Frank's Crabmeat Au Gratin Deluxe

Ingredients:

1 stick butter
1 cup onions, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup all purpose flour plus
1 can evaporated milk, 13 oz. size
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 tsp. kosher or sea salt
1 tsp. red pepper
1 tsp lemon juice, fresh squeezed
2 Tbsp. cocktail sherry
1/2 cup green onion tops, thinly sliced
1 lb. lump crabmeat, picked for shells
2 cups Zapp's Original Potato Chips, crushed
8 oz. mild cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup parsley
12 French bread pistolettes

First thing you do is take a heavy, high-sided skillet and sauté the onions, the celery, and the garlic in the butter that you've melted and very lightly browned (but not burned!). Then when all the veggies are wilted, soft, and tender, immediately whisk in the flour until it is totally combined.

Next, pour in the evaporated milk (but do it gradually to create a silky smoothness in the sauce). Then temper the egg yolks gently so that they do not curdle and stir them into the mixture. At that point, it's time to add in the salt, the red pepper, the lemon juice, and the sherry. Best advice is to thoroughly blend all the ingredients together and cook them into a sauce mixture for 5 to 7 minutes or until velvety.


All that's left to do now is to fold in both the green onion tops and the crabmeat, pour the concoction into a lightly greased casserole pan (or individual ramekins), evenly sprinkle on the potato chips, and liberally top with copious amounts of cheddar cheese. The dish is done and ready to eat after you bake the pan for 10-15 minutes in a 375-degree oven until brown and crusty.


I recommend you serve the au gratin piping hot with a garnish of minced parsley, a cold tossed salad, and couple of hot, buttered crispy pistolettes.

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Chef's Notes:

IVariation: Make the sauce portion of the recipe in a large skillet. Then evenly lay out the crabmeat in the greased casserole or in individual ramekins and pour the au gratin sauce over the top. Complete the recipe by baking it as directed.

You can use either lump crabmeat or crab claw meat in this au-gratin dish. But do not use canned crabmeat! And whatever you do, never use imitation crabmeat!!

The proper way to temper eggs is to gradually add small amounts of the hot liquids to the egg yolks as you whip them to bring up the temperature. This process keeps the eggs from "scrambling" when they are then whisked into the hot sauce.

You can use either mild or sharp cheddar cheese for making an au gratin. Personally, I prefer an equal part mixture of both.

Once again, remember that the term "au gratin" doesn't mean "cheesy," as many folks believe. Instead, it means "with a crust." In this deluxe recipe the combination of potato chips and richly baked cheddar cheese provides that crust. So don't take it out of the oven until it gets crusty!!