Marys Crayfish Pies Food

CRAWFISH PIE

Steps:

• Add bell pepper, onion and celery to butter and saute until tender. Add crawfish fat and simmer covered 10 minutes. Add crawfish tails, green onions and remainder of seasonings. Thicken if necessary with a little cornstarch and let cook long enough to thicken gravy.
• Using your favorite pie crust recipe, make enough pie dough for a double crust pie. Place the dough in a 9-inch pie pan. Gently press the dough to the bottom and sides. Cut excess dough, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fill the pie shell with the cooled filling. With a pastry brush, dip in cold water and moisten the outside edge of the pastry shell. Place top crust over the filling, cutting off the overhang even with the overhang on the bottom crust. Crimp the top and bottom crusts together, trim. Cut 2 or 3 one-inch parallel slits in the top of the pie. Place pie in a preheated 450 degree oven and bake for 10 minutes, then lower heat to 375 degrees and cook for 35 minutes longer or until crust is a golden brown. Serve hot as a main course.
• Individual pies:
• Using the same procedure, individual pie pans or a muffin pan with large cups can be used instead of a large pie pan. Roll the dough, fit into the cups, place the filling in the cups. Moisten the edges with cold water. Place a circle of dough on top. Crimp edges together. Cut a 1-inch slit in the center. Bake as above.

MARY'S CRAYFISH PIES

Steps:

• TO MAKE THE CRUST: Lightly grease twenty-four 3-inch muffin cups with cooking spray (you may need to prepare the pies in two batches). In the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the 1 cup butter, 2 cups flour, cornmeal, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, and cayenne until the dough is the size of small peas. Add the eggs, egg yolks, and the 2 teaspoons ice water. Pulse until the dough begins to form a ball. (If you prefer, this can be done in a big bowl with your hands or a pastry cutter: work the butter, flour, cornmeal, salt, Cajun seasoning, and pepper together until they are the size of small peas. Add the eggs, egg yolks, and water and work until the dough forms a ball.) Pat the dough into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate while you make the crayfish filling.
• TO MAKE THE CRAYFISH FILLING: In a large, heavy skillet set over medium heat, melt the 1/2 cup butter until it bubbles. Slowly sprinkle on the 1/2 cup flour, stirring constantly until the mixture is combined. Add the yellow and green onions, bell pepper, and celery and cook, stirring constantly, for 15 minutes. Stir in the crayfish, garlic, brandy, cream, parsley, Tabasco, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, and cook an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• To assemble the pies: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Sprinkle a work surface with flour. Pinch off enough cornmeal dough to make 1 1/2-inch balls. Press the dough balls into prepared muffin cups to cover the bottom and up the sides. Spoon the crayfish filling almost to the top of each pie shell. Bake until the filling is hot and the crust is crisp, about 30 minutes.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Freeze well-wrapped baked and cooled pies up to 3 weeks in advance. Thaw in the refrigerator the night before you plan to serve them. Bake for 15 minutes at 350°F to warm before serving.
• These may seem large, especially if you're serving them at a utensil-free cocktail party. (For a first course at a dinner party, I present them on plates with knives and forks.) For cocktail parties, cut them in halves or quarters and set them out on serving dishes so they can be easily picked up and eaten in a bite or two.

KARDEA'S CRAWFISH PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 4 single-serving clay pots or souffle dishes.
• In a pan set over medium-low heat, add the butter and oil. Add in the onions, green peppers and garlic and saute until the onions are transparent. Add the crawfish, seafood seasoning and red pepper, and cook 2 minutes stirring frequently. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted, then add the half-and-half. Add half of the asiago and stir.
• Cut the puff pastry to fit the shape of the serving dishes, and then set aside.
• Divide the mixture into the prepared dishes. Sprinkle with remaining asiago, then place the puff pastry on top. Brush the egg wash over the pastry, then bake until the tops are golden, 15 minutes. Serve hot.

MARY BERRY'S FISH PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven 200C/400°F Grease a shallow 2.5 litre with butter.
• Melt the butter in a pan on a high heat and fry onion for few minutes.
• Lower the heat, cover and leave to soften for 15 minutes.
• Remove the lid and increase the heat to remove any moisture. Sprinkle in the flour and then add the milk gradually, stirring well and allowing the sauce to thicken until all the milk has been added.
• Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, add lemon juice and the raw fish and cook for couple of minutes, stirring continuously until the fish has just cooked. Stir in the smoked haddock. Pour the mixture into the buttered dish and leave to cool. Top with the hard-boiled eggs.
• For the topping, boil the potatoes in a pan of salted water until tender. Drain, tip the potatoes back into the pan, add milk and butter and mash until lump-free. Use a ricer to get smooth mash. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
• Spread the mash over the top of the sauce and fish in the dish and score with a fork.
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the potato is crisp and golden-brown.