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.