Crab Pot Pies

After the boys' day crabbing on Friday, we had several fresh crabs. We were talking about what to make. "We always makes crab cakes," D complained. "Can we make a crab pie instead?" Crab pie?

"You know, Mommy...like a chicken pie, but with crab!" Oh, like a pot pie. Okay.

First, we cooked the crab and cleaned it. Then, we got to cooking.

Ingredients for a dozen pot pies

• 1 batch Pâte Brisée (click name to go to my recipe post)
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 carrots, sliced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 C shelled peas
• 2 C dinosaur kale, chiffonaded
• 4 C cooked, cleaned crab meat
• 1-2 C seafood broth beciamela sauce*
• juice from 1 lemon
• 6 fresh sage leaves, minced

    *for the beciamela sauce:

• 2 T flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 C half-and-half
• 1/2 C seafood stock or clam juice
• salt to taste

Procedure

For the beciamela sauce:

Melt butter in a small saucepan and add the flour. Whisk to create a roux. Pour in the half-and-half and seafood stock. Keep whisking until sauce thickens. Season with salt to taste.

For the filling:
In a large, flat-bottom pan, saute the onions in a pat of butter and a splash of olive oil until they begin to soften and turn translucent. Add in the carrots and zucchini; cook until fork tender. Stir in the kale and peas; cook till the kale is wilted.

Add in the crab meat.

Pour in the beciamela sauce. Fold in the sage and lemon juice. Stir until combined. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Spoon the pot pie filling into individual ramekins.

Roll out the pâte brisée between two sheets of parchment paper. Using an empty ramekin as a template, cut the crusts into rounds that will fit easily into the filled ramekins. Lay the crust pieces over the filling.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes - until the crust is crisp and golden.

Serve hot! Dig in.