It’s tough to get back into the swing of things, on a Monday morning, after a great weekend with friends, family, food and great weather!  Dragging myself out of bed, walking out to the front of the walkway in my pj’s to pick up the paper….can’t start the morning without the paper and a cup of coffee. Neighbors don’t even notice me anymore! While going to the refrigerator to get milk for my coffee (so I can read the paper to see what the rest of the world is doing, or not doing!) I see this little container of lonely jumbo lump crabmeat sitting in the middle of the upper shelf.  Totally untouched and forgotten…and did I mention expensive?  Buying this crabmeat on Saturday morning  seemed like a good idea, at the time.   I fully intended on treating someone to a “crabmeat something or another”!  Bringing it to some party or treating my husband to a Godchaux Salad, maybe.  But here it sat, untouched and unused.  You know, it’s never the same after you freeze it!  God forbid… I could hear my mother’s voice.  Looking to see what else I forgot to use (because Monday is not my best day to go to the store and usually a busy day at work), I saw Half and Half cream, a jar of pimentos and wonderful butter.  All the makings of my version of Crabmeat Imperial.  Simple, easy and delicious.  So, that’s when supper became a breakfast thought that lasted throughout the day.   Here it is, folks:

1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat

4 oz butter

2 cups half and half cream

1/2 cup of all-purpose flour

3 oz jar sliced pimentos

Splash of any white wine you might have (or might be drinking!)

Salt and pepper to taste

It’s optional to add a few dashes of tabasco or hot sauce, a little lemon juice, fresh herbs or a few grates of fresh parmesan cheese.  Just remember, this is not about the cheese, it’s about the crabmeat!

Empty the container of crabmeat into a colander and “gently, very gently” feel the lumps and remove any shells.  This is very important!  Nothing worse than enjoying a delicious crab dish, then starting to feel shells in your mouth….

Melt the butter in a skillet over a medium fire.  Slowly blend in the flour, stirring constantly, until it is nice, thick and smooth.  Make sure that all of the lumps are gone!  Slowly pour in the half and half cream, stirring as you pour.  This is when you could add, just a splash (no more than a 1/4 cup) of white wine. Continue to stir constantly until this becomes thick and velvety.  Add your pimentos.  Blend well.  Add your seasonings.  Finally, again…”gently” add in your crabmeat.  Make sure that you don’t break all of the beautiful white lumps!  Just sort of toss with your spoon, rather than stirring.   Pour this wonderful mixture into one baking dish or several ramekins.   Now, tonight, I decided that I had to add breadcrumbs to the top.  After rummaging through my pantry, not finding any ready-made, I took a piece of sliced bread (any bread will do) and put it in the toaster on high.  Cooled it, crumbled it up and added it to the top.  Just to add a nice crunch.  Bake at 375 degrees until bubbly and the top is nice and golden brown.  About 25 minutes.

As I was sitting down with my hubby (to eat in our laps as we watched “Mantrackers” on TV) WAIT… Did I really just say that?  Must have, oh well! After all of that “thraka” you would like to think that we could set a nice little place setting on one of our tables and eat like Ozzie and Harriet , but nooooo, tonight we are eating in front of the t.v…we don’t even have tv trays…perfect!
Even with that thought in mind, I couldn’t help but think that this worked…and when food works, it’s all good!  One happy husband and one happy Monday!

PS..I’ve got to get someone to hold this iPhone or a camera while I cook!  These pics are taken while I am holding my iPhone with my chin, snapping pictures, while I cook…not an easy task for a normal human being with only two arms and one neck!  (In my right mind I can’t ask my husband, who has had a triple bypass, to not go out and exercise while I am preparing to feed him food laden with butter and cream…he might call the cops on me!)  Have to figure this one out!