Crawfish Stuffed Pistolettes Recipe

Aurora Catering's
Crawfish Stuffed Pistolettes
Yield 8-10 party or parade servings

Ingredients
Crawfish Sauce Base (See Recipe or follow below)
3/4 LB BUTTER (Divided)

2 LARGE ONIONS (Diced)
4 STALKS CELERY (Chopped fine)
Butter Sauteed Onions 1 MEDIUM FRESH RED BELL PEPPER (Diced fine)
1 TBSP FRESH MINCED GARLIC (See Recipe)
3 WHOLE BAY LEAFS
1 -1/2 CUPS DICED TOMATOES
2 CUPS CRAWFISH STOCK (or see Alternate Method below)
Crawfish Base Sauce Veggies 1 TBSP WHOLE THYME LEAFS (Dried)
1 -1/2 TSP DRIED SWEET BASIL
1-1/2 TSP WHITE PEPPER
1-1/2 TSP CAYENNE PEPPER FLAKES

1 PINT HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM

1 -1/2 CUP CHARDONNAY

Roux (OR SEE Basic Roux Recipe)

BUTTER (Divided, from above)
1/2 CUP WHITE FLOUR

Filling
1 LB PEELED LOUISIANA CRAWFISH TAILS with the FAT (Chopped)
1 TBSP FRESH LEMON JUICE

8 OZ FRESH MUSHROOMS (Chopped fine)
1 BUNCH GREEN ONIONS (Chopped)

1 CUP MOZZARELLA CHEESE (Shredded)

3/4 CUP ASIAGO CHEESE (Shredded, or grated Romano Cheese)

8 -10 PAR-BAKED FRENCH BREAD PISTOLETTES

Equipment

I like to use a pastry bag with a large open mouth conical point.

Method
Base

In a 10 quart Dutch Oven or large cast iron skillet and over medium high heat, add 2 sticks of butter, the onions and celery. Sauté until the onions are clear and the celery is soft, about 7 minutes, or lightly brown. Next add the remaining base ingredients (not including the cream or wine), simmer until limp, and the base starts to thicken (about 15 mins). Then, add the cream and wine, continue to simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring often to insure that the base is NOT sticking to the bottom of the cast iron.

Meanwhile, in a medium sized cast iron skillet (about 10 inches) and over medium heat, melt the 1 stick of butter and add the flour. Cook the roux for about 5 - 7 minutes, this is called a light tan or khaki roux. (See Pic above). Some Creoles call this a "brown paper bag roux" Or (See Recipe) Temper the roux with a Chef's spoon full of base or some stock, add to the base.... simmer for 5 minutes or until completely blended into the base and thickens. Discard bay leafs.

The above is the same recipe for the Crawfish Base Sauce. NOTE!! For this recipe you will only need about 1-1/2 cups of the base... Just refrigerate or freeze the remaining. BUT!!! REMEMBER, it is difficult to project how much of this you will need.

NOTE!! How much filling you will actually need all depends on the size of the buns and how much filling you pipe into the breads.

Meanwhile, warm the base (if refrigerated), and add the (crawfish tail meat, lemon juice, mushrooms, and green onions). Sauté over medium heat until the mushrooms are soft and the liquid is absorbed into the sauce (about 7 minutes). Remove from heat and gently fold in the cheeses.

Snip one end of the pistolettes, use an apple corer to hollow out the inside of the bread. Then with a chef's pastry bag and a wide mouthed open tip, fill the pistolettes with the warmed crawfish filling.

At this point you can refrigerate the pistolettes over night, but NOT much longer..... or even store them frozen for future use.

When ready to serve....

Preheat oven to 350F, bake the stuffed pistolettes as per package directions or until lightly brown. SERVE, one person!!

Crab and Shrimp Paste Alternate Method
Louisiana Crawfish have plenty of crawfish fat packed with them. If you choose not to use Louisiana crawfish, I would strongly suggest to wash the meat thoroughly under cold water...you will have to add more crawfish stock to the recipe and simmer longer. Crab, Shrimp Paste or Lobster Base is the second choice for this recipe, add a little water and simmer to thicken.

Plate Presentation
Bake the Pistolettes at 375F for 30- 35 minutes or until golden brown, Serve one per person, with a glass of chardonnay! These also can be refrigerated after baking, stored individually in a Ziploc bag with a bevnap and brought to a Mardi Gras Parade!!

Crawfish Stuffed Pistolettes Recipe Chef's Notes:

The white and cayenne peppers called for above are considered starting amounts. It is important to "infuse" these flavors into the dish but are probably not the total amount needed, of course the crawfish stock has much to do with these amounts. The chef should taste the final filling and adjust for these seasonings before adding to the skillets.

Note the Pic on Left!!! There are a couple of them missing!!! The didn't even make it to the table!!!

Fresh thyme and basil maybe substituted for the dried, if so chop fine, and increase the volumes by two or three. Fresh seasonings are not as concentrated as dried.

Many thanks to my GREAT friend, James "Sparkle" Cannon for stuffing and baking the pistolettes!

This recipe is similar to my Crawfish Pirogues Recipe, but the filling is exposed and not piped in via a pastry bag. I designed the original in the late 1990's, it hasn't changed much! Also, since the filling is completely internal to the Pistolettes, it is a GREAT treat while waiting for a parade!

to Home Cookin' Page or Return to, Table of Contents

OR GO to Mardi Gras Parade Tips