Saute of Louisiana Crawfish Vol-au-Vent

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup minced onions
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 pound Louisiana Crawfish tails
• Essence, recipe follows
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Hot sauce
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 6 medium Vol-Au-Vent Puff Pastries
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions

In a large saute pan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and continue to saute for 1 minute. Season the crawfish with Essence. Add the crawfish to the onions. Continue to saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the cream. Season with Worcestershire Sauce and hot sauce. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook for 4 minutes. Reseason if necessary. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the parsley. Remove from the heat. Spoon the crawfish sauce in the center of each puff pastry. Garnish with the remaining parsley and cheese

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.