6 TBS butter
½ TSP salt
Dash pepper
¼ TSP liquid crab boil
1 small onion (chopped)
1 bunch shallots (chopped)
2 TBS flour
3 TBS parsley
1 C milk
4-5 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 egg (beaten)
1 TSP worcestershire
1 LB crabmeat (white or claw)
1 TSP lemon juice
¼ C dry sherry (optional)
Temperature: 325
Chop all vegetable seasonings. Sauté in butter. Add liquid seasonings. Stir in flour. Slowly add Milk. Add ½ of this hot creamed sauce to the beaten egg. Mix this with the remaining ½ of cream sauce. Add crabmeat, salt and pepper. Use more milk to correct consistency if necessary. Makes 8 large or 3 dozen cocktail patties. Just before serving, brown in oven till crisp and filling is hot. Variations include using crayfish, shrimp or chicken. Can have a basic white sauce or mushroom sauce spooned on top just before baking.
The patty shells are also known as vol-au-vent, and are used in many common forms of canapé.