New Year's Eve Dinner

Happy New Year to all!
We had a wonderful meal for New year's Eve, completely assembled by my husband. A friend of mine from high school is the stage director for Tosca, being staged in Cedar Rapids later this month, and after a four day ordeal getting to Iowa from New York City, he was able to spend New Year's Eve with us. The meal consisted of:
Chick Pea and Beet Green soup (for good luck)
Crab and Spinach Gratin (using king crab my brother had sent from his home in Alaska)
Mango Sorbet
Marinated Flank Steak
Onion Risotto
Corn and Zucchini Saute (frozen summer bounty)
Apple and Arugula Salad
Cheese Platter (including two from Green Dirt Farm)
Chocolates (present from my parents)

It was all delicious but the Crab and Spinach Gratin was the highlight--adapted from the Susan Herrmann Loomis 'The Great American Seafood Cookbook', the recipe is as follows:
Spinach layer:
10 oz frozen spinach (squeeze ALL water out)
olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste
This goes on the bottom of the gratin dishes--make individual portions if possible.
Bechamel sauce:
1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. flour
1/2 c. milk
1 bay leaf
3/4 c. grated cheddar
3/4 tsp. hot paprika
salt an pepper to taste
Heat butter and bay leaf in pan, when melted add flour, stir until browning, add milk, stir until thickening. Add spices to taste. Take off heat and add 10 oz. of crab--top spinach with this, then sprinkle with panko crumbs. Can be made well ahead of time to this point. Broil 3-5 minutes until top is browned and serve immediately.