Crab Cups
(Makes 12 cups)

You can serve Crab Cups as an appetizer, or with a lovely salad as a simple lunch or dinner. The cups can be made a few days ahead (store in an airtight container) and the crab filling can be made early the day you are serving it. Just spoon the filling into the cups, top with cheese, and bake. So easy!

1 pound frozen puff pastry, thawed
1/2 cup milk
6 ounces cream cheese
6 oz. (scant 2 cups) shredded extra sharp cheddar
3 tablespoons strained freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, minced
1 pound crab meat, rinsed and picked over for
cartilage and shell pieces
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro or flat leaf parsley

Preheat a conventional oven according to the instructions on the puff pastry package. Spray the backs of 6 of the 12 wells on a regular size cupcake pan with non-stick spray, in an alternating pattern.

Work with 1/2 pound of puff pastry at a time, keeping the remainder in the fridge. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the puff pastry into a 15 x 10-inch rectangle. Pierce the rectangle all over with a fork. Cut the rectangle into 6 equal pieces, each 5 x 5-inches by making 2 cuts on the width and 1 cut on the length. Ease the dough squares onto the backs of the prepared cupcake wells, alternating them:

Bake in the preheated oven 11-18 minutes, depending on the oven temperature, or until puffy and golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven, and turn the cups right-side up to cool. The photo shows two of the cups upside down, the way they were on the pan, and 4 cups right-side up:

Place the milk, cream cheese, the 6 ounces of cheese, lime juice, mustard, chives and garlic in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times, until evenly mixed.

Scrape the mixture into a bowl and add the crab, red bell pepper, salt and pepper, and chopped cilantro or parsley. Stir to combine. You can refrigerate the filling at this point until you are ready to use it.

About an hour before serving time preheat a conventional oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit or a convection oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment and place the pastry cups on the parchment. Put 1/3 cup of filling in each cup and sprinkle a little grated cheddar over the top of each, dividing it evenly among the 12 cups.

Bake the Crab Cups in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

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