2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in
french style slice down the middle
4 cups half&half
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided)
1/4 cup
all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound button
mushrooms, sliced
Fried onion rings:
2 large yellow
onions, sliced into thin rings
Whole milk to cover onions
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Vegetable
oil, for frying rings
Heat a pot with plenty of generously salted
water. When the water comes to a full rolling boil, add the beans and cook
until just tender. Do not crowd the beans or they will turn gray (cook in
batches if necessary). Fill a large bowl with ice water and when beans are
done, drain and place in the ice water. Once beans have chilled, remove
from the ice water and set aside.
In a medium pot, bring the milk
to a boil.
While the milk is heating, melt 4 tablespoons of butter
in a medium saucepan, then add the flour, mixing with a wooden spoon. Cook
flour mixture over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly and
making sure the flour doesn't brown.
Very gradually pour the
boiling milk into the flour mixture, whisking constantly to ensure there
are no lumps. Continue to cook the milk mixture, stirring occasionally,
until it has thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, season with
salt and pepper and set aside.
Heat a large saute pan over high
heat. When hot, add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and immediately
follow with the sliced mushrooms, even before the butter has completely
melted. (This will keep the butter from burning while allowing the pan to
stay hot enough so the mushrooms saute.)
Saute the mushrooms until
lightly browned, and season with salt and pepper. Pour milk mixture into
pan with the mushrooms and cook together for a few minutes to meld the
flavors. To make onion rings: Place onion rings in a bowl and cover with
milk. Place in refrigerator for at least 10 minutes or up to an hour.
In a medium bowl, mix the flour, garlic salt, salt and pepper.
Place enough oil in pot to cover the onion rings (you can fry in
batches, if necessary). Heat to 375° F.
Strain milk from onions.
Coat onion rings with flour mixture, then fry in the hot oil. Once lightly
browned, remove from oil and drain on paper towels To assemble the
casserole: Preheat oven to 350° F.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the
green beans, mushroom mixture and 1 cup of the onion rings. Taste for
seasoning, adding salt and pepper, if necessary.
Spray nonstick
cooking spray into an 8-inch square baking pan or any suitable size that
will accommodate the beans. Pour mixture into pan and top with the
remaining fried onion rings. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until hot, and
serve. Note: Any component of this casserole can be done a day or two
ahead, and the whole casserole can be assembled a day in
advance. |
