Cornmeal-Crusted Crayfish Pies

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) plus 1 tablespoon cold butter
• 3/8 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 small green or red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 fennel bulb, diced, optional
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 scallions, sliced thin
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 3/4 cup Chicken Stock (p. 206) or Vegetable Stock (p. 204), or 1/2 cup stock and 1/4 cup milk or cream
• Zest and juice of 1 medium lemon (about 2 teaspoons zest and 3 tablespoons juice)
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 pound cooked and peeled crayfish tails, coarsely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• Hot sauce
• Crispy bacon bits, diced pickled jalapenos, and sliced scallions, for garnish
• Cornmeal Pie Crust

1. Place the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor.
2. Pulse to combine.
3. Add the butter in small pieces and pulse into the dry mix just until coarse pebbles form.
4. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
5. By hand, gradually work in the sour cream and 1/4 cup ice water.
6. The dough should be soft and pliable but not sticky.
7. Adjust as necessary with flour or water.
8. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes (or up to a day in advance).
9. To prepare the pies, preheat the oven to 350F.
10. Divide the dough into 8 equal parts.
11. Roll each part into a very thin (1/8-inch) round and drape it into a 4-ounce tart pan or individual gratin dish.
12. Cover each shell with parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans.
13. Place the pie shells on a baking sheet and bake for 1012 minutes, until lightly golden.
14. Remove the beans and parchment and bake 12 minutes longer.
15. Dont let them color too much, because they will be baked again with the filling.
16. Let them cool to room temperature.
17. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
18. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and fennel, if using, and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened.
19. Add the garlic, scallions, and parsley and cook for 23 minutes more.
20. Sprinkle the vegetables with the flour and stir.
21. Whisk in the stock, lemon zest and juice, and Worcestershire sauce.
22. Add the crayfish and simmer for a few more minutes, until the crayfish is warm.
23. Adjust the seasonings with salt, pepper, and hot sauce.
24. Cool to room temperature or refrigerate until ready to make pies.
25. Fill each cooled shell with 3 ounces (about 6 tablespoons) of crayfish filling.
26. Set them on a baking sheet and bake at 350F until hot and bubbly, about 15 minutes.
27. Serve warm or at room temperature.
28. I cook only with Louisiana crayfishaccept no substitutes!
29. Frozen varieties are available from China, but they have no texture or flavor.
30. Thats because the fat that normally coats fresh crayfish does not freeze well (it tends to go rancid before the tail meat does), so its rinsed off before freezing.
31. But crayfish needs that fat to retain its sweet flavor.
32. Your best bet is to choose a Louisiana source (see Sources, p. 384) whose crayfish are frozen close to the end of the January-to-June season.
33. Better yet, buy a few pounds of fresh crayfish and freeze them yourself, but use them up within four weeks.
34. Put your fear of pastry asidethis cornmeal pie dough is not sticky and is absolutely wonderful to work with.
35. If you dont want to bother blind-baking pie shells you can simply prepare these as little turnovers.
36. Roll each portion of dough into a 6-inch round, place a few tablespoons of filling on one half, fold the other side over the top, and crimp the edges together with a fork or your fingers.
37. Brush them with egg wash, if you like, and bake at 350F until golden, about 2530 minutes, or deep-fry themwhich is more traditional.

flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, cold butter, sour cream, olive oil, butter, onion, celery stalk, green, fennel bulb, garlic, scallions, parsley, flour, chicken, lemon, worcestershire sauce, crayfish tails, salt, sauce, bacon bits, cornmeal pie crust

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cornmeal-crusted-crayfish-pies-383403 (may not work)