CRAWFISH EN CROÛTE

Prep Time:  1 Hour
Yields: 12 (2-inch) Pieces

Comment: 
This recipe is from The Delta Queen Cookbook by Cynthia LeJeune Nobles.

Ingredients:
1 pound crawfish tail meat, with fat
1 puff pastry sheet, 10” x 15”, thawed
1 egg
1 tbsp water
2 tbsps butter
¼ cup chopped green onions (plus extra for garnish)
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
¼ cup tomato sauce
¾ tsp paprika
1¼ cups seafood stock
2 tbsps blond roux
¼ cup sherry
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
lemon slices or wedges for garnish

Method:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Place pastry on a lightly floured surface (such as a cutting board) and cut in half. You should have two sheets measuring 7½” x 10” each. Combine egg and water in a small bowl and beat to make egg wash. Brush egg wash on top of one pastry sheet. Place second pastry sheet on top and press lightly. With a 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out 12 pastry circles (do not separate pastry sheets). Place pastry circles on a cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 9 minutes. Remove from oven. With a sharp knife, cut out pastry centers to form cavities. (If you are not serving this dish right away, you can keep shells in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to serve. Reheat shells in a 400°F oven before serving.) Melt butter in a heavy, deep saucepan. Add green onions and Cajun seasoning. Sauté 1 minute. Add tomato sauce and paprika. Sauté until hot and bubbly. Add stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Add roux and whip until mixture is smooth and thick. Add sherry and simmer 1 minute. Add cream and simmer to reduce by one-third. Add crawfish. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. If too thick, adjust consistency with stock or cream. Stir in lemon juice. Arrange pastry shells on dinner plates and spoon crawfish mixture into the shells. Garnish with green onions and lemon slices or wedges.