Crabmeat Stuffed Portabellos - Proving once again, any food stuffed in another food is bliss

The nomBlog and I have had a talk and I have agreed to pay her more attention.  The truth is, I've got several meals piling up in my "yet-to-be-blogged" list its just a matter of throwing them up there in the ether.

I love cooking shows.  Good Eats, Emeril, Rachael Ray, even a little Paula Dean when I want to increase my cholesterol just by watching.   They provide some great recipe ideas but also show technique and the prep that can go into meals.  Emeril in-particular tends to have fairly involved recipes with many ingredients and steps.  I tend to go for simpler recipes so most of his stuff I stray away from.  However, I came across this recipe of his and was thrilled at the simple ingredients and potential awesomeness that could result.

 

    * 6 portobella mushrooms, stemmed caps (fresh from Greenling)
    * 3 tablespoons olive oil
    * 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
    * 3/4 teaspoon fresh ground white pepper
    * 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
    * 1/4 cup small-diced onion
    * 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    * 1 cup whole milk
    * 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
    * 1/2 lb lump crab-meat, picked over
    * 1/3 cup grated Gruyère
    * 4 teaspoons breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

Toss the mushroom caps with the 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.

Place the caps on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet, stem-end up, and roast in the oven until well roasted and browned, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.
Result:

Set a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat and add the butter to the pan.

Once the butter is melted, about 1 minute, add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes.  I went ahead and diced up some of the mushroom stems to add to the mix.

Sprinkle the flour into the pan and stir to form a roux.
Continue to cook the roux for 2 to 3 minutes before adding the milk.
Result:

 

Bring the milk to a boil and reduce to a simmer, season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and the nutmeg.

Cook the bechamel sauce for 5 minutes before removing from the heat. Allow the mixture to cool slightly before folding in the crab-meat and cheese.
Result:

 

Combine the bread crumbs with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.

Spoon 1/3 cup of the bechamel over each mushroom cap and sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the bread crumb mixture over each stuffed mushroom.

Place in the oven and roast until the bechamel is bubbling and lightly browned on the edges, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Result:

 

At this point I had 20 minutes to scarf down the stuffed goodness before my softball game so no plated photos.  A and I were both happy with the results.  Portabellos are about as close to meat as you can get w/o involving something with 4 legs.  The seasoning may need to be tweaked a bit as the flavor was a little bland, but the Gruyère cheese made sure I didn't care that much.