Beggars Purses With Crab Recipes

BEGGARS PURSES FILLED WITH SHRIMP AND SCENTED WITH LEMON AND THYME

Steps:

• Start by making the aromatic shrimp filling: Combine the first 5 ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Season the mix with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan, bring 1-inch of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Place the chives in the water and blanch for 1 minute. Remove the chives and squeeze them dry in a paper towel. The chives will be all bunched up in a ball at this point, so carefully separate them and set them aside.
• To assemble your purses: take a crepe and cut it in half. Place a heaping tablespoon of the shrimp filling in the middle of each half of crepe and draw up the sides of the crepe as to make a pouch of filling resembling a purse. Carefully twist the crepe around at the top and lay it on its side, holding the crepe closed at the top. Slip a chive under the crepe and tie it around the twisted top in a knot to secure the purse. Trim away any extra crepe and length of chive. After practicing this technique a few times you will get the hang of it and they will come together nicely. These may be made ahead of time and frozen for up to 1 month.
• To make the crepe batter, combine the flour, milk, water, eggs, 2 tablespoons of butter, and salt in a blender. Blend on high until the batter is smooth. Cover and let the batter sit for 30 minutes. This is essential in creating strong crepes which will hold up to the stress of tying them into your beggars purses. Place a 7 1/2-inch nonstick crepe pan over medium heat. Brush a little of the remaining melted butter into the pan with a pastry brush. Ladle 2 tablespoons of crepe batter into the pan and swirl to coat the entire pan evenly. Cook the crepe until it is set and the bottom is golden brown. Using a heat-proof rubber spatula, flip the crepe over and cook on the second side until it is lightly browned as well. Continue making crepes with remaining batter. Set aside covered with a dish towel until you are ready to assemble your beggars purses.

CRISPY BEGGAR'S PURSE

Steps:

• If frozen, defrost the spring roll skins thoroughly. Soak the mushrooms in warm water for 20 minutes. Squeeze out the excess liquid. Remove and discard the stems and finely chop the caps. Soak the noodles in a large bowl of warm water for 15 minutes. When soft, drain and discard the water. Cut into 3 inch lengths.
• Put the prawns and pork in a large bowl, add salt and pepper and mix well. Then add the rest of the ingredients except for blanched green onions and frying oil, noodles and mushrooms and stir them well into the prawn and pork mixture. Wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and chill it for at least 20 minutes.
• For the sauce, mix the cornstarch and water. Place all the ingredients for the sweet and sour sauce, except the cornstarch mixture and chili in a pan. Bring to a boil, stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the chili flakes. Let cool and set aside.
• When you are ready to stuff the dumplings, put 2 tablespoons of the filling in the center of each spring roll skin. Dampen the edges with a little water and bring up the sides of the skin around the filling. Pinch the edges together at the top so the dumpling looks like a small, filled bag. Tie with a green onion. Continue, to use up all the filling.
• Heat a wok over high heat. Add the oil and, when it is moderately hot, add a handful of dumplings and deep-fry for 3 minutes until golden and crispy. If the oil gets too hot, turn the heat down slightly. Drain on paper towels and fry the remaining dumplings. Serve immediately with the sweet and sour sauce.

BEGGARS PURSES

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl combine all ingredients except the wonton wrappers. cover cookie sheets with tin foil and set the oven to 375 degrees
• 2. place the wonton wrappers out on a work surface and get a small bowl of water. Place a dollop of the mixture in the center of the wonton wrapper. Do not over stuff or it will burst in the oven.Put your fingers in the water and go along the outsides of the wonton wrappers with water.
• 3. place on cookie sheet as they are closed.
• 4. Put in the oven and cook until the wontons are golden brown and crispy. Serve immediately, but they are great at room temperature as well.

BEGGARS' PURSES

Steps:

• Make crêpe batter:
• Melt butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and set aside 2 tablespoons for cooking crêpes. Continue to cook butter remaining in skillet until it has a nutty fragrance and is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Blend brown butter with remaining crêpeingredients, except chives, in a blender until smooth. Add chives and pulse 1 or 2 times to just combine. Let batter stand 30 minutes.
• Blend brown butter with remaining crêpe ingredients, except chives, in a blender until smooth. Add chives and pulse 1 or 2 times to just combine. Let batter stand 30 minutes.
• Blanch whole chives:
• Blanch chives in a small saucepan of boiling water 10 seconds. Drain and plunge into an ice bath. Pat dry.
• Make crêpes:
• Lightly brush skillet with butter, then heat over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Stir batter. With skillet off heat, add a scant 1/4 cup batter, tilting and rotating skillet to coat bottom. (If batter sets too fast, reduce heat slightly.) Cook until golden around edges, 15 to 30 seconds. Loosen with a heatproof plastic spatula, then flip crêpe over with your fingertips. Cook until underside is set, about 30 seconds. Slide onto a plate. Make more crêpes, brushing skillet with butter and stacking crêpes on plate.
• Assemble purses:
• Top each crêpe, browned side up, with about 1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream and 2 teaspoon caviar. Gather crêpe around filling and tie 1 or 2 blanched chives in a knot to close purse. Trim ends of chives if necessary.

CHICKEN AND LEEK BEGGARS PURSES

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients for the crepe recipe, excluding the oil, in a bowl and whisk until smooth. The batter should be the consistency of heavy cream. Adjust with flour or water. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes before making crepes. Coat a crepe pan or saute pan with oil. Add enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook until the edges begin to curl and flip over for a few seconds to cook the other side. Remove to a plate and continue with remaining batter.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Saute the leeks in butter until translucent and cool in the refrigerator. Place the chicken in a food processor and puree until smooth. Transfer the chicken mixture to a bowl and fold in the remaining ingredients.
• Place about 1 tablespoon of chicken mixture in the middle of a crepe; pull the edges up to form a beggar's purse and tie with chive that has been blanched for 20 seconds in boiling water. Place the purses on a sheet-pan and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 5 minutes or until cooked through.