Crawfish Pirougue Recipe

Aurora Catering's

Crawfish Pirogues
Yield - about 8 - 10 servings

Ingredients
8 -10 PAR-BAKED FRENCH PISTOLETTES (Or any 3 - 4 inch long crusty par-baked bread dough)
1/2 LB BUTTER
3/4 CUP FLOUR
1/2 CUP ONIONS (Diced)
1/4 CUP CELERY (Chopped)
1 TSP WHOLE THYME LEAFS
2 TSP MINCED FRESH GARLIC
1/2 TSP RED PEPPER FLAKES
1/4 TSP GROUND BLACK PEPPER
1/2 TSP WHITE PEPPER
1/4 CUP DRY WHITE WINE
1/2 CUP CRAWFISH STOCK (See Recipe)

1/4 CUP HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM
1 LB CRAWFISH TAIL MEAT
1/4 CUP GREEN ONIONS (Chopped)
1/4 LB SHREDDED ROMANO CHEESE

Method
Use a sharp paring knife and cut the pistolettes in a circular pattern to form a bowl out of the bread. Pull out some of the inside dough if necessary. Basically, you want to leave about a 1/4 inch thick of crust all around.

In a large skillet and over medium heat add the butter and flour, whisk constantly and make a blond or blanc roux (about 5 -10 minutes, DO NOT BROWN). Add onions and celery and cook for an additional 5 -10 minutes, or until onions are clear, DO NOT BROWN!! Add the thyme, garlic, peppers, wine and stock, simmer for 10 minutes to allow seasonings to marry and sauce to thicken.

Add the heavy cream, crawfish (including any crawfish fat), green onions, then gently warm throughout, DO NOT OVER COOK CRAWFISH. Remove from heat and fold in romano cheese. Frozen imported crawfish are usually under seasoned, ( those from a Louisiana crawfish boil are perfect!) so at this point you can adjust the flavors by adding more thyme or peppers.

Divide the stuffing equally for the pirogues, spoon in the stuffing, sprinkle top with any additional cheese. At this point the pirogues can be refrigerated or even frozen for later cooking.

Preheat oven to 335F, place the pirogues on a cookie sheet, leaving about 1 inch spread. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown, allow to cool for 5 minutes and serve. THEY are liquid napalm when they come out of the oven.

Plate Presentation
Use a warmed serving platter and arrange pirogues, garnish with green onion flowers or parsley, Serve.

Chef's Notes:
These pirogues do not have to be piping hot to serve. They can sit out for an hour or so and served room temp. So these are great for parties or family get-togethers.

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