Recipe - Maryland Cream Of Crab Soup - Carrols Creek

1 tablespoon Butter
1 small Onion, chopped
2 Whole cloves
1 lg Bay leaf
1 tablespoon Allpurpose flour
2 cup Milk
1 cup Whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon Ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon Cayenne pepper (or more)
One half pound Fresh crabmeat, picked over
8 ounce Clam juice
One fourth cup Dry Sherry
One fourth cup Chopped fresh chives or
green onions

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, cloves
and bay leaf and saute until onion is tanslucent, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle
with flour and stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk and cream.
Add nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Reduce heat to medlow.
Simmer until slightly thickened, anout 15 minutes.

Strain soup into bowl, pressing on solids to release liquid. Return liquid
to same saucepan. Add crabmeat, clam juice, and Sherry; simmer until
thickened, about 15 minutes (do not boil). Season with additional cayenne
pepper, if desired, and salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill.
Rewarm over low heat.)

Ladle soup into bowls; garnish with chives.

Reprinted from Bon Appetit's "Chefs at Home" magazine, Sept 1997.

Posted to MMRecipes Digest V4 #224 by Julie Bertholf
jewel1@ix.netcom.com on Aug 25, 1997