Crawfish-Corn Maque Choux

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup chopped yellow onions
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
• 4 cups fresh white corn kernels
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 8 ounces cooked crawfish tails
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• Rice, as accompaniment
• Chopped green onions, garnish
• Finely diced tomatoes, garnish

Directions

In a large saucepan or skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and 1 teaspoon of the Essence, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the corn and cook, stirring, until fragrant and just golden, about 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of the chicken stock and cook until almost all evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of stock and cook until almost all evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the crawfish, remaining 2 teaspoons of Essence, and salt, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the cream, bring to a boil, and cook until the crawfish are warmed through and the sauce is thickened, 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove from the heat and serve with rice, garnished with the green onions and tomato concasse.

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 Morrow, 1993.