Recipe for zen!

pasta with crab, tomatoes, cream, and tarragon (from the frog commissary cookbook--which ROCKS!)

pasta & sauce

1/2 lb fresh cappellini pasta or 1/3 lb dried (angel hair works just fine too)
3 tb minced shallots
1/4 c madeira (hmmm, i think i substituted red wine?)
1/2 c dry white wine
2 tsp minced fresh tarragon or 3/4 tsp dried
1/2 tsp pepper
1 2/3 c heavy cream
1/4 tsp grated lemon peel
1 tsp salt
1 c peeled, seeded, chopped tomatoes (or 1 can)

crab saute

1/4 c butter
3 tb minced scallions
1/4 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 c peeled seeded chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 tb lemon juice
1/2 lb crab (canned crab is ok)
1 tb minced parsely

cook pasta, drain, set aside.

sauce:
In a wide saucepan, combine shallots, madeira, wine, tarragon, pepper. Reduce the mixture to 1/4 cup. Toward the end of the reduction, tilt the pan back and forth to avoid burning around the edges. Add cream, lemon peel, and salt. Bring to a hard boil 5 min, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomatoes and lemon juice and set aside.

Crab saute:
Heat butter in saute pan. Add scallions, tarragon, tomatoes, salt, pepper, lemon juice. Heat until very hot. Add crabmeat and shake gently to heat without breaking up any lumps (if you are fortunate enough to afford lump crabmeat!) Mix pasta with cream sauce, top with crab saute, and sprinkle with parsely. Bon Appetit!!