Crawfish Cardinale Tarts served on an Old Sheffield tray
CRAWFISH CARDINALE TARTS
Makes 24 hors d’oeuvres
INGREDIENTS
-
- ¼ cup (½ stick) butter
- ½ cup minced shallots
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons seafood stock
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 pound crawfish tails
- 2 dozen mini pastry shells (I most often use Athens brand phyllo shells, which are ready to use straight out of the freezer, or Siljans crispy shells.)
INSTRUCTIONS
1 | Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Lower heat and add shallots and garlic, stirring often to make sure the garlic does not burn, and cook until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the stock and tomato paste, and cook 1 minute. Sprinkle in flour and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
2 | Add cream, Cognac, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne. Blend well and cook about 5 minutes, until a thickish, sauce-like consistency is achieved, stirring frequently. Add the crawfish tails and cook until the tails are hot, 2 to 3 minutes more.
3 | Remove mixture from heat and taste for seasonings. Spoon into the shells and serve immediately.
Excerpted from Julia Reed’s New Orleans: Food, Fun, and Field Trips for Letting the Good Times Roll. Check out Flower magazine’s Q&A with Reed about the book, which has been described as a love letter to the city. Photography by Paul Costello
