Lunch: Crab Tian with Mango & Avocado

So I figured I'd type up this recipe and then give you the list of adjustments I made to it, but before I even start I need to say that I decided on this recipe because I had an avocado and leftover CANNED crab meat that I needed to get rid of! So don't be scared thinking I was shucking Dungeness crab meat on a Sunday afternoon!! But to give the recipe it's due, I'll write it up as it was written:) :

Dungeness Crab Tian with Mango & Avocado
From "The Skinny Girl Dish"
Serves 4

For The Crab:
8 oz. fresh Dungeness crab meat
2 tablespoons ailoi
1 teaspoon freshly diced chives
1/2 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
Zest and juice from 1 lemon
Salt & Pepper to taste

For the Vanilla Syrup:
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup fresh lime juice
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise and scraped

For the Finish:
1 ripe mango, diced
1 ripe avocado, diced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt & Pepper

1.- Place the crab meat in a bowl and gently prick through, discarding any shells. In a separate bowl, combine all of the other crab ingredients and slowly fold into the crab, making sure not to break up the crab too much. taste and adjust the seasoning. Keep cold.

2.-Place all of the syrup ingredients in a saucepan and reduce over medium heat until syrupy, about 20 minutes. Strain and cool.

3.-Place the mango in the center of a plate. In a bowl, toss the avocado with the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and place on top of the mango. Top with the crab. Drizzle a small amount of vanilla syrup around the stack. Serve with homemade potato chips or crackers.

Did I scare you yet?? Well, don't be:) It was definitely more work than I would normally ever spend on lunch...but what are lazy Sundays for, if not for experimenting? :)

Here were my ingredients all chopped up. I did mix the avocado with some salt, pepper and olive oil and the mango is just all chopped up. The crab salad is a mix of mayo and a clove of minced garlic (for the aioli), good ole French's mustard, chopped up scallions and my afore mentioned canned crab:) Tasted good to me!
And here was my attempt at "Tian-ing" it (which is just a fancy term for "layered dish")...

The "vanilla sauce" however, was a little bit of a mess. I was only making this for myself (are you shocked Scott didn't want my crab/vanilla/mango dish??), and even divided by 4, I thought a quarter cup of lemon & lime juice seemed like a lot. So I just threw a couple tabelspoons in my saucepan, along with a teaspoon and a half of sugar and some vanilla extract. (was NOT wasting a good vanilla bean on a LUNCH dish....we're saving that for DESSERT!:) Well, it was wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too tart! I could try to redeem myself with it next time, but the "tian" tasted just fine without it!

So there ya go....a totally scary sounding recipe that was really NOT SO BAD after you broke it all down:) Oh yeah, and there weren't any "homeade potato chips" involved either...I just had it with some Kashi sesame crackers ;)