just a bit of the tomato salad and some cilantro sprigs or stand a chive up in the mousse.

Can be chilled a little while before serving. All mixtures may be made ahead of time.

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Apple Romaine Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing

This recipe is a spin off from one I found on allrecipes.com

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 teaspoons diced onion

1 teaspoon Dijon-style prepared mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

1 cup cashews

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 apple - peeled, cored and diced

In a blender or food processor, combine sugar, lemon juice, onion, mustard, and salt. Process until well blended. With machine still running, add oil in a slow, steady stream until mixture is thick and smooth. Add poppy seeds, and process just a few seconds more to mix.

In a large salad bowl, combine the romaine, apples, cashews, and dried cranberries. Pour over some of the dressing and toss to coat just before serving.

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I hate deli meat. My younger brother (by 5 years) used to wave it in my face to make me mad when I was a kid. Still, just looking at it makes me queasy.

We were visiting some friends in New York City about 2 years ago, and my friend had made these deli rolls. Normally, anything with deli meat I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole, but I was starving, and in desperation I tried one of these. Would you believe it? I actually liked it!

When we got back from that trip, I started to make deli rolls every shabbat lunch. After a few months of doing this, we were completely burned out. Now, I just make them every so often. If you have never eaten this, definitely make it, it's awesome!

Deli Rolls

1 package of frozen puff pastry dough (I use Pepperidge Farms)

mustard- you can use honey mustard, deli mustard, or even bbq sauce

3 kinds of sliced cold cuts, preferably different colors, I usually use Turkey, Pastrami, and Corned Beef

1 egg, beaten

sesame seeds

 Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
 Lay out pastry dough flat
Spread mustard on the dough. Layer the 3 different types of cold cuts, one type on top of the other.
Roll the dough and meat up, pinching the seam to seal, the ends will be open. Brush the roll with egg. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.
Bake at 350 °F (180°C) for 45 minutes, or until browned.

Slice into servings, serve with extra mustard on the side for dipping.

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Have a great Shabbat!

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