Doug's Crawfish Cups
Note: this recipe can be halved, as given it makes about four dozen mini muffin sized cups.
Ingredients:
1 package Fillo (phyllo) Dough
2 pounds Louisiana crawfish tails. (It won't taste right if they are not Louisiana crawfish, trust me on this one. I tried it once and was not happy with the flavor. They've got to be raised and cooked here in Louisiana to have the right flavor. You can get them from Tony's, from the web, or at the store. Tony's Seafood - Plank Road, Baton Rouge, LA)
1 stick butter (1/4 cup)
2 cups Trinity (or Louisiana's Choice Creole Seasonings Mix)
1/3 to 1/2 cups flour
1 10 ounce can of chopped tomato and chilli (Rotel is fine - but they sure are proud of it judging by the cost!)
3 to four tablespoons of Fish Glace' (Fish stock cooked until it jells - I make it from scratch and freeze it when I am filleting saltwater fish, but you can use chicken stock if you don't have the fish stock).
1/2 cup of Velveeta Cheese
2 cups grated Cheddar and Monterey Jack Cheese.
Juice of two lemons and one lime.
Equipment needed:
Mini Muffin pans - I use 2 of the 1 dozen size at a time.
Heavy 2 quart sauce or frying pan
A 2 quart bowl to chill the mixture in.
1 large cutting board
wooden spoon
1 can cooking spray
1 pizza cutter
Fillo dough will not stand up to a hot mixture, so it will need to be
cooled before filling the cups. I usually make it the night before and let it
sit in the fridge over night. This recipe will make about a quart to a quart
and a half of filling.
Prep time, not counting chilling the filling, 2 hours.
If you bought or now have frozen Fillo dough, follow the package
instructions for thawing.
How to make the filling:
How do the recipes start, "First you make a roux." Here is how I
suggest you start out for this recipe:
Melt one stick of butter in a thick two quart pan. Add the Trinity and
Saute' until limp, on a medium heat, do not caramelize the greens. Add the
flour slowly until it is real thick, but not clumping. If it clumps, add a little
oil. Stir this until the flour browns. This is not a fast process, but
does develop the flavor better than the fast roux methods. Stir it
consistantly, but it doesn't need constant stirring.
Once you start to get that nutty smell, and the roux getting to an even
light shade of brown, add the tomato and chilli pepper mix. Add the fish
stock (or chicken if that is what you had on hand) , the crawfish and the
Velveeta. Stir well and cover and simmer for twenty minutes, stirring
occasionally. Adjust the flavor with hot sauce and the lemon and lime juice.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, I suggest over night.
Making the cups:
Spread the dough out and peel off a layer. Lay it flat (as much as
possible without going nuts) on the cutting board and spray it with the
cooking spray. Peel off another layer and spread it flat atop the first one
and spray it. Repeat the process until you have four or five layers. Do not
spray the top layer. Do spray the muffin tins. Rewrap your dough and
return it to the fridge so it doesn't dry out on you. Using the pizza wheel,
trim the edges. Cut the dough into three or four inch strips along the long
side. You should get four of the strips with a little left over (discard it,
or save it for trim). Now cut the four strips across into three equal
sections so you have 1 dozen squares of four or five layers. Peel these up
and press into the cups. Press them in firmly in and flare the tops so you
have room to add the mixture. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Get the filling from the fridge and spoon in enogh filling to make it even
with the top of the muffin pan, do not overfill. There will be dough sticking
up, it is supposed to. Return the filling to the fridge. Add a little of the
cheddar and Monetery jack cheese on top of the filling. Place in the center
of the oven and bake for about twenty minutes. The Fillo dough should be a
deep golden brown. remove from the oven and let cool at least five minutes
before removing the cups to a tray.
Repeat the process until you are out of filling or have shredded the dough
out of frustration with it. These will keep in the fridge and are
microwavable, but I do not suggest it. Bake them within an hour or two of
when they will be consumed for the best results.
That's it. You should be ready to eat and enjoy.
courtesy of www.dougriddle.com
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