Crabmeat Broussard

I am very excited to share a real treat with all of you today. With a little persistence, I was able to finesse a well renown recipe from one of the finest and most famous restaurants in New Orleans. Many of you may have heard of Broussard's which is located on Rue Conti in the French Quarter. Crabmeat Broussard is an appetizer on their daily menu and has been served to many celebrities during their visit to the Big Easy. The simplest way I can sum it up is it's layer upon layer of flavor and just one big party in your mouth. Try this and enjoy, that's an order!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. butter
6 jumbo shrimp, peeled, tail left on, deveined; butterfly
1 oz. (2 tbsp.) olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 fresh artichoke hearts, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup white wine
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
3 oz. brie cheese
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. whole fresh thyme leaves
3/4 lb. jumbo lump crab meat

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large skillet, melt the butter and sauté the shrimp until they are just cooked. Set aside to cool.

In a heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil and sauté the yellow onion, artichoke hearts, and garlic over medium heat until the onion becomes limp.

Sprinkle in the flour and mix well while cooking for a minute more.

Deglaze the pan with the white wine, then add stock.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for three minutes.

Add the heavy cream and simmer for another five minutes.

Take the brie and scrape off and discard the white skin; cut cheese into small pieces.

Add brie to the cream sauce and stir until all of the cheese is melted and mixed well.

Remove from heat and allow to cool.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, olive oil, and thyme. Set aside.

After the cheese mixture is cool, gently fold in the crab meat, being careful not break up the lumps.

To assemble, place one shrimp in the center of an oven proof serving dish so that it stands.

Spoon the crab meat mixture around the shrimp and sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture.

Repeat with the remaining shrimp.

Arrange the dishes on a large baking pan and bake in the preheated oven for fifteen minutes, or until the crab mixture is hot and bubbly.

Serve immediately.

Serves 6