Ingredients:

* 50ml Double Cream
* 2 x 600g Crayfish
* Baby Spinach
* 2 Onions, chopped
* 1 Carrot, chopped
* 2 Celery, chopped

Mornay Sauce

* 25g Butter
* 25g Flour
* 25ml Brandy
* 250ml Milk
* 1 Studded Onion
* 50g Cheddar Cheese, grated

Hollandaise:

* 3 Egg Yolks
* 2tbsp White Wine Vinegar
* 200ml Clarified Butter
* Juice of 1 Lemon
* 1tbsp Fresh Tarragon, chopped

Drown the crayfish in fresh cold water.

Place water into a steamer with onions, celery and carrots and bring to the boil.

Place crayfish into steamer and cook for 10 – 15 minutes.

Remove and cool, split in half lengthways and set aside.

For the Mornay:

Bring milk to warm temperature with the studded onion and allow to infuse for 10 minutes, remove the onion and discard

Melt the butter in a thick bottom pan, add flour and mix in

Cook over a low heat for 5 minutes to a white roux (no additional colour)

Gradually add the warmed strained milk and stir until smooth

Allow to simmer for 30 minutes

Pass (strain) the sauce into a clean pan, re-boil and correct the seasoning and consistency. If not needed immediately, cover with a cartouche or a thin film of butter and keep warm in a bain marie

For the Hollandaise:

Place yolks and vinegar in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk until pale and foamy. Remove bowl from pan.

Whisking continuously, ladle in butter a little at a time until mixture is thick and emulsified.

Whisk in the lemon juice and tarragon, and season to taste.

Fold mornay sauce into hollandaise then fold in cream.

Preheat a grill to medium and place crayfish, flesh side up, under grill for 5 minutes to warm up the crayfish meat.

Spoon over the sauce, scatter around the baby spinach and grill again for another 5 minutes till golden.

Serve hot.

Chef's Tip for Lobster Thermidor:

Consistency may be corrected by adding cream or milk to thin Beurre manié may be added for a thicker consistency if required (equal quantities of flour and butter kneaded together to form a paste) stir this into the sauce in small amounts until thickness required is reached.

Thermidor sauce:
Traditionally this was made with 200gm of roux (flour and butter), however this produced a very heavy and thick sauce. By reducing the roux, a lighter, fresher sauce is produced and is less at risk from burning. This recipe produces such a sauce, that has a good coating/nappé consistency.