Emeril's Crawfish Cream Pasta Bites

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onions
• 1/4 cup minced red bell peppers
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons very finely chopped smoked ham
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• 1/3 to 1/2 pound spaghetti or linguine, cooked until al dente
• 1/2 pound cooked crawfish tails (about 100 tails)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows

Directions

In a large skillet, melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, and garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the ham and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the cream, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, bring to a boil, and cook until thickened and reduced by almost 50 percent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the green onions, cheese, and herbs, and toss to combine. Add the cooked pasta and toss to coat. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

In a medium skillet, melt the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Season the crawfish with the Essence. Add to the pan and cook stirring, until firm and warmed through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

One at a time, place a large fork tines down in the pasta. Twirl to grab 2 to 3 strands of pasta with sauce, and turn to pack tightly onto the fork. Spear 2 crawfish tails on the tines and place on a serving platter, handle out. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and forks, arranging the forks in a spoke pattern on the platter, crawfish in the center.

Serve immediately.

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.