
Serves 2
Ingredients
White Sauce:
- 30g butter
- 30g plain flour
- 300ml semi-skimmed milk heated for 1 min in the microwave
- Handful of mature cheddar cheese
- 3 tbsp half-fat creme fraiche
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
Main:
- Some cauliflower and broccoli florets cut into bitesize pieces (original recipe used spinach)
- Knob of butter
- Some indiscriminate frozen white fish, thawed (original recipe used thick pieces of haddock fillet)
Directions
- Make a white sauce by melting the butter in a small saucepan, then add the flour and cook over a medium heat for 1 minute until the flour and butter have combined to make a roux.
- Gradually pour in the warm milk, little by little, and beat until smooth after each addition.
- Bring to the boil, stirring, and simmer very gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, blanch the vegetables in boiling water, drain, set aside and keep warm.
- Heat the grill to high. Put the small knob of butter in a gratin dish and melt under the grill.
- Add the fish pieces and coat them in the melted butter, then season.
- Cook the fish under the grill for 2-4 minutes until half cooked (this will depend on how thick your fish is).
- Lift the fish onto a plate and keep the grill on.
- Spoon the cooked vegetables over the base of the gratin dish and put the fish on top.
- Stir half of the cheese and all of the creme fraiche into the sauce and season to taste with cayenne and/or mustard, salt and pepper.
- Pour the sauce over the fish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and more cayenne.
- Slide the dish back under the grill for a further 4-5 mins until the gratin is golden brown and bubbling.