Christmas Seafood Casserole

"I was absolutely prepared to love this recipe, but sadly it fell short. We had intended to make it for Christmas this year, but fortunately we previewed it beforehand, and decided not to make it. The..." See more taste was just fine, but the problem was that the cheese sauce somehow overpowered the taste of the wonderful (and very expensive) seafood to the point where our guests were unable to even tell that there was crab and lobster meat in it! This might be a lovely dish to make with less expensive seafood, but for what it costs to put this one together you at least want your guests to know that you've used the very best. Instead it comes across as if it is hiding less expensive or (horrors) immitation seafood. This would be a lovely sauce to make with firm white fish fillets. If you do decide to make it with scallops, remember that when scallops cook they release quite a lot of water, so make sure your sauce is VERY thick when you put it into the oven (do this by gradually adding the milk to the sauce, and leave much of it out!). Some parsely flakes might also add to the appeal of the presentation. Without it it does look rather like macaroni and cheese."

"This was a very yummy, but very rich recipe. I used it as an alternative to my other main course. I thought the dish was a bit soupy. Next time I make it, I will saute the vegatables in butter or oil ..." See morethen add the seafood coat with the butter in the pan and then add the flour to coat the vegatables and meat than add the milk and cheese. Perhaps it will be thicker and the flavor will blend better. This recipe also served more than 4. I would say, it served about 6-8."

"Solution for thickening... This is how you make a roux or white sauce, but in reverse. Look up how to make a white sauce and replace it with the quoted below. "Heat the milk in a saucepan over medi..." See moreum heat, and mix in the flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons butter until well blended. Gradually blend the cheese into the mixture. Season with salt and pepper. " "