Little Crawfish Pies Recipes

LITTLE CRAWFISH PIES

Steps:

• Heat olive oil over medium heat in large pan.
• Add onions, bell pepper, salt, cayenne.
• Cook for 2 minutes, stirring a few times.
• Add crawfish and stir cook for 2 minutes.
• Add green onions, garlic, and parsley and stir cook for 1 minute.
• Pour mixture into medium-size bowl and let cool for about 3 minutes.
• Add the egg and breadcrumbs and mix well.
• Set aside.
• DIRECTIONS FOR PUFF PASTRY IN OVEN:.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• mix egg and milk well for egg wash.
• Place 2 tablespoons of crawfish mixture on each pastry.
• Seal with egg wash and brush top with egg wash.
• Bake in oven for 15 minutes.
• Sprinkle lightly with Creole or Cajun seasoning.
• Serve hot.
• DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING PASTRY AND DEEP FRYING:.
• Preheat fryer.
• Sift flour, salt, baking powder into a large mixing bowl.
• Cut in shortening with pastry blender or 2 knives, until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• In small bowl, beat the egg with the milk.
• Slowly add egg mixture to flour mixture, to a thick dough.
• Divide dough into 12 equal portions.
• On lightly floured surface, roll out each dough piece into a thin round about 5 inches in diameter.
• Put about 1/4 cup crawfish mixture in center of each.
• Fold the dough over and crimp edges with fork.
• Deep fry 2 or 3 at a time till golden brown.
• Drain on paper towels.
• Sprinkle with Creole or Cajun seasoning.
• Serve hot.

CRAWFISH PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400° and have ready a greased, 9" (preferably deep dish) pie tin.
• Add butter to a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. As soon as the butter has melted, add the celery, bell pepper, and onion and sauté for 5-7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute more.
• Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir until evenly coated. Stir in the tomato paste and begin adding the chicken broth one big splash at a time, whisking after each addition. Do this until the mixture begins to resemble a thick pudding. Once this consistency is reached, the remaining broth can be added in.
• Add the Worcestershire, hot sauce, Cajun seasoning, salt, pepper, and the bay leaf and allow the mixture to simmer, stirring often, about 6-8 minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir in the crawfish and tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes more. Set aside until ready to use.
• Roll out the pie dough so that it is a 1/4" thick. Lay one dough round on across the bottom of the pie dish, and allow the excess to lay over the sides of the dish.
• Pour the filling into the dish. Roll out the second dough round just the same, and place it over the dish. Crimp the edges of the pie crust together.
• To make the egg wash, whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon of water, and using a pastry brush, lightly brush the mixture across the top crust and the edges. Create vent holes in the center of the pie, and transfer to a sturdy, rimmed baking sheet to catch any spillage.
• Bake the pie for 20 minutes. Then, reduce the temperature to 350° and bake for 25-28 minutes more, or until the top is golden-brown. Use a pie shield to prevent the edges from over-browning.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before cutting into. Serve and enjoy

CRAWFISH PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Using your hands work in the lard until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Work the dough until you have a smooth ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough in half and roll each ball into a circle about 14 inches in diameter and 1/8-inch thick. Gently fold the circle of dough in half and then in half again so that you can lift it without tearing the dough, and unfold into a 9-inch pie pan. Reserve the other circles for the top of the pie.
• In a large saute pan, heat the butter. When the butter is melted, add the onions, peppers, celery, shallots, garlic, salt, cayenne, and black pepper. Saute for 8 minutes, or until the vegetables are golden and wilted. Add the tomatoes and cook for 6 minutes. Add the crawfish tails and parsley. Stirring occasionally, cook for about 4 minutes. Dissolve the flour in the water and add to the pan. Stir for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat. Cool for at least 30 minutes.
• Pour the cooled filling into the piecrust. Top the filling with the remaining crust and crimp the edges. Place the pie in the center of a cookie sheet and brush with an egg wash. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the edges of the piecrust are golden. Cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Place a slice of the pie in the center of a plate. Garnish with chives, red peppers, and cheese.

CRAWFISH POT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bake the puff pastry on a baking sheet until all puffy and delicious, about 10 minutes. Set aside and increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
• Drain the crawfish tails and squeeze excess liquid out. (Wet tails can effect the thickness of the finished sauce.)
• In a pot of salty water, cook the potatoes until they are softened but have a little crunch still left in them, then drain and set aside.
• Add the turnips to a pot of BOILING salty water. Cook until softened, then drain and run under cold water. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan (big enough to hold all the ingredients), melt the butter. When the butter is melted and bubbling, add the flour and blend in with a whisk. Keep whisking on medium heat for 5 minutes (do not brown, you are just cooking some of the floury flavor out).
• Add the stock and cream, then increase heat to medium-high. DO NOT STOP STIRRING. As it heats up the mixture will get thicker. Add the Worcestershire, porcini powder, hot sauce, and salt, pepper and Creole/Cajun seasoning to taste. Cook until the bechamel mixture is thickened and bubbly, then add the drained crawfish and mix in. Cook, stirring, until the mixture returns to a boil. (If the mixture needs more thickening you can do it with a mixture of flour and butter, a tablespoon at a time, waiting for it to return to a boil each time. This is as thick as it's gonna get.)
• Add the peas and carrots, pearl onions, potatoes and turnips. Stir gently, so as not to break up the potatoes and turnips.
• Spoon the mixture in vessel of your choice and top with the cooked puff pastry. Put the whole thing back into the oven.
• Have a beverage. Cook until and bubbly and the puff pastry is starting to brown. Garnish with fresh parsley and/or dill. Serve with lemon wedges and hot pepper infused vinegar.