Crab Puffs

 Description: Here it is: the toughest recipe in the book. (Don’t worry that doesn’t mean it’s very tough at all.) It also takes the most time to prepare. However, these puffs are absolutely delicious and they will fit in at any party no matter how casual or formal it may be.

Serves: About 16

Ingredients: 1/2 cup of water
  ¼ cup of butter or margarine (1/2 stick)
  2 eggs
  ½ cup of flour
  1 tablespoon of milk
  ½ teaspoon of horseradish
  1 8 ounce package of softened cream cheese
  1/8 teaspoon of pepper
  ¼ teaspoon of salt
  1 8 ounce package of imitation crabmeat (flaked and drained)
  1/3 cup of toasted almonds
  2 tablespoons of finely chopped onions

Method: 

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a medium saucepan, combine the butter (or margarine) and the water. Bring the water and butter to a boil. Then add in the flour and stir until it’s all mixed together very well. Turn down the heat to low. Continue to cook on low until the mixture becomes a ball. Make sure you stir the entire time so that the ball forms properly. Once the ball forms, remove from heat.
 
Add the eggs to the ball one at a time. Every time you add an egg, beat it into the ball using a spoon. Make sure the mixture is blended very well before adding another egg.

When the eggs have been added and the mixture (which is the dough) is blended, lightly grease a baking sheet. Then take spoonfuls of the mixture and drop each spoonful onto the baking sheet. 

Once all the dough is on the baking sheet, then place in the oven for about thirty minutes. It’s ready to come out when the dough turns golden brown. After you remove the dough from the oven, place each ball on a wire rack to cool. Then turn the oven down to 375°F.

While the balls cool, in a medium mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, milk, horseradish, salt, and pepper. Mix together until all the ingredients are well blended. Then add the imitation crab meat, the almonds, and the onion. Mix together lightly.

Cut the tops off of the cream puffs and fill each cream puff with the mixture from step 5. Replace the tops of the cream puffs and place the cream puffs back onto the baking sheets. Bake another ten minutes at 375°F. You only need to heat the cream puffs through.

Carefully remove from the oven, place the cream puffs on trays, and then serve.