Mary Berry Haddock Mornay Recipes

HADDOCK MORNAY

Steps:

• Bake at 350.
• Arrange fillets in a large shallow baking dish. Brush lightly with butter or margarine. Add salt and pepper.
• Place a buttered piece of brown paper or parchment paper over fish. Bake 35-40 minute or until done. Ten minute before fish is done, drain off liquid and remove paper. Fish should be just barely done with plenty of moisture still in the flesh. While fish is baking, prepare sauce.
• To make sauce: In heavy saucepan, heat butter, add onions and saute. Add flour, stirring constantly.
• Saute over low heat, stirring for 3-4 mi. to make a roux. Continue to stir, add milk or half and half and chicken base or bouillon cube. Stir until sauce thickens.
• Add salt and white pepper to taste. When sauce is of a medium to medium-thick consistency, remove from heat. Add cheeses and Worcestershire sauce and blend. Add sherry.
• Pour hot sauce over fish to cover. Top with Parmesan cheese and grated cheddar cheese mixed with a few bread crumbs, if desired.
• Bake in preheated 325 oven 20-30 minute or until sauce bubbles. Serve immediately. Makes 8-10 servings.
• If dish is prepared ahead and baked later, be sure that the center of the sauce is bubbling when reheated. This will take about 1 hour.

SMOKED HADDOCK GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Place the spinach in a large colander in a sink and carefully and slowly pour over a kettleful of hot water to wilt it. Cool again under the cold tap then squeeze out as much liquid from the spinach as possible. Butter a medium gratin dish. Roughly chop the spinach and scatter evenly over the base of the dish. Season the spinach lightly with salt and pepper and lay the haddock fillets, skinned side down on top. Nestle the tomatoes among the haddock fillets.
• Mix all the ingredients for the topping, except the breadcrumbs, in a small bowl and season with lots of pepper and a little salt. Dollop and spread the mixture over the fish and spinach. Scatter everything with the breadcrumbs and bake for 30 mins until bubbling and golden. If you like things really grilled finish for a few mins under a hot grill. Serve straight from the dish.

COD MORNAY

Steps:

• Add a little vegetable oil to a large frying pan and throw in the chopped shallots. Cook for 10-15 five minutes or until they're nice and soft; you don't want them to colour just soften.
• Now add the spinach and season with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg - it will look like you have far too much spinach but trust me once it wilts, it'll be fine. Keep the spinach moving about in the pan and once it's wilted (a minute or two) turn off the heat and leave to one side.
• In another (much smaller frying pan) heat up the 250ml of milk and then put the cod in along with a bay leaf and the peppercorns; you'll know when the cod is cooked as it will begin to show signs of flaking.
• Don't overcook the fish as it's going into the oven. Remove the cod from the milk, but keep the milk for making the sauce.
• Put the cod onto a plate and use a fork to break it up. It will naturally fall into flakes quite easily. Don't mush it up, keep those flakes of cod looking good!
• Now peel and very thinly slice (2mm) seriously they need to be thin or they won't cook, so it's best to use a mandolin slicer.
• Lay the potatoes in a shallow dish with a little water and cover with cling film, make a couple of holes and pop it into the microwave for about 1 minute.
• Give the potatoes a stir and back into the microwave for another minute or so - the exact time will depend on your microwave and how thinly you sliced those potatoes. They need to be pretty much cooked as they won't have time to cook properly once they are in the oven.
• *Time to make the sauce - see below*
• In a medium-sized saucepan add the butter and once it's melted add the flour.
• Cook for a minute or so whilst stirring with a wooden spoon, if you don't cook the flour your sauce will taste floury and will be lumpy.
• Add the milk you reserved earlier when you poached the cod, add it a little at a time stirring all the while.
• Now add the mustard and the 220ml of milk, stirring continuously on the heat until the sauce bubbles and begins to thicken.
• Add a pinch of salt and turn down to a simmer and cook for around 5 minutes - you will need to keep stirring.
• Remove the sauce from the heat, find the 3 peppercorns and discard.
• Stir in the grated Gruyere cheese until you have a nice thick but smooth sauce. If you really need to you can add a tiny bit more milk.
• To finish the cod mornay, butter a 10-inch gratin dish or similar.
• Do a layer of potatoes and season lightly with salt and pepper, then add the spinach followed by the rest of the potatoes.
• Now add the fish and top with the rest of the sauce.
• Sprinkle the top with the panko crumbs and add a handful of Cheddar cheese.
• Bake on the middle shelf of your preheated oven for about 40 minutes, check that everything is piping hot and serve with some nice peas.

