RECIPE AND A RESERVATION: Lan

Restaurant name: Lan
Executive chef: Lan Bradeen
Address: 1568 Main Street (between Orange and Lemon)
Phone: 953-7111
Hours: 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday; 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday
Known for: Modern American cuisine with an Asian flair

Ginger Crab Soup
Serves four as an appetizer

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons minced shallots
¼ cup Sherry
2 cups crab stock
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon white pepper
Salt to taste
3 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 3 tablespoons cool water
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup crab meat
Chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions
1. In a saucepot, sauté ginger and shallots with oil on high heat for 30 seconds.
2. Add Sherry and reduce until half of the sherry remains.
3. Add crab stock, nutmeg and white pepper; bring to a boil.
4. Whisk in cornstarch and bring to a boil again.
5. Add heavy cream, crabmeat and salt to taste.
6. Garnish with fresh parsley.