The Weekend Epicure

Bisque of Crawfish Creole 

Yields: 6-8 Servings

Comment:

The Creoles, with their European influence, created a light bisque, simmering the crawfish tails in a shellfish stock and finishing with heavy whipping cream. Serve this Creole epicurean delight with a salad of mix greens with a balsamic vinaigrette, ligtly toasted crusty French bread. Wine pairing Pinot Grigio.

Ingredients:

2 pounds cooked crawfish tails         

2 quarts shellfish stock (see recipe in Back to Basics)

½ pound butter          

2 cups minced onions                                         

1 cup minced celery  

1 cup minced red bell peppers

2 tbsps. minced garlic           

1 cup flour

¼ cup tomato sauce

2 quarts shellfish stock

1 tbsp. thyme

1 tbsp. chopped tarragon

1 pint heavy whipping cream

salt and black pepper to taste

Creole seasoning to taste

sherry (optional)

Method:

In a heavy-bottomed stockpot, melt butter over medium onions, celery, bell peppers and garlic. Sauté 3-5 minute are wilted. Whisk in flour, stirring constantly until a white roux is achieved. Stir in tomato sauce. Slowly add stock, until it reaches a soup-like consistency . Reserve any extra stock. Fold in 1 pound of crawfish tails. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add thyme and tarragon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in heavy whipping cream and return mixture to a low simmer. Fold in remaining crawfish tails. Add reserved stock as necessary to maintain soup-like consistency. Finish with a touch of Creole seasoning. When ready to serve, ladle a generous portion of bisque into a soup bowl and garnish with a tablespoon of sherry, if desired.

The Weekend Epicure

Crawfish-Stuffed Rack of Lamb

This dish really will impressed your weekend dinner guests with your culinary skills. Its takes a little preparation, but the end result is just fantastic. Don't let the bechamel sauce stop you from trying this winner. Serve with a wild rice blend, and sautéed green beans.

Wine: Cali Zinfandel

 

Prep Time: 1 Hour Yields: 6 Servings

Ingredients for Stuffing:

6 (4-bone) lamb racks

2 cups cooked crawfish

¼  cup diced onions

¼  cup sliced green onions

1 tsp. diced garlic             

1 tbsp. diced red bell pepper

½ cup béchamel sauce

½ cup Italian bread crumbs

 salt and cayenne pepper

Method:

Have your butcher select 6 choice lamb racks and trim each. In mixing bowl, combine crawfish and all seasonings. Blend until stuffing should be moist but stiff enough to stand on its own.1 inch paring knife, cut a 3/4-inch slit in center of each lamb rack completely through meat. Pocket should be large enough to hold portion of stuffing. Lightly season inside of pocket with salt and pepper. Stuff each rack with an equal amount of seafood stuffing

Ingredients for Cooking:

¼ cup melted butter

2 tbsps. dried thyme

2 tbsps. dried basil

1 tbsp. dried tarragon

1 tbsp. crushed rosemary

2 tbsps. minced garlic

salt and cracked black pepper to taste

1 cup dry red wine

3 cups demi-glace

Method:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place stuffed lamb racks, bone side up, baking pan with a 1-inch lip. Moisten lamb with melted butter and generously with thyme, basil, tarragon, rosemary, garlic, salt approximately 25 minutes for medium rare. Remove from baking pan with wine. Scrape bottom. Pour ingredients into pan and add demi-glace. Bring to a boil and reduce until slightly thickened.  Using a sharp knife, slice lamb racks into 4 chops each and portion of demi-glace.

Sauce Béchamel (white sauce)

1 cup

A heavy-bottomed, 3 cup saucepan

1 tbsp. butter

1 ½  tbsp. flour

1 cup milk   and ⅛  tsp. salt heated to the boil in a small saucepan

Salt and white pepper

In the saucepan melt the butter over low heat. With a wooden spoon or spatula, blend in the flour, and cook slowly, stirring, until the butter and flour froth together for 2 minutes without coloring. Remove roux from heat. As soon as roux has stopped bubbling, pour in all the hot liquid at once. Immediately beat vigorously with a wire whip to blend liquid and roux, gathering in all bits of roux from the inside edges of the pan. Set pan saucepan over moderately high heat and stir until the sauce comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring

Remove from heat, and beat in salt and pepper to taste. Sauce is ready,

·        If not used immediately, clean sauce off inside edges of pan with a rubber spatula edges of pan with a rubber scraper. To prevent a skin from forming on its surface float a thin film of milk, stock, or melted butter on top. Set aside uncovered, keep it hot over simmering water, refrigerate, or freeze it.