Tulip, Crab, And Asparagus Appetizers

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced chives
1 teaspoon minced fresh dill or mint, optional
1/8 teaspoon pepper or cayenne
1 cup crab meat, flaked
25 fresh asparagus spears
25 tulip petals

In a medium bowl, beat cheese with lemon juice, herbs, and pepper; stir in
crab. Break tough ends off asparagus. Blanch in 1 inch of boiling water in a
large skillet with a lid, or steam standing upright in a couple of inches of
water in a tall, narrow pot, until crisp-tender, 2 to 5 minutes, depending on
thickness of stems. Plunge into an ice-water bath for 1 minute; then pat dry.
Trim asparagus to abut 5 inches; from the trimmings, cut as many 1/4-inch
rounds as you have tulip petals. Save extra ends for salads. Fill each tulip
petal with about 1/2 a rounded teaspoon of crab mixture and garnish with an
asparagus round. (If your petals are large and asparagus thin, you can use 3
rounds to garnish each filled petal.) Arrange asparagus in a fan on a serving
platter and place tulip petals alternately (or create your own pattern).
Makes 25 appetizers

--
Rec.food.recipes is moderated by Patricia Hill at .
Only recipes and recipe requests are accepted for posting.
Please allow several days for your submission to appear.
Archives: http://www.cdkitchen.com/rfr/ http://recipes.alastra.com/