Belle River Crawfish Pie
Source of Recipe
From "My New Orleans" by John Besh
Recipe Introduction
"Some folks think the best crawfish in the state comes from the fresh waters of the Belle River, which runs through Assumption Parish in south-central Louisiana. Both the dough and the filling for this pie maybe made up to a couple of days in advance and kept in the refrigerator until you're ready to use them. You may prefer to use a nine-inch prepared pie shell instead of the individual shells; just know that when you slice the big pie it'll be slightly runny."
List of Ingredients
◦ 5 tablespoons butter
◦ 4 tablespoons flour, plus more for dusting
◦ 1 onion, diced
◦ green bell pepper, seeded and diced
◦ 1 stalk celery, diced
◦ 1 teaspoons salt
◦ teaspoon cayenne pepper
◦ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
◦ 1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
◦ 1 bay leaf
◦ cup shellfish stock
◦ cup heavy cream
◦ 1 pound peeled crawfish tails
◦ 2 dashes Tabasco
◦ 2 dashes Worcestershire
◦ 1 recipe Basic Pie Dough or one 9-inch prepared pie shell
Recipe
Preheat the oven to 325 F.
Make a roux by melting 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over moderate heat. Stir in the flour until it is incorporated. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the roux is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Then add the onions and cook for a few minutes more until the roux becomes golden brown.
Add the bell pepper, celery, salt, cayenne, black pepper, tomatoes, and bay leaf. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 10 minutes more.
Stirring constantly, slowly add the shellfish stock and cream to the skillet. Raise the heat to moderate and simmer the sauce until it has reduced by half. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the crawfish, Tabasco, and Worcestershire and stir to combine. Set the filling aside; discard the bay leaf.
Liberally coat each of six individual 3- to 4-inch tart pans with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, then dust with flour. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to a thickness of inch. Cut into six individual circles, each a bit larger than the tart pan. Gently fit the dough circles into the prepared tart pans. Place the tart pans (or the 9-inch shell) on a cookie sheet and fill with the crawfish mixture. Bake for 25 minutes or until the pie shells are golden brown.
Serves 6
❧ Basic Pie Dough:
Every one of our pastry chefs comes up with his own "better" pie dough, but none has stood the test of time like this one. Here's the secret: make sure not to handle it too much. Once you've added the ice water, stop. You can roll it out in advance, then wrap it and store it in the freezer for a couple of days, if you wish. Or make the dough ahead, shape it into a disk, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for a few hours before you need it.
◦ 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan
◦ 1 teaspoon sugar
◦ teaspoon salt
◦ 7 tablespoons cold butter, diced, plus softened butter for greasing the pan
Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles cornmeal. Sprinkle in ice water, as needed, as many as 4 tablespoons, mixing it into the dough until it comes together into a ball. Press the dough into a round, flat disk, then wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling it out.
Liberally coat a 9 to 10-inch pie pan with softened butter, then dust with flour. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a thickness of inch. Wrap the dough around the rolling pin, then gently fit the dough into the pan. Trim off overhanging dough and crimp the edges.
Makes one 9-inch crust
|
|
member logon
