So there’s been a couple of diaries (such as here) where take out dishes are duplicated at home. This is something from a Chinese Buffet.
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Back before my surgery, I would regularly frequent a Chinese buffet in my area. While I piled my plate high with the usuals such as pot stickers, General Tso, and Mongolian beef, by far my most favorite dish was something called “crab meat and cheese”. I remember it being basically fake crab meat, a ton of melted cheese, all sitting in a pool of a butter flavored oil. I know, right?
So recently, I began thinking about how I could make that yummy flavor at home. I did a quick Google, and found TONS of recipes for what everyone called “Chinese buffet crab and cheese casserole”. And there were things in there I never thought went into the dish I so loved. So I finally decided to attempt it. I used:
3lb fake chunk crab
1 8oz block of cream cheese
1 6 or 7oz tub of whipped smoked salmon cream cheese
4oz sour cream
A LOT of shredded cheese
A bunch of green onion
Seasonings: S&P, cayenne, butter buds, and Old Bay
Spreadable butter
So the first thing I did was to mix up the cream cheeses and sour cream. Even though I had left the cream cheese out for over an hour, I made the Classic Chef John blunder of not having it out long enough. So it was a chore to get everything smooth. Then I added the green onions, some of the spreadable butter, cheese, and seasonings.
Next I added the fake crab. I mixed it up and put it in a VERY well buttered casserole dish and added more cheese on top.
I put it in a hot oven, let it go for a while, then set it on broil to get the cheese on top melty and brown. Et Voila!
This is definitely going into my rotation because it was so good. It tasted very much like the buffet dish I remember. There are some tweaks I’ll make next time, but all good.
So there it is. Sometimes the easiest things are the best things, and this was certainly quick and easy. The hardest part is waiting for the cream cheese to soften.
Anyway, WFD this week is a crock pot meatloaf. I may diary that also in the future. Using some new tricks, and it’s in a slow cooker. Why? My oven is messed up—I can only use the stove burners and the broiler—and I need to do some cleaning before I call the landlord to get it fixed.
So, what’s everyone else’s favorite take out dish you’ve successfully duplicated at home? Let’s talk about that in the comments.
