Mini-Crawfish Pies

Ingredients

Crust:

• 8 tablespoons butter, cubed and softened
• 1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Filling:

• 6 tablespoons butter, sliced
• 6 tablespoons all-purposes flour
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• 2 small carrots, diced
• 1 bunch scallions, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 2 shallots, diced
• 1 pound frozen crawfish tails, thawed
• 3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups chicken stock

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

For the crust: In a large bowl, blend together the butter and cream cheese. Stir in flour and chill for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Separate dough; reserving 1/3 for pie tops, and using 2/3 for pie crust bottoms. To form bottom portions of dough, create dough balls approximately 1-inch in diameter and place into bottom of muffin tin cups, flattening to form crust bottoms. Bake crusts only until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

For the filling: In a saucepan, add butter and flour, stirring together over heat to create a roux. Cook until mixture is the color of peanut butter. Add all vegetables and saute until soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add crawfish, Cajun seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Saute mixture for 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken stock and cook, stirring, until mixture boils and thickens. Spoon mixture into crusts. Top with circles of unbaked dough cut from the reserved 1/3 of original dough. Make a small slit in the top of the dough to allow steam to escape. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve while warm.