Escoffier At Home

Tag: seafood

  • 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

  • Bouillon de Moules, Mussel Stock

    Bouillon de Moules, Mussel Stock

    Recipe for making bouillon de moules, or mussel stock, at home.

    Mussel Stock
    Escoffier mentions using the ‘cooking liquor,’ or broth, from mussels, in Le Guide Culinaire. But as with mushroom stock, there is no specific Escoffier recipe for mussel stock included. You can use the leftover broth from steaming mussels in white wine and lemon. But what ingredients specifically should you use?

    Mise-en-place for mussel stock

    This seafood stock is used in making Sauce Normande, and is based on one from the Alinea Restaurant cookbook. You can use either fresh fennel bulbs or fennel seed, depending on what you can get. I used a package of frozen greenshell mussels from New Zealand for this stock, but you could use any type you can find. I like a little extra kick in mine, so I use dry vermouth and a hint of absinthe to flavor the broth.

    Vermouth and absinthe for mussel stock

    In a medium stockpot, sauté the mirepoix of onion, celery and fennel (bulb or seed) in butter until translucent. Add the vermouth, absinthe (or any licorice-y spirit), bay leaf, peppercorns and bring to a gentle simmer.

    Add vermouth to the mirepoix

    Add the mussels and cover. Steam until the mussels open, about 5-10 minutes. If you are not eating them and want to get the maximum flavor from the mussels, steam for up to 30 minutes.

    Escoffier mussel broth

    Remove from the heat, let cool, and strain the broth into plastic containers. Reserve the mussels for another use or for eating!

    Ingredients
    35g (7 1/2 teaspoons) unsalted butter
    100g (2/3 cup) diced onion
    100g (2/3 cup) diced celery
    100g (2/3 cup) diced fennel bulb, or 4g (2 teaspoons) dried fennel seed
    375g (1 small bottle) Dolin dry vermouth
    25g (1 ounce, or 1 jigger) La Fée Absinthe Parisienne absinthe
    1 fresh bay leaf
    12 whole, black peppercorns
    1000g (2.2 pounds) fresh or frozen mussels

    Equipment
    Salter digital scale
    Kitchen knife and cutting board
    Measuring bowls
    Medium stockpot with lid
    Wooden spoon
    Rubber spatula
    Strainer or chinois
    Medium Saucepan
    Plastic containers

    Sources:
    A. Escoffier. H.L. Cracknell & R.J. Kaufmann, transl. Le guide culinaire: the complete guide to modern cookery.
    G. Achatz, D. Beran & N. Kokonas. Next Restaurant Paris 1906. eBook: Achatz, LLC, 2011.