Made the Asian Crab Crisps and Meatloaf

[kam]

For our Cluster meeting I made the Asian Crab Crisps and the Meatloaf.

First, I LOVE the ASIAN Seasoning - but did not really care for the Asian Crab Crisps. I baked the wontons right before I needed them (not the night before). I thought I had the "ridges" standing up nice and tall, but once they baked, they fell kind of flat. The filling was a little watery and I really did push all the moisture I could out of the crab. The only thing more I could have done was press the crab in paper towel (which I did not do - but may have gotten more moisture out??). I "filled" them (I use that term loosely since the wontons were almost flat anyway) at 5:45 and by 6:30 (when we ate) they were quite soggy.

If I were to do this again, I would just make wonton cups in the mini-muffin pan and fill with the filling. The taste was just OK.

MEATLOAF:
I used 1 poblano pepper (which made 1/2 cup finely chopped) and part of a green pepper for another 1/2 cup. I was afraid at how hot this would be with 1 cup finely chopped poblano pepper.

After microwaving for 14 minutes, the DCB was about 1/2 filled with grease/juice/moisture. It looked almost like meatloaf soup! I drained it off, completed the last 3 minutes to get to 145° and there was even more fat. So I drained that off. Then I brushed with the remaining ketchup, microwaved for the 3-5 minutes and there was even more to be poured off!
The meatlof seems REALLY mushy right away - so it is necessary to let it stand for atleast 10 minutes.

It was not too spicy hot - as I thought it would be. I swear my eyes were watering as I put it together. But, at our meeting - even those who did not like spicy did not think it was too spicy at all. (It had a LOT of Chipotle Rub in it too!)

I would not do this at a show as the whole meat in grease thing turns me off and I don't want to be at a hosts house trying to drain the meat. I guess you could just let it be and not drain it, then once it sits for 10 minutes (and gets more solid), lift it out of the grease/juices to another plate to serve.

Just my 2 cents on these!

 

[Admin Greg]

Thank you for sharing your experience with the Asian Crab Crisps and Meatloaf. It's always helpful to hear honest reviews and tips for improvement. I agree that using wonton cups in a mini-muffin pan might be a better option for the crab crisps. As for the meatloaf, it sounds like draining off the excess grease is definitely necessary. It's good to know that even with a lot of spice, it wasn't too spicy for those who don't normally like spicy food. Thanks again for your feedback!

 

[sharalam]

Hi there! Thank you for sharing your experience with the Asian Crab Crisps and Meatloaf. I'm sorry to hear that the Crab Crisps didn't turn out as expected. It sounds like the moisture from the crab may have caused the wontons to become soggy. One tip I have is to try using a slotted spoon to scoop the crab mixture onto the wontons, so that any excess moisture can drain off before baking. Alternatively, using wonton cups is a great idea too!As for the Meatloaf, I can understand your concern with the amount of grease that was released during cooking. One tip I have is to use lean ground beef, or even ground turkey, to reduce the amount of grease. Another option is to line the DCB with parchment paper before adding the meatloaf mixture, so that the grease can be easily drained off before serving.I'm glad to hear that the Meatloaf wasn't too spicy for your group, despite the amount of chipotle rub used. It's always good to have a variety of spice levels for different tastes.Thank you for sharing your thoughts and suggestions, they are much appreciated! Happy cooking!