Recipe - Jay Franks Red Cornmeal Tartlets With Crab Spinach And Ham

CRUST
6 tablespoon Unsalted butter; softened
1 pack (3ounce) cream cheese;
softened
1 cup Stoneground red cornmeal*;
divided
1 cup Flour
One half teaspoon Salt
One fourth teaspoon Cumin
1/8 teaspoon Cayenne
2 tablespoon Water; (up to 3)

FILLING
6 lg Eggs
1 One half cup Heavy cream
One fourth teaspoon Cayenne
1 pn Freshly grated nutmeg
One half cup Slivered Smithfield ham
2 cup Juliennecut thoroughly
cleaned fresh spinach
leaves
One half pound Jumbo lump crab meat

Makes 8 4inch tarts

*Stoneground yellow, white or blue cornmeal can be substituted.

Crust: Beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add One half cup
cornmeal and mix thoroughly. Sift flour with salt, cumin and cayenne. Stir
in remaining cornmeal. Stir dry ingredients and water into creamed mixture
until incorporated. Shape into a ball, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Cut dough into quarters. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one quarter
of dough and use to line two tartlet pans; repeat with remaining pastry.
Line each with foil or wax paper, fill with dried beans and bake in
preheated 350 degree oven 20 minutes. Let cool; remove beans and foil.

Filling: In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, cream, cayenne and nutmeg into a
smooth custard.

Divide ham, spinach and crab meat among tartlet shells. Divide custard
evenly among tartlets. Bake in preheated 375 oven until golden brown, 12 to
15 minutes. Serve hot.

Nutrients each: 463 calories, 35 grams fat (68 percent total calories), 262
milligrams cholesterol, 580 milligrams sodium.

— Chef Jay Frank, The Dining Room, The Berkeley Hotel

Posted to KitMailbox Digest by John Pellegrino gigimfg@ix.netcom.com on
Apr 11, 1998