This makes a nice first course or a light lunch/dinner. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Layered Crab And Spinach Terrine ================================ From the California Culinary Academy Crab Layer 1/2 pound crab meat, picked over and flaked 1/4 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard Salt and pepper to taste 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 large eggs Spinach Layer 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 teaspoons flour 1/2 cup whipping cream 2/3 cup half and half 1-1/4 pounds cooked spinach Drained and squeezed to remove excess moisture 3 eggs 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon sugar Salt to taste Sauce Mix together, 1 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon finely minced roasted red pepper 1 clove of minced garlic Salt and pepper to taste. Clives for garnish . Preheat oven to 375�F. For the crab layer: In a medium bowl combine the crab, sour cream, lemon juice, mustard, salt, pepper and cayenne. Stir in eggs and set mixture aside. For the Spinach layer: Melt butter in a heavy saucepan until foamy. Whish in flour and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Whisk in whipping cream and half-and-half. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer slowly 10 minutes. Stir occasionally, scraping down the sides and around the bottom as necessary. Mixture will thicken as cooks. Remove from heat and stir in spinach. Let cool. Stir in eggs, one at a time then add black pepper, nutmeg, sugar and salt. To assemble the terrine: Grease an 8 cup loaf pan/terrine pan with butter. Spoon half the crab mixture in the bottom and cover with all of the spinach mixture. Spoon remaining crab mixture over the spinach. Set the terrine in a baking pan and pour 1 inch of hot water into the baking pan. Bake uncovered until golden brown and puffy. Approximately 30 to 45 minutes. Cool on a rack and then refrigerate. To serve, run a knife around the edge and invert on to a serving platter. Slice about 1/2 thick slices and place two on each plate. Decorate plate with a lettuce leaf and place a dollop of the sauce on the lettuce leaf. Garnish with a few chives.

William "Bill" Bayley is credited with starting a dining craze that swept the Gulf Coast with such dishes as West Indies Salad and fried crab claws. Bayley�s Restaurant at Fowl River Road and Dauphin Island Parkway, where he introduced his acclaimed West Indies Salad and fried crab claws, was a Gulf Coast fixture from its founding in 1947 until its closing in 1986. His son reopened it in 1993 at the intersection dubbed Bayley�s Corner. Bayley�s famous dishes spread throughout the South and the nation and he won recognition from Mobile to California. He made quite an impact on restaurants along the Gulf Coast and on tourism. If you came to Mobile, you went to Bayley�s to eat. Bayley�s catering took him all over the country, and the dishes he created � West Indies Salad and fried crab claws � spread in popularity, Bayley�s simple but unique concoctions were tasty enough that whenever Alabama�s representatives or senators in Washington were planning parties, they didn�t want anyone to cater them but Bill Bayley. A native of Alvin, Texas, Bayley grew up in Massena, New York. He had lived in Mobile County since 1942 and operated restaurants at Bayley�s Corner and Mobile�s airport. Bayley served in the U.S. Merchant Marine as a steward. He was also port steward and later chief chef with Alcoa Steamship Co. Inc. for fifteen years. It was on his many voyages to the West Indies that he invented his famous salad. After World War II, Bayley and his wife, Ethel Peterson Bayley, opened the one-room grocery in 1946 with $500 worth of groceries bought on credit. A year later, they opened the restaurant, leaving the grocery business behind.i West Indies Salad 1 lb. Lump Crab meat 1 Finely Chopped onion 1 x Salt and pepper to taste 4 oz. Olive oil 3 oz. Vinegar 4 oz. Ice water West Indies Salad Instructions: Put onions in bowl; add meat, salt, and pepper. Then oil, vinegar, and ice water in that order, Do not stir. Cover, let set in ice box (refrigerator) at least 4 hours and toss before serving.

Here's the recipe I usually use, from a friend in Annapolis. It's pretty similar to some of the other recipes posted and is pretty light on the Old Bay. I'd like to try Marilyn's salmon cakes and just happen to have some fresh salmon right now, so maybe tomorrow will be the day. Delicious Crab Cakes 1 lb. crab meat (picked through) 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon mustard (regular) 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 eggs (slightly beaten) 1 teaspoon parsley 2 pieces white bread - no crusts (I pulse it in the food processor, but a blender would probably work, too) Mix all this together - toss in crab meat last and donÂt overmix. Gently form into individual patties and refrigerate for 1/2 hour prior to frying. Fry in approximately 1/4 inch oil (I use half butter and half oil) about 4 minutes each side (or until nicely browned).

We have made this many times using Kraft's Old English jar cheese; it's a little less competition for the crab than Cheez Whiz would be, and the crab needs to be the star here in Baltimore. Also here in B'more, we use fresh cooked "canned" crabmeat, not what is available in the canned fish aisle. CRAB MUFFINS 6 English muffins ½ cup butter or margarine 1 5-ounce jar Old English cheese ½ teaspoon garlic powder ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper 1 Tablespoon minced onion 1 7-ounce can crab meat Paprika (some use Old Bay instead) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Split the English muffins. Beat together butter or margarine and cheese. Add garlic powder, salt, pepper, and minced onion. Drain crab meat well and squeeze dry. Gently add crab meat to cheese mixture. Spread on muffins and sprinkle with paprika. Cut into sixths or eights for appetizers, or leave as open halves for sandwiches. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 2 minutes. When crabmeat is not in the budget, we do make these with canned tuna, and they're still good, but please don't tell any Maryland natives.