Recipe: Galatoire's Crawfish Bisque and Crawfish Stock (quantity recipe)

GALATOIRE'S CRAWFISH BISQUE
Makes 2 gallons; serves 10 to 12

"This version of Galatoire s famous crawfish bisque does not include stuffed crawfish heads, which make the preparation of the dish very time-consuming and labor-intensive to prepare. Instead we have used fresh Louisiana crawfish tails, which are added at the very end of the cooking process."


This will keep for two to three days in the refrigerator. Do not freeze.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely diced (about 2 cups)
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 (.5) cup all-purpose flour
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
2 gallons Crawfish Stock (recipe follows)
1 1/2 (1.5) cups brandy
4 pounds fresh, peeled Louisiana crawfish tails
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Place a large stockpot over high heat and add the vegetable oil. Add the onions and saut , stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the onions are caramelized.

Add the tomato paste and flour and stir until incorporated. Lower the heat to medium and cook the mixture, stirring continuously, for 5 to 7 minutes, until it becomes brown and sticky. Take extreme care not to burn the mixture.

Whisk in the cream and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, whisking constantly, so the mixture will be smooth. Add the garlic and stock and stir to thoroughly incorporate. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until it has thickened slightly.

Add the brandy and the crawfish tails and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Season with salt and cayenne pepper.

CRAWFISH STOCK
Makes 2 gallons

1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
4 celery stalks, diced (about 2 cups)
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 bay leaves
3 pounds live crawfish

Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, tomato paste, and bay leaves and saut for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring continuously, until the mixture is a rusty light brown color.

Add the crawfish and stir, folding the whole crawfish through the mixture. If some of the crawfish are mashed in the process the quality of the stock will improve. Cook the mixture for 4 to 5 minutes, until all of the shells have turned bright red.

Add two and one-half (2.5) gallons of water to deglaze the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring to a rolling boil. Once a rolling boil is achieved, reduce the heat until you obtain a low boil and cook the stock for 45 minutes.

Strain the stock through a wire mesh strainer and discard the solids.

Excerpted from Galatoire's Cookbook by Melvin Rodrigue with Jyl Benson
Copyright 2005 by Melvin Rodrigue with Jyl Benson. Excerpted by permission of Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.