Crawfish regal

8 Servings

Ingredients

QuantityIngredient
8Puff-pastry shells
½Stick butter
½cupFlour
1pintWhipping cream or Half-&-Half
½teaspoonThyme
½teaspoonPaprika
1Clove garlic; minced or grated
Cayenne & white pepper to taste
2poundsCrawfish meat; cooked (see \"Boiled Crawfish\" recipe)
1Bunch green onions; chopped
Salt to taste
2tablespoonsChopped parsley for garnish
1Lemon; cut into 8 wedges for garnish

Directions

SERVES 8

Just the thought of hanging around a firehouse kitchen in New Orleans sends me into Cajun/Creole fits! These guys have the most wonderful selection of foods and traditions. How hard it must be to jump up from the table and head for a fire when a dish as fine as this one has just been served up. John Alfortish, of the New Orleans fire department, sent us this jewel. The chief has been cooking in a firehouse for twenty years! If using frozen puff-pastry shells, bake according to directions and set aside.

Cook the flour and butter together in a 3-quart heavy saucepan to form a roux. Do not brown. Add the cream, stirring constantly until it thickens.

Add the thyme, paprika, garlic, and the 2 peppers to taste. Do not salt at this time. Simmer very slowly for 15 minutes.

Add the crawfish and green onions to the sauce. Salt to taste. Simmer 15 minutes. Spoon mixture into the pastry shells and garnish with the parsley and lemon.

A big green salad is a must with this rich dish. I also enjoy Apple and Cabbage (see recipe).

NOTE: If you do not wish to use pastry shells, this dish is very good over rice or pasta.

From <The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American>. Downloaded from Glen's MM Recipe Archive, .