Sha's Caribbean Crab Souffle

This also came from my cookbook Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow...Sharing the Taste of Time, that was published last year to benefit the local children's hospital.

• Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 4  tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1⁄3 cup celery top
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 1⁄2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
•  ground black pepper
• 3  tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1⁄4 cups milk
• 4  egg yolks
• 1⁄2 lb  crabmeat
• 6  egg whites, stiffly beaten
• 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Butter a 8 cup souffle dish.
3. Toast coconut in a non-stick skillet over low heat.
4. In a medium skillet, melt butter over low heat and add the celery, garlic, curry powder, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper - cook for 3 minutes. Stir in flour until smooth for about 1 minute. Pour in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Set aside and cool slightly.
5. Whisk the egg yolks one at a time into the sauce. Stir in coconut and crab meat. In medium bowl, beat egg whites and lemon juice with a mixer until stiff, but not dry. Stir 1/4 of the whites into crab mixture. Quickly and gently fold in the remaining whites. Do not deflate the volume.
6. Transfer mixture to the souffle dish and place it on a rack at the bottom of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden, puffed and still moist inside.