Real Vermont Cooking

INGREDIENTS 6 medium sized merlitons 1 ounce olive oil 1 bunch green onions, finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 4 ounces stale bread, soaked in water, drained and chopped Salt to taste 12 ounces picked crabmeat 1/4 bunch parsley, finely chopped Unseasoned bread crumbs 1 fresh lemon Directions: Peel merlitons, cut in half and pit. Cut into approximately 1 inch cubes and boil in unsalted water or until merlitons are tender, approximately 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. In large saucepan heat olive oil over medium heat. Drop in green onions and stir, adding chopped bread, red pepper and salt to taste. Slowly blend in merlitons, being careful not to break up cubes. Fold in crabmeat and reduce heat. Add chopped parsley and the juice of 1 fresh lemon. Place in a casserole dish and sprinkle unseasoned bread crumbs on top. Bake at 360 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves 12.

INGREDIENTS 1 pound white crabmeat 1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard 3 tablespoons butter or margarine 3/4 cup grated cheese (your choice cheddar or American) 1/2 cup finely chopped onions or scallions 1 small pinch ground nutmeg 1/4 cup finely chopped celery 3 tablespoons bread crumbs 1 heaping tablespoon all-purpose flour dash of white pepper 1 – 1/2 cups milk 1/4 cup extra cheese 1 egg yolk, well beaten dash of cayenne pepper 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Dash of paprika Directions: In a heavy saucepan, over moderate heat, melt butter, add onions and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally until onions are soft and transparent but not brown. Stir in the flour, blend well. Add milk, stir constantly until smooth. Add pepper, nutmeg, mustard, and cheese.Take pot away from heat. Beat egg yolk and add lemon juice. Then add crabmeat – mix well. Butter baking pan or individual baking dishes. Pour mixture, over all. Combine cheese and bread crumbs, sprinkle over top of mixture, then add a dash of paprika. Bake 15 or 20 miinutes until top is au gratin, brown and crusty.

INGREDIENTS 1 can Pet milk 1 cup escargot 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 teaspoons white wine 1 pound crabmeat 1 pound large shrimp Directions: Cream Sauce Heat flour and butter in a medium size saucepan over medium heat. In another pan, bring Pet milk to a slow boil; add the flour and butter mixture. Stir until thickened. Mix 1 cup cream sauce, escargot, pepper and salt in a large saucepan over low heat until warmed through. Add shrimp and crabmeat and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve over angel hair pasta

INGREDIENTS 2 tablespoons fresh butter 2 tablespoons green onions, sliced 1 tablespoon dry shallots, minced 1/4 tablespoon garlic, minced 1/2 cup white wine Juice of 1/4 lemon 1 3/4 cup medium bechamel sauce 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh dill (1 tablespoon dried) 1 1/2 pounds fresh boiled crawfish tails Salt to taste Pinch cayenne pepper 18 oysters, shelled Directions: Saute onions, garlic and shallots in butter for 2 minutes without browning. Add wine and lemon juice, reduce by half. Add bŽchamel sauce and dill and reduce by another third. Add crawfish tails and simmer 10 minutes. Salt to taste and add a pinch of cayenne pepper. To serve put mixture on oysters and place on rock salt. Sprinkle with freshly Grated parmesan cheese and bake in 350 degree oven until cheese is golden. Garnish with a boiled crawfish and serve. Serves 6.

INGREDIENTS 1 stick butter 1 cup green onions, finely chopped 5 stalks celery, finely chopped 2 ounces crawfish fat 1 can cream of shrimp soup (do not dilute) 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco 1/4 teaspoon each red, black and white pepper 1 cup water 1 pound crawfish tails 3 cups cooked rice 1 cooked pie crust Salt to taste 5 ounces grated cheddar cheese Directions: Melt butter and saute green onions and celery for 15 minutes. Add fat and cook 5 minutes. Add soup, black, red and white pepper and tobasco. Cook 5 minutes. Add crawfish tails, rice and water. Stir, making sure mixture is not too dry or too runny. Add a little water if too dry. It must be thick enough to stand as a slice of pie. Add salt to taste. Stir in cheese and put in pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.

INGREDIENTS 4 (8 -10 oz.) fillet of Red Snapper or similar fish 3 lemons or limes 1 cup of pine nuts 1 pound of butter 2 tablespoons of flour 1 onion 1 ounce of bread vrumbs 1 tablespoon salt 2 tablespoon fresh cracked black pepper Directions: At start please realize that the fish is not restricted to Red Snapper alone. Any good fresh fish will be great. First marinate boneless fillets in marinade of lemon or lime juice and dry sherry. Combine juice of the lemons and sherry with puree onion pulp, and let marinate for at least 4 hours. Blot fish with paper towels. Dust with a little salt and hand milled black pepper, dip into flour and brown lightly in butter; turn with care, only once. Place in greased oven dish, handling gently. Chop enough pine nuts to blanket fish at least 1/8 inch thick. Put in bowl, and moisten each cup of chopped Pine Nuts with 2 tsp. lime or lemon juice and a trifle of yellow grated lemon peel, bind with 2 tsp. flour worked smooth with same amount of butter. Add, then work in enough more butter to make into a stiff paste, using a few bread crumbs if needed to bind better. Now spread this nut paste over your fish fillets. Brown in hot oven at 425 degrees or so for about 5 minutes. Moisten with a bit more butter or white wine if nut spread dries out too much. Do not turn fish.