MORNAY MELTING-MIDDLE FISHCAKES

Steps:

• First, make the mornay sauce at least a few hours before making the fishcakes. Put the flour and butter in a small pan over a low-medium heat and cook until the butter is melted, then stir to make a paste. Slowly whisk in the milk until you have a smooth sauce. Continue cooking until thickened, about 5 mins, then remove from the heat and stir in the cheese and mustard. Season. Oil a few small pieces of baking parchment, then use to line four holes of a muffin tin. Alternatively, use silicone cupcake cases. Divide the sauce between the cases and freeze for at least 2 hrs.
• Put the potatoes and bay leaf in a large pan, cover with water and season with salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 mins until tender. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon, put in a colander and leave to steam-dry.
• Add all the fish to the water in the pan, reduce the heat to low and poach for 5 mins. The fish is cooked when it just starts to flake apart. Carefully transfer the fish to a board with a slotted spoon, and leave to cool for 5 mins.
• Flake the fish, discarding any skin and bones. Tip the potatoes into a clean pan, season well and grate over some nutmeg. Mash until smooth, then fold through the fish, parsley and lemon zest. Leave to cool.
• Divide the fishcake mixture into four portions. Working with one portion at a time, mould into a ball. Make a well in the centre, and push one of the frozen mornay sauce discs into it. Shape the fishcake around the sauce middle so you have a smooth hockey-puck shape. Repeat with the remaining portions and sauce, then freeze the fishcakes for at least 15 mins.
• Put the flour in a shallow bowl, the egg in a second, and the fresh breadcrumbs in a third. Season the egg. Coat the fishcakes well in the flour, then the egg, and finally the breadcrumbs. If you have any egg or breadcrumbs left at the end, keep dipping and coating until everything is used up. Freeze the fishcakes until firm, about 1 hr. Will keep frozen for up to one month. Defrost in the fridge for 2 hrs before cooking.
• Fill a large, deep pan no more than two-thirds full with oil, and heat it to 180C. Or, use a deep-fat fryer. Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Deep-fry the fishcakes for 7 mins, turning halfway, until crisp. Drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper, then transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 5 mins (or 15 mins from frozen) until the middles are hot. Serve with salad and lemon wedges.

CREAMY HADDOCK GRATINS

Steps:

• Place 4-6 small, shallow flameproof dishes on a baking tray.
• For the gratin topping, mix the breadcrumbs, gruyere and parsley and set aside while you make the filling.
• For the filling, pour the milk into a large, deep frying pan and add the onion, bay leaf and lemon peel. Place the fish skin-side down in the pan and bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat. Baste the fish occasionally with the milk, and cook for 5-6 minutes. When cooked, the fish will be opaque and be starting to flake into pieces. Leave to stand for 5 minutes.
• Drain the fish in a colander over a large jug, reserve the milk.
• Melt the butter in a large non-stick saucepan and stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined. Remove from the heat and slowly add the reserved warm milk, stirring constantly. Return to the heat, bring the sauce to a simmer and continue to stir until it is smooth and thick. Stir in the wine or vermout, Gruyère, mustard and cream. Cook over a low heat for a further 2-3 minutes, while stirring. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
• Flake the fish into chunky pieces and discard the skin, onion, bay leaf and lemon peel. Add the fish to the pan with the sauce and heat very gently for a 2 minutes to warm it through.
• While the fish is warming, preheat the grill to hot and place the baking tray with the shallow dishes under the heat to warm for a few seconds. Carefully remove them from the heat and divide the hot fish mixture between the warm dishes. Sprinkle with the gratin topping and return to the grill for 3-5 minutes or until nicely browned and filling bubbling undeneath.

SMOKED HADDOCK AND CAULIFLOWER GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Butter a wide 3-litre/5¼-pint ovenproof dish.
• Put the potatoes into a large saucepan, cover with water. Add salt and bring to the boil. Boil for 4 minutes, add the cauliflower and boil for another 4 minutes. Drain well and tip into the prepared dish. Season with pepper.
• Put the cornflour into a bowl, pour in the cream and whisk to combine. Season with pepper.
• Scatter half the cheese over the potato and cauliflower. Scatter over the herbs and top with the haddock. Pour the cream mixture in between the cracks and over the top. Scatter over the remaining cheese and the paprika.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden-brown and bubbling.

SMOKED HADDOCK AND CAULIFLOWER GRATIN

Steps:

• You will need a 2½-3-litre (4½-5-pint) wide-based, shallow ovenproof dish. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6 and grease the dish with butter. Put the potato cubes into a large saucepan, cover with water, add a little salt and bring to the boil. Boil for about 4 minutes, then add the cauliflower florets and boil for a further 4 minutes. Drain well. Tip the potatoes and cauliflower into the prepared dish and season with salt and pepper. Measure the cornflour into a bowl, pour in the cream, add some salt and pepper and stir to combine. Scatter half the cheese over the cauliflower and potato in the dish. Sprinkle over the herbs, then add the pieces of haddock so that they cover the top in an even layer. Pour the cream mixture all over the top and in between the cracks. Scatter with the remaining cheese and dust with a little paprika. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden and bubbling.