Gratin Aux Fruits De Mer (Julia Child)

This is a quick and delicious main course dish that is made by combining a cream sauce with canned salmon or leftover cooked fish. You can use a baking dish or a pastry shell. The original recipe calls for cooked or canned salmon, but you can use any kind of fish or shellfish and it will taste great!

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup onion, finely minced
• 3  tablespoons butter
• 3  tablespoons flour
• 1  cup  boiling milk
• 1⁄4 cup dry white wine or 1⁄4 cup dry white vermouth
•  juice, from salmon can if any
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1  pinch pepper
• 1⁄4 teaspoon oregano
• 4 -6  tablespoons  whipping cream
• 1 1⁄2 cups salmon, cooked or 1 1⁄2 cups salmon, canned
• 1⁄4 cup  grated swiss cheese
• 1  tablespoon butter

• Optional

•  sauteed mushroom, sliced hard-boiled eggs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a heavy bottomed 2 quart saucepan, cook the onions in butter over low heat for 5 minutes, until onions are tender but not browned.
3. Stir in the flour, and cook slowly for 2 minutes without coloring.
4. Off heat, beat in the boiling milk, then the wine, salmon juice, and the seasonings.
5. Now bring this sauce to a boil over moderately high heat, stirring.
6. Boil several minutes to evaporate the alcohol in the wine, and allow the sauce to thicken considerably. Then, thin it out to a medium consistency with tablespoons of cream. Taste carefully for seasoning.
7. Fold the salmon and optional ingredients into the sauce, and check seasoning again. Spread in baking dish or pastry shell.
8. Sprinkle on the cheese and distribute the butter in pea-sized dots.
9. Bake in upper third of oven for about 15 minutes, or until top is nicely browned.