Cheesy Crab Fondue

December 1, 2010 by frondslikethese 1 Comment

OK, so fondue. It’s quickly becoming my new favorite thing. I honestly don’t know why it took me so long to light the candle under my fondue pot (literally and figuratively speaking) and get to ‘due-ing.

Since the fronds weren’t a part of the first foray into the fantastic, cheesy dreamland of fondue, we decided to dedicate a WND to the gloriousness that is molten cheese.

Granted, fondue probably isn’t the best, quick week night meal, but when there are a few extra hands, it was pretty easy.

Ingredients

• 18 ounces (3 6-oz packages) cream cheese
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon mustard (yellow or Dijon)
• 2 Tbsp powdered sugar (or 1 Tbsp corn starch if you want to skip the sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1-2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning (or paprika with a little ground ginger and cayenne)
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup dry white wine or dry sherry (optional)
• 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 3/4 lb to 1 lb of lump crab meat, fresh or canned
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion greens, chives, or parsley
• Day old French or Italian loaf bread (best not fresh or will fall apart when dipped), cubed into 1-inch cubes

How to do it

Slowly heat the cream cheese, mayo, powdered sugar, garlic powder, Old Bay, lemon zest, and mustard in a double boiler until the cheese is completely melted. (If you don’t have a double boiler, fill a saucepan a third of the way with water and bring to a boil, place a metal bowl over the saucepan. This will work as a double boiler.)

Slowly stir in the wine and lemon juice (adjust quantities to taste and desired consistency). Slowly stir in the crab meat and onion greens.

To serve, transfer to a heated chafing dish or fondue pot to keep warm. Present with bread cubes, blanched broccoli and other crackers.

Serves 8.

Notes from the fronds

We didn’t have white wine (I know, I didn’t believe it either when I realized it) so we ended up using a light beer that was in the back of my refrigerator (how I had that and not wine is beyond me, still.). It was fine, but there was a distinct beer taste that wasn’t my favorite. The original recipe suggests that if you don’t have wine to use water, since it’s really more for regulating the texture than it is for taste.

And not that there’ll be much left, but it’s really rich, so there was a bit that could be saved — it was really good reheated and served with Triscuit crackers.

. love from the fronds .

b