This is an astonishingly rich and wonderful dish, and not as difficult to make as you might think. Indulge thyself. Catholics are advised to head to confession after this one, as it's probably a sin. Heck, sinners have more fun, anyway. From Chef Emeril Lagasse, of Emeril's Restaurant, New Orleans, Louisiana.You can buy Chef Emeril's cookbooks here via The Gumbo Pages Bookshop, both his first one, Emeril's New New Orleans Cooking, or his newest one, Louisiana Real and Rustic. Follow the links and order!
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Add the onions and green onions, celery, bell peppers, and garlic and saute' for 1 minute. Add the crawfish tails, stock, bread crumbs, and 1 teaspoon creole seasoning and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for at least 15 minutes. Makes 1 cup.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, in all
- 1 teaspoon finely minced onions
- 1 teaspoon finely minced green onions
- 1 teaspoon finely minced celery
- 1 teaspoon finely minced green bell peppers
- 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
- 1/4 pound crawfish tails
- 2 tablespoons shrimp stock
- 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon creole seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups Crawfish Bordelaise Sauce (below)
- 4 filet mignons (6 to 7 ounces each), well marbled, trimmed
Prepare the Crawfish Bordelaise Sauce, and cover to keep warm.
Sprinkle the remaining 2 teaspoons of creole seasoning over the meat, using 1/2 teaspoon on each steak and inside its pocket. Use your hands to coat the meat thoroughly, inside and out.
Using a small knife, cut a slit about 2 inches long into the side of each steak and cut about 2 inches in to make a pocket. Stand the filets on their uncut edges and open the pockets. Using a spoon, fill each pocket with 1/4 cup of the cooled stuffing.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the filets and saute' until rare, for about 3 minutes on each side, or medium rare, about 4 minutes on each side.
To serve, place 1 filet on each of 4 dinner plates and cover with a generous 1/3 cup of the sauce. Makes 4 main-course servings.
Crawfish Bordelaise Sauce
Combine the shallots, garlic, and creole seasoning in a small nonreactive saucepan and place over high heat and cook for 30 seconds. Watch carefully so it doesn't burn. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the crawfish, salt, and pepper and bring back to a boil.
- 1 tablespoon minced shallots
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon creole seasoning
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 1/4 pound crawfish tails
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 turns freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups Veal or Beef Glaze (thickened veal or beef stock)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature.
- 1 tablespoon chopped green onions
Stir in the glaze and bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, skimming off the fat and impurities several times for 10 minutes. Turn up the heat to high, skim the remaining impurities from the top of the sauce, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Whisk in the butter and continue to whisk until throughly incorporated, for about 30 seconds. Add the green onions and remove from the heat.
[Go to the Beef, Pork, Veal and Lamb Dishes Page]
[Go to the Creole and Cajun Recipe Page]
[Go to The Gumbo Pages' Home Page]
[Search The Gumbo Pages]Chuck Taggart (e-mail chuck)