PASTRY SHELLS:

2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 c. shortening (part butter), chilled
1/3 c. ice water

Make pastry shells by mixing salt and flour together in a bowl. Cut in cold butter until coarse crumb texture. Sprinkle with ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing lightly with fork until dough can be formed into a ball. Divide dough into 8 equal portions.

Roll out each on floured surface into 6-inch circles (about size of most 1-quart saucepans or covers). Prick pastry circles with fork. Set 8 custard cups upside down on a baking sheet. Place the pastries over the bottoms of the cups; pinch them snugly to tight fit over the cups. May crimp edges lightly with tines of a fork.

Bake shells 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown, in 400 degree oven. When baked, remove and cool on rack. When ready to use, remove carefully from cups.

NEWBURG:

1 (12 oz.) pkg. frozen imitation crab
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1/2 c. green pepper, chopped
3 tbsp. pimento strips
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. white pepper
2 c. Half & Half
2 egg yolks, beaten
2 tbsp. parsley, snipped
2 tbsp. sherry or cooking sherry

Thaw crab rolls. When thawed partially, with sharp knife, cut each roll into 4 pieces, as nearly equal as you can. Set aside.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Saute peppers and the mushrooms 4 to 5 minutes, stirring them. Remove them to a separate bowl, adding the pimento, chopped in small pieces. Sprinkle mixture with the lemon juice.

Melt the remainder of the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Blend in the 1/2 cup flour, salt and white pepper. Gradually stir in small amounts of the Half & Half, blending carefully after each addition, stirring constantly, until all is added and sauce is boiling and thickening. Add peppers and mushrooms.

Stir a small amount of hot sauce into beaten egg yolks, mixing thoroughly. Then stir yolks into sauce in skillet, blending carefully again.

Stir in the snipped parsley and the crab pieces. Bring mixture just to boiling point, stirring gently. Stir in cooking sherry.

Ideally, the Newburg would be best served immediately, but pastry shells should not be pre-filled much in advance of serving time. If sauce must be kept hot for serving much later, it would be best to not do the last step until ready to serve. In that event, crab pieces should be refrigerated until ready to add sauce. Then sauce may be kept hot in low heat oven if placed previously in a covered casserole, or even better would be in a preheated slow cooker crock.

Serves 8.