Recipes : Gratineed Crabmeat with Sauce Mornay : Food Network

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Gratineed Crabmeat with Sauce Mornay
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2005

Ingredients
2 cups Bechamel Sauce, recipe follows
2 ounces grated Gruyere
1/2-ounce grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons whole butter, plus 3 tablespoons melted
1/4 cup minced shallots
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows
2 dozen toast points, for serving

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine the bechamel with the Gruyere and Parmesan. Stir well to
combine and set aside.

Set a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of whole butter.
Once the butter is melted, add the shallots to the pan and cook until soft, about
1 minute. Add the crabmeat and season with the salt and pepper. Cook the crabmeat
in the saute pan and toss to evenly mix, about 2 minutes. Add the chives, parsley

and tarragon to the crab and continue to toss to blend.

Pour the sauce over the crabmeat and stir to combine. Transfer the crabmeat
mixture to a 1-quart oval casserole dish. In a medium bowl, combine the bread
crumbs with the melted butter and Essence and stir to blend. Sprinkle the bread
crumbs over the crabmeat and place the casserole in the oven until well browned
and bubbly, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven, garnish with chopped parsley and serve with toast
points.

Bechamel Sauce:
1/2 small yellow onion, skin and root end removed

1 small bay leaf
2 whole cloves
1 quart whole milk
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground white pepper
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

Set a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Take the onion, and lay the bay leaf on
the cut side. Use the cloves to pierce the bay leaf and affix it to the onion.
This is called an onion pique. Place the onion pique into the saucepan and add the
milk. Scald the milk, and lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer the milk for 45
minutes, then strain through a fine mesh sieve and set aside to cool.

Once the milk has cooled, make the roux. In a small 1-quart saucepan set over
medium heat, melt the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the flour to the pan
and stir to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, until the roux is light tan in
color, about 5 minutes. Add the milk to the pan and whisk to keep any lumps from
forming. Bring the milk to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Season with the salt,
pepper and nutmeg and cook until the roux taste has cooked out, about 10 minutes.
Yield: about 2 cups

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as
Bayou Blast):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch,
published by William and Morrow, 1993.