Tag: crayfish

  • 0234. Beurre d’Ecrevisse, Crayfish Butter

    0234. Beurre d’Ecrevisse, Crayfish Butter

     

    Escoffier recipe for making beurre d’écrevisse, crayfish butter, at home (Escoffier 238).

    Crayfish, crawfish, crawdads, crawdaddies, freshwater lobsters, mudbugs or écrevisse – whatever you call the crustaceans — most people love ’em.

    Beurre d’écrevisse can be used for a multitude of dishes, on breads, in sauces, on eggs — you name it.

    Let me know how you use it!

    Crayfish

     

    Beurre d’Ecrevisse

    This recipe for a compound butter is adapted from those of Escoffier and Julia Child. I just had to — Escoffier’s had no extra seasoning added, so I spiced it up a bit with fresh thyme, Old Bay, paprika and cayenne. If you don’t like spice, leave them out…

    Mise en place:
    crayfish butter - mise en place

    Sauté the carrots, onions and leek in butter for about 10 minutes.

    crayfish butter - add mirepoix

    Add the tomato paste, crayfish, thyme, bay leaves, Old Bay seasoning, paprika, cayenne…

    crayfish butter - add crayfish

    … and cook covered for 30 minutes on low heat, to infuse the flavors.

    crayfish butter - cover and steam

    Turn out onto a cookie sheet to cool.

    crayfish butter - lay out to cool

    Place in a food processor with butter and blend until smooth.

    crayfish butter - add butter

    The shells will give the butter a reddish color.

    crayfish butter - process until smooth

    Take your time and press the mixture through a tamis or sieve, and refrigerate. (The longer you process, the easier this part will be.)

    crayfish butter - push thru a sieve

    Can be frozen for future use.

    Escoffier recipe for crayfish butter.

    Ingredients
    64g (1/2 cup) finely chopped carrots
    58g (1/3 cup) finely chopped onion
    50g (2/3 cup) finely chopped leek
    35g (7 1/2 teaspoons) unsalted butter
    50g (3 tablespoons) tomato paste
    1000g (about 2 pounds) whole cooked crayfish bodies
    2g (2 teaspoons) fresh thyme sprigs
    4 bay leaves
    6g (1 tablespoon) Old Bay seasoning
    4g (2 teaspoons) sweet paprika
    1g (1/2 teaspoon) ground cayenne pepper
    908g (2 pounds) unsalted butter