Baked Shrimp Newburg - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 French bread
1 lb shrimp, raw in shell (any size)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup sherry wine
1/4 cup water (or chicken stock)
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika, hot
1 teaspoon pepper, coarse ground
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350\u00b0F
Slice the bread on the diagonal about 1/2 inch thick, and toast. You have to have enough slices to cover the bottom of a 9x9 ovenproof pan twice. Set toast aside.
Peel the shrimp and roughly chop. Set aside.
Heat the butter in a medium saucepan and saute the onion and celery until softened. Add the flour and whisk. Slowly add in the milk and simmer until thickened. Let cook for one minute to get rid of the raw flour taste.
Stir in the sherry, water, curry, paprika, pepper and salt. Remove half of the sauce and set aside. (Note: the better the sherry the better the sauce will taste.).
Reheat remaining sauce in the saucepan to a simmer and add the shrimp and half the cheese. Cook until shrimp are almost done, about 1-2 minutes.
Place one layer of the toast in the bottom of the pan. Pour the shrimp mixture over the top and smooth out. Arrange remaining toast on top. Pour reserved sauce over the final layer of toast and sprinkle on remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.
Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until bubbly on top.