Crawfish Florentine

Ingredients

• 1 lb crawfish tails
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 5 tbs butter (Divided, 3 tbs + 2 tbs)
• 2 tbs flour
• 2 C milk
• ½ lb mushrooms
• 2 tbs rice wine
• 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 2 tbs salt
• 1 package frozen spinach (10 oz)
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tbs Louisiana hot sauce
• ¼ C parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Cook spinach according to package directions, drain, and set aside.
2. In a separate sauté pan, melt 3 tbs of the butter and sauté the onions until limp. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add the mushrooms, crawfish, and rice wine. Sauté until the mushrooms are tender (about 5 minutes) and set aside.
3. In a Dutch oven melt the remainder of the butter over medium heat and add the flour, stirring until all the flour is incorporated and the mixture is smooth.
4. Add the milk slowly, stirring constantly, and allow to simmer and reduce. When the mixture has achieved the desired thickness, add the egg yolks and bring up to a boil but do not boil. Remove from heat and add the salt, pepper, and hot sauce.
5. Add the spinach and the crawfish mixture and incorporate fully. Pour the mixture into a buttered casserole, top with Parmesan, and bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until the mixture begins to bubble.

Chef's Notes

• Serve over pasta as an entree, as a vegetable side dish, or as a dip with crackers and melba toast.