SOUTHERNISM OF THE WEEK
She’s beginning to lose the plot: A kind and subtle reference to a person’s increasingly muddled state of mind…
Crawfish season is in full flower right now, as evidenced by those distinctive yellow and red banners fluttering in breezes all around town.
My family loves crawfish. It’s a genetic thing, totally interwoven with our addictive personalities and inability to use moderation. Like Christopher Walken, we got the fever – but for those spiced-up crustaceans instead of cowbells. We can’t help ourselves.
Every spring, my daughter jets down from the Big Apple to Oxford or New Orleans for the weekend — just to indulge a crawfish addiction picked up during her years in Death Valley. During April and May, traveling Hubby phones home weekend orders for seven or eight pounds of crawfish to share with Rebel Bear son.
As for me, I’m a recovering crawfish-aholic. Many years ago, while vacationing in the coastal Pacific Northwest, I overindulged my love of seafood and sucked on one mudbug too many. The consequences almost killed me.
Do I regret consuming nine consecutive seafood meals during a three-day period? Would I have foregone the ninth meal – the crawfish – if I had known the lifelong seafood allergy it would trigger? Never. Remember, I’m an addict. My justification is that the salmon were running, the crab was abundant, and the northwest species of crawfish were at their peak. And I’ll always have fond memories of nine great meals.
At least I don’t tempt the allergy goddess like my slightly less allergic South Carolina friend. Every year or two, she succumbs to her passion for Atlantic Blue Crab. Before indulging, she doses up on Benadryl and prepares a soothing baking soda-and-oatmeal bath to treat the inevitable hives.
We’ve discussed the obsession, and both agree that Epi-pens are a marvelous medical tool to have as backup, just in case …
Here’s a refresher on how to prepare your own crawfish boil.
STIR UP A BIT OF BISQUE AND A FEW ROLLS
When the mudbugs are plentiful, consider repurposing the leftovers into crawfish dressing, crawfish-stuffed mushrooms, crawfish stew, or my favorite, crawfish bisque. This simple version easily adapts for crab or lobster. The color of the bisque will vary from pale green to seafood pink, depending on the proportions of celery, carrots and crawfish.
This week’s roll recipes are variations on old 20th century favorites. They are perfect for dunking in the bisque.
CRAWFISH BISQUE
1 large white onion, chopped fine
1 leek, cleaned thoroughly, then chopped
1 carrot, sliced or diced
1 – 2 ribs of celery and celery leaves, chopped fine
1/2 tsp ground thyme or 1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf, optional (depends on how highly seasoned the crawfish already is)
1 tsp salt
1 to 2 lb of cooked crawfish meat
1/2 c white wine, divided
2 c hot chicken broth
1 c cooked rice
2 T butter
3 T heavy whipping cream
2 egg yolks, beaten
Peel the crawfish. Mash and cut up the head, claw and tail meat.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped and sliced onion, leek, carrots and celery; brown lightly for 3 minutes. Stir in the herbs and seasonings.
Add the crawfish meat. Stir lightly over heat 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup wine and the hot chicken broth. Cover and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.
Mix in rice. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Puree the mixture (I use an immersion blender). Return to stove on low heat and simmer about 20 minutes, until mixture thickens. Stir in the butter until melted.
Combine the cream and beaten egg yolks. Temper the eggs by whisking in a tablespoon of the hot broth. Continue tempering the egg two more times, and gently whisk into the broth, continuing to whisk to prevent curdling. Whisk in the remaining wine. Simmer on low heat for two to four minutes and serve in demitasse cups or small bowls. Top with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chopped green onions. Yields 12 demitasse-size servings.
VARIATION: Substitute beef broth for the chicken broth and a smaller amount of cognac for the wine. In advance, make up a small amount of cornbread dressing and combine with extra crawfish meat. Stuff into the shells of crawfish heads and toss into the hot broth containing minced crawfish. Simmer for five minutes.
MAYONNAISE MINIROLLS
These little bites of bread taste like a cross between a biscuit and a roll. Feel free to work grated cheese into the dough.
2 c self-rising flour
1 c buttermilk
4 T mayonnaise
Melted salted butter (about 4 T)
Combine all ingredients, blending well. Lightly oil two (12-cup) mini-muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray (use finger to spread the oil up the sides). Use a teaspoon to drop dough into each muffin cup, spreading the sticky dough evenly and not filling more than two-thirds full. Bake at 425ºF in a preheated oven for about 12 minutes, until light brown. Remove from oven, turn out onto a pan and drizzle with melted butter.
VARIATION: Work 1/2 c grated sharp cheddar cheese into the dough.
CHEDDAR CRESCENTS
Good ol’ biscuit mix such as Bisquick works well in a pinch for would-be bakers who don’t keep baking soda and baking powder in the pantry.
1 pkg (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
1/2 c warm water (100-110˚F)
2-1/2 c biscuit mix such as Bisquick
1-1/4 c (5 oz) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 large egg, beaten
Stir together yeast and warm water in large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in Bisquick, cheese and egg.
Mix with large wooden spoon and then with hands until soft dough forms. Turn out onto a well floured surface; knead 20 times by folding over and pressing the fold with palms of your hands. Form dough into a somewhat flattened ball.
Coat a nonreactive bowl (stainless, ceramic or glass) with nonstick cooking spray. Roll ball of dough in the greased bowl, greasing completely with the nonstick cooking spray. Cover bowl with a damp warm cloth and place in a warm spot away from drafts. Allow dough to rise for up to an hour.
Preheat oven to 350˚F . Divide dough into either two or four equal balls (size of crescents depends on how many portions). Roll 1 portion at a time into a circle about one-fourth-inch thick on a lightly floured surface.
Use a pizza cutter to cut each circle into 8 wedges. Starting at wide end, roll up each wedge to form a crescent. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet, point sides down. Repeat with rest of dough. Bake for 10-15 minutes on middle rack, until golden brown.
Laurie Triplette is a writer, historian and accredited appraiser of fine arts, dedicated to preserving Southern culture and foodways. Author of the award-winning community family cookbook GIMME SOME SUGAR, DARLIN’, and editor of ZEBRA TALES (Tailgating Recipes from the Ladies of the NFLRA), Triplette is a member of the Association of Food Journalists, Southern Foodways Alliance and the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. Check out the GIMME SOME SUGAR, DARLIN’ website and follow Laurie’s food adventures on Facebook and Twitter.
