Shrimp Puffs - OAMC

For the holidays, this recipe is a life saver. You can pull this appetizer out of the freezer and have ready for guests quickly. You can also use frozen or canned crabmeat!

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 24
• Yields: 24 appetizers

Ingredients

• 6  slices  firm  white bread (Pepperidge Farm is good)
• 1  lb  uncooked frozen shrimp, deveined and shelled
• 2  cloves garlic, minced
• 1  tablespoon butter
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1⁄2 cups gruyere cheese or 1 1⁄2 cups havarti cheese, shredded
• 1  teaspoon lemon, zest of
• 1  teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1  dash pepper
• 3⁄4 cup mayonnaise

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300°F Using small cookie cutter, cut out four rounds from each slice of bread.
2. Place on cookie sheet and bake in oven for 10-15 minutes or until bread is crisp and dry, turning bread rounds over once halfway through baking time.
3. Cool on wire rack.
4. Heat butter and olive oil in heavy skillet and cook garlic and shrimp just until shrimp curl and turn pink.
5. Remove from heat and set aside for 10-15 minutes to cool slightly.
6. In large bowl, combine cheese, lemon zest, dill, mayonnaise, and pepper.
7. Finely chop shrimp and add to cheese mixture.
8. Top bread rounds with shrimp mixture, mounding and smoothing the shrimp.
9. Freeze in single layer on baking sheet, then store in freezer container in single layer.
10. When ready to eat, bake puffs, frozen, in preheated 400F oven for 10-13 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.
11. Serve immediately.
12. You can also bake the puffs without freezing them, in a 400F oven for 8-9 minutes.