TULIP, CRAB, AND ASPARAGUS APPETIZERS

Servings: 25
Ingredients:

3 oz Cream cheese; softened
2 ts Lemon juice
1 tb Minced chives
1 ts Minced fresh dill or mint
-(Optional)
1 ds Pepper or cayenne
1 c  Crab meat, flaked
25    Fresh asparagus spears
25    Tulip petals

In a medium bowl, beat cheese with lemon juice, herbs, and pepper; stir in
crab.
Break tough ends off asparagus. Blanch in 1 inch of boiling water in a
large skillet with a lid, or steam standing upright in a couple of inches
of water in a tall, narrow pot, until crisp-tender, 2 to 5 minutes,
depending on thickness of stems. Plunge into an ice-water bath for 1
minute; then pat dry. Trim asparagus to abut 5 inches; from the
trimmings, cut as many 1/4-inch rounds as you have tulip petals. Save
extra ends for salads.
Fill each tulip petal with about 1/2 a rounded teaspoon of crab mixture
and garnish with an asparagus round. (If your petals are large and
asparagus thin, you can use 3 rounds to garnish each filled petal.)
Arrange asparagus in a fan on a serving platter and place tulip petals
alternately (or create your own pattern).

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