Crab Mornay

Ingredients

• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced celery
• 2 tablespoons margarine or butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Dash ground red pepper
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 cup shredded process Swiss or Gruyere cheese (4 ounces)
• 1 cup cooked crabmeat; one 7-ounce can crabmeat, drained, flaked, and cartilage removed; or one 6-ounce package frozen crabmeat, thawed and drained
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry or dry white wine
• 4 baked patty shells or toast points
• Paprika or snipped parsley (optional)

Instructions

1. In a saucepan cook mushrooms, onion, and celery in margarine or butter till tender. Stir in flour, pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Reduce heat. Add cheese and stir till melted. Stir in crabmeat and sherry or white wine. Heat through; do not boil.
2. Serve in patty shells or over toast points. Sprinkle with paprika or parsley, if desired. Serves 4.
3. Microwave directions: In a 1-quart casserole micro-cook mushrooms, onion, celery, and margarine or butter on 100% power (high) for 2 to 3 minutes or till tender. Stir in flour, red pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Stir in 1 cup milk all at once. Cook, uncovered, on high for 4 to 6 minutes or till thickened and bubbly, stirring every minute till the sauce starts to thicken, then every 30 seconds. Cook, uncovered, for 30 seconds more. Add cheese; stir till melted. Stir in crabmeat and sherry or white wine. Cook, uncovered, about 2 minutes more or till heated through. Serve as above.
4. Shrimp Mornay: Prepare as above, except substitute 8 ounces cooked, peeled, and deveined shrimp or two 4 1/2-ounce cans shrimp, rinsed and drained, for crabmeat.
5. Lobster Mornay: Prepare as above, except substitute 1 cup cooked lobster or one 6 1/2-ounce lobster, drained, broken into large pieces, and cartilage removed, for crabmeat.