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Sauce Nantua

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. whole boiled crawfish
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 tsp. thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 medium carrot, chopped
  • 2 Tbs. chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup brandy
  • 1/2 cup tomato puree
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/8 tsp. cayenne
  • 1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions

  1. 1

    Rinse the crawfish in cold water. Peel them, reserving all the shells. Set aside about 1/2 cup of tail meat. Chop the rest of the tails finely in a food processor.

  2. 2

    Crush the crawfish shells with a meat mallet. Put the crawfish shells, garlic cloves, thyme and bay leaf into a quart of cold water in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer for 30 minutes. Strain, and reduce the stock down to about one cup.

  3. 3

    Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and sauté the onions, carrot, and parsley until soft. Add the tomato puree and cook another minute or so. Then add the wine, bring to a boil, and reduce until most of the liquid is gone.

  4. 4

    Add the chopped crawfish tails to the pan. Add the brandy, bring to a boil, and carefully flame it (if you like). Add one cup of the crawfish stock to the pan and bring to a light boil.

  5. 5

    Make a blond roux with the butter and flour. Whisk into the sauce until completely blended. Add the cream, salt, and cayenne, adjusting the latter two to taste. Bring to a simmer, then serve. Garnish with the reserved whole tails.