Author Notes
This was an inspiration that kicked in when began thinking about sparking up the flavors of the fresh peaches that are abundant as I write this. It is also a tribute to Paul Prudhomme who wrote the book (literally) on Etouffée. I love the color of this dish. Wood grilling the peaches adds on another dimension. Unless you live in Louisiana or Mississippi crawfish tails most likely will require you to do a little sleuthing. Where I live I can get them frozen in 2 pound packages which will feed a whole bunch of hungry people.
You will be making a roux here. But keep it on the reddish tan side. Don’t go real dark as you would with gumbo.
—pierino
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Ingredients
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4
large ripe peaches washed and pitted
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2 pounds
crawfish tails
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1/4 cup
chopped sweet onions such as Vidalia or Walla Walla
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1/2 cup
chopped celery including the tops if they haven’t been taken off
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1/2 cup
chopped green bell pepper
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3/4 cup
flour
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3 cups
seafood or chicken stock (duck stock is really nice too)
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1 teaspoon
cayenne pepper
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1/2 teaspoon
black pepper
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1 teaspoon
pink peppercorns whole and slightly crushed
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fleur de sel to taste
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1 1/2
sticks unsalted butter
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1/2 cup
chopped green onions
Directions
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Cut the peaches in half, remove the pits and grill cut side down. Slice the peach halves about 1 inch thick and set aside. This can be done a day ahead.
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Set up your vegetable mise en place and have it all lined up at hand.
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Set up your vegetable mise en place and have it all lined up at hand.
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In a deep cast iron pan heat the oil until it begins to shimmer. Add the flour in slowly and whisk it regularly for about five minutes until it attains the reddish color.
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Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vegetables and seasonings being careful not to let the mix burn or you will have ruined the roux.
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In a sauce pan or gumbo pot bring about 2/3’s of the stock to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Gradually stir in the roux vegetable mix set aside
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In another, larger pot melt one stick of butter and then add the chopped green onions
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Add the crawfish, peaches and the remaining stock. Add the previous stock, roux and vegetable mix to this pan gradually stir and shake the pan to combine well. Cook over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until it’s creamy and cooked through. Taste for seasonings
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Serve with white rice and more chopped green onion
Standup commis flâneur, and food historian. Pierino's background is in Italian and Spanish cooking but of late he's focused on frozen desserts. He is now finishing his cookbook, MALAVIDA! Can it get worse? Yes, it can. Visit the Malavida Brass Knuckle cooking page at Facebook and your posts are welcome there.
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