BELGIAN ENDIVE STUFFED WITH CRAB MEAT RAVIGOTE (about 40 hors d’oeuvres)

½ cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon minced garlic

¼ teaspoon hot red pepper sauce

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons chopped green onions

¼ cup seeded, small diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons small capers, drained

1 tablespoon minced shallots

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage

4 heads Belgian endive, cored, leaves separated and wiped clean

1 head radicchio Treviso, cored, leaves separated and wiped clean

2 bunches fresh watercress for garnish

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1.  In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, hot sauce and salt.  Whisk to combine.  Fold in the green onions, tomatoes, capers, shallots and parsley.  Gently fold in the crabmeat, turning gently to coat with the dressing and being careful not to break up the lumps.  Adjust seasoning to taste.

2.  Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the stuffing into endive and radicchio leaves.  Arrange the watercress and stuffed leaves decoratively on a platter and serve as an hors d’oeuvre.  Alternately, place the watercress on 8 small plates, add the stuffed leaves, and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.

adapted from Emeril Lagasse