Kk's Cream of Crab Soup

As a Maryland native growing up, crab was always plentiful, available and fresh - usually caught that day. Today I buy fresh lump or jumbo lump crab for this soup, depending on the audience. Using a lesser grade of crab won't give you the premium results you are probably seeking.

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1  lb  backfin crab meat
• 1⁄4 cup butter
• 2  tablespoons onions, chopped very fine
• 1⁄3 cup flour
• 1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth (don't use a heavy stock)
• 1⁄2 cup dry sherry (very dry sherry should be pale yellow in color)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
• 1  teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 3  cups  whole milk
• 1  cup heavy cream
• 8 -9  dashes Tabasco sauce
• 8 -9  dashes  of a less vinegary  hot sauce (such as Texas Pete's or Frank's)
• 1  pinch cayenne (just a very light shake!)
• 1  teaspoon sugar
• 1  tablespoon tomato paste (use concentrated, it comes in a tube)

Directions

1. Gently remove cartilage from crab meat.
2. Melt butter in a 2-3 quart sauce pan.
3. Add the onion and cook 3-4 minutes - until translucent.
4. Blend in flour and cook as a roux on medium-low heat until the flour-butter mixture "loosens", which indicates the flour is cooked (about 5 minutes).
5. Off the heat, stir in chicken broth and sherry, return to the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
6. Add salt, pepper, milk and cream, then stir in Tabasco, cayenne and sugar.
7. Use a little of the liquid to thin the tomato paste and stir it back into the soup.
8. Cook on med-low heat until thickened, but do not let it boil.
9. Taste it, and when the cream base is cooked and seasoned to your liking, add the crab.
10. Heat gently another 5 minutes and serve.
11. Serving suggestion: make a lightly sweetened whipped cream to dollop on top and serve with a small pitcher of the sherry to add at the table.
12. A small amount of fresh chopped parsley around the edge of a soup plate is attractive, but don't use too much because you don't want to affect the flavor of the soup.