Ecrevisses Cardinal
Ecrevisses Cardinal- LADL Flowchart Recipe
Origin: Creole
About: Ecrevisses Cardinal is a recipe from Antoine’s Restaurant in New Orleans. Essentially, it’s crawfish tails in a bechamel (basic white sauce made with flour, butter, and milk or cream) with typical Creole seasoning.
This is Creole and much different than it’s french counterpart pain d’ecrevisse sauce cardinal. The french version consists of a quenlle, a creamed fish/meat and egg resembling omelet served with bachamel sauce. The Creole recipe includes something closer to the Holy Trinity (usually onion, celery, bell pepper) by using onion, parsley, garlic.
The end of the recipe requires a roux (butter and flour sauce) which is used for thickening. Roux can be made from any type of fat and flour; for instance Cajun Gumbo can use vegetable oil which has a higher smoke point than butter, which allows for a darker roux. If the roux get burned it will ruin the dish, so stir it constantly. Light/white roux are cooked for 2-3 min and used for gravy, whereas darker roux are cooked for 5-6 min and have a brown look and distinct nutty aroma.
Additions:
- Cayenne Pepper, 1/4 tsp — with the tomato paste
- Nutmeg, 1/4 tsp — with the tomato paste
- Basil, a pinch — with the thyme
