1puff pastry, 1 sheet; they usually come 2 to a box
8ouncescrab meat, fresh; drained
8ouncescream cheese, room temperature
4ounces shredded Fontina cheese
2 tablespoonsgreen onions, minced very fine
½teaspoongarlic powder
½teaspoonpaprika, smoked
½teaspooncayenne pepper
½teaspoonsalt, kosher
2teaspoonsWorcestershire sauce
1tablespoonlemon juice
2-3dropsLouisiana Hot Pepper Sauce(optional)
1wholeegg, for egg wash
3tablespoonsflour, for rolling out puff pastry dough
1tablespoonwater, for egg wash
Instructions
Prep
Preheat oven to 400ºF
Allow puff pastry to soften at room temperature for about 15 minutes
1 puff pastry
Drain crab meat in colander; set aside (do not rinse it)
8 ounces crab meat
Chop green onions very finely; set aside
2 tablespoons green onions
In a small bowl, lightly beat egg and add water; this is the egg wash; combine well; set aside
1 whole egg, 1 tablespoon water
Prepare Puff Pastry
Scatter flour on level surface (countertop) and unfold pastry sheets
3 tablespoons flour
Unfold each pastry sheet and, use a rolling pin to roll the pastry dough to about 12" x 12" inches
Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter; make three horizontal cuts every 3 inches; then, make three vertical cuts every 3 inches (you're cutting 3" x 3" squares of dough)
Place dough squares on ungreased, clean baking sheet and refrigerate for about 15 minutes while you're making the crab meat topping
Prepare Crab Meat Topping
In a large mixing bowl, combine drained crab meat, room temperature cream cheese, shredded Fontina cheese, green onion, garlic powder, paprika, salt, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and cayenne (optional) and Louisiana hot sauce (optional) See Recipe Notes
8 ounces cream cheese, 2 tablespoons green onions, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2-3 drops Louisiana Hot Pepper Sauce, 4 ounces shredded Fontina cheese
Remove pastry squares from refrigerator and place on prepared baking pan
1 puff pastry
Top each square with about 1 tablespoon of crab meat mixture (See Recipe Notes)
Place another pastry square on top of the filling; brush a little of the egg wash around the edges of the pastry the press the top to the bottom to seal
1 whole egg, 1 tablespoon water
Place baking sheet on middle rack in oven; lightly coat with egg wash; bake for 15-20 minutes, or until dough is golden brown
Remove and plate; garnish with shredded parmesan and chives
Video
Notes
Draining the fresh lump crab meatUse a fine-meshed strainer and use the back of a spoon to push juice outTopping
1 tablespoon of the topping is plenty; however on some of mine, the topping melted over the pastry
If you want "pretty" pastries, use a little less than 1 tablespoon per 3 x 3 square and try to shape the topping into a ball...that way, it won't spread as much
Puff PastryPuff pastry "puffs" best when it's slightly chilled and the oven is HOT. Be sure to refrigerate the pastry squares before you top them so they'll be cool when they go into the ovenCheese:If you don't have Fontina cheese, substitute with shredded Mozzarella cheese.If you want to serve this as a dip, don't put it on puff pastry; put in in an oven-safe baking dish and bake at 350°F, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes; allow to rest before serving; serve as a hot dip or use a spreader knife.