Crawfish Pie By Chef Sammy Monsour

Ingredients:

• Savoury Pie Crust: 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus approx 1/4 cup for rolling out the dough
• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon of poultry seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3-6 tablespoons ice water
• Crawfish gravy: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup leeks, cut into a medium dice
• 1/2 cup celery, cut into medium dice
• 1/2 cup poblano pepper, cut into a medium dice
• 1/2 serranto chile, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 cups roasted lobster stock (stock market)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 pounds Louisiana crawfish tail meat (thawed and in juices)
• 1/2 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun Seasoning (sundries)
• 2 fresh bay leaves (or 1 dry)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method:

1. Savoury Pie Crust: Cut each stick of butter into tablespoon size tabs (16 total),
   refrigerate 15 pieces until needed and reserve one tablespoon at
   room temperature for greasing the pie pan. Place the flour, salt,
   poultry seasoning and black pepper in food processor bowl and
   pulse three times to combine.

2. Turn processor on full speed and quickly add the chilled butter,
   one tablespoon at a time; the mixture should resemble coarse grits.

3. Add 2 tablespoons ice water to the mixture and blend. From here,
   add 1 tablespoon at a time until dough reaches a uniform
   consistency. You want your dough to hold its shape when pressed
   between your fingers. If dough is crumbly, continue adding water 1
   tablespoon at a time, but be cautious not to over wet your dough. If
   your dough becomes sticky, you’ve added too much water. Rolling
   will be a major pain, so you’ll need to add flour to counteract. Do so
   1 tablespoon at a time until a smooth, shape-able consistency has
   been achieved.

4. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. Divide into two
   equal pieces, form into discs (roughly 5” diameter), and place on a
   pan or plate, cover with tea towel and refrigerate for 1 hour.
   *Dough can be kept refrigerated for up to 3 days before use, just
   make sure its sealed airtight.

5. crawfish gravy: In a large Dutch oven, heat butter over medium-high. Add leeks,
   celery, peppers and garlic to pot. Sweat until translucent, about 10
   minutes, stirring frequently

6. Dust in flour while stirring, and continue to stir while flour cooks.
   This is called the singer method, and you’re essentially making a
   roux. Cook until flour is light brown, wafting a toasted, nutty
   aroma.

7. Add lobster stock and white wine, stirring constantly. Scrape
   bottom of dutch oven with your wooden spoon to remove any fond
   that has formed thus far. Once this mixture comes up to a gentle
   simmer, turn your meat to medium-low

8. Add crawfish, parsley, cajun seasoning and bay. Stir mixture and
   gently season to taste with salt and pepper. We think that
   comforting dishes like this are best enjoyed when slightly under
   salted. Rich and decadent foods are highly pleasurable to eat, and
   one wouldn’t want to hinder guests from requesting another slice
   due to high salt content.

9. Once mixture comes to a gentle simmer, place lid on dutch oven
   and turn off heat. Allow to steep for 15 minutes, and in the
   meantime, pull your pie dough out of refrigeration and begin
   rolling.

10. Making the pie: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out
    one disk of dough to a 12-inch round. Grease a 9-inch glass or metal
    pie plate with your reserved tablespoon of room temperature butter
    and fit dough into pan, pressing it into edges. Trim dough to a 1/2-
    inch overhang all around. Roll out remaining dough in the same
    manner.

11. Ladle all crawfish gravy mixture into pie. Place remaining dough
    sheet on top and trim to a 1.2-inch overhang. Crimp bottom and top
    crust together in any pattern or style desired. *Optional: Use dough
    trimmings to punch out shapes with a cookie cutter to decorate top
    of pie.

12. Place pie on a baking sheet and bake until crust is deep golden
    brown and juices are bubbling, about 40-50 minutes; rotate pie 180
    degrees every 15 minutes to ensure it bakes evenly. Transfer pie to
    a wire rack to cool for 20-30 minutes before cutting and serving.
    The pie is best eaten the day it is baked, but it can be kept
    refrigerated for up to 5 days. Serve with a salad for the perfect
    lunch or place on your Sunday supper table to complete the spread.
    sheet on top and trim to a 1.2-inch overhang. Crimp bottom and top
    crust together in any pattern or style desired.