Crayfish Toast

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •3 1/4-inch (8 cm) round cutter
• •Rolling pin or meat mallet
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve and cheesecloth
• •Piping bag or parchment cornet with a 1/8-inch (3 mm) plain tip
• •Baking sheet and cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Separate tails and shells

   Twist the tail from each chilled crayfish and peel it carefully, keeping the meat whole. Remove the dark vein if present, then split each tail cleanly in two lengthwise with a thin, sharp knife. Keep each matching pair together, cover, and return the tail halves to the refrigerator. Pat the tail shells, bodies, and claws dry, wrap them in a sturdy bag and a folded towel, then crack them firmly with a rolling pin. Expose the interiors without grinding the shells to powder, since fine grit is difficult to strain out.

2. 2

   Extract the rose butter

   Hold back 1 tablespoon of the cold butter. Melt the remainder in a small heavy saucepan over low heat, add the cracked shells, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes at the faintest sizzle, pressing and turning them with a wooden spoon. The butter should become rosy and smell distinctly of crayfish, but its milk solids must remain pale. If the foam races or tan flecks appear, lift the pan from the heat and whisk in the reserved cold butter immediately; ça se rattrape if you stop before anything burns. Rest off the heat for 5 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve lined with damp cheesecloth, pressing firmly without grinding. Whisk in the reserved butter now if it was not needed earlier, then chill for 15 to 20 minutes, just until opaque and spreadable.

   The finished beurre d’écrevisses should be coral-rose and sweet-smelling. A nutty aroma means the butter, rather than the shellfish, has taken over.
3. 3

   Cut and toast crescents

   Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Stamp a 3 1/4-inch (8 cm) round from each bread slice. Shift the cutter about 1 1/4 inches (3 cm) into each round and cut again, removing the inner piece to leave a broad crescent. Arrange the crescents on an ungreased baking sheet and toast for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until pale gold, crisp at the edges, and dry through the center. Cool completely on a rack. Color is useful, but deep browning would bully the delicate crayfish butter.

   Keep the bread trimmings for crumbs. Brigade kitchens had uses for every offcut, and your freezer does too.
4. 4

   Prepare the piping butter

   Work the softened butter with a small spatula until it reaches beurre pommade, butter with the smooth consistency of an ointment. It should hold a ridge without cracking or looking melted. Transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a 1/8-inch (3 mm) plain tip. If it slumps, chill the bag for 5 minutes and work it briefly between your hands; if it is too firm to pipe, let it stand for a few minutes longer.

5. 5

   Spread and pipe

   Taste the beurre d’écrevisses and add only enough fine salt to sharpen its flavor, remembering that cooked crayfish may already be seasoned. Spread an even layer over the entire upper surface of each cooled crescent, carrying it neatly to both curved edges. Pipe a slender, continuous cord of beurre pommade around the perimeter. Keep the line fine and even; this is a border, not a wall.

6. 6

   Set the tails

   Place the two matching halves of one crayfish tail lengthwise in the middle of each crescent, close together and with their thickest sides innermost, exactly as the preparation requires. Press only enough to secure them in the beurre d’écrevisses without flattening the piped border. Serve within 30 minutes at cool room temperature. If the finished toasts have been chilled, give them 10 minutes out of the refrigerator so the butter yields beneath the teeth. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Buy whole shell-on crayfish. Good frozen whole cooked crayfish are an honest preserved choice when fresh ones are unavailable; thaw them overnight in the refrigerator and dry them well. Tail meat alone cannot make the beurre d’écrevisses, and that exchange between shell and tail is the point of the dish.
• •Pain de mie has the close, even crumb needed for clean crescents and a steady piped edge. A loaf full of large holes will leak butter and fracture when cut, which is admirable in many breads and useless here.
• •A small parchment cornet can replace the piping bag and gives excellent control over the fine butter cord. Keep the beurre pommade soft enough to flow but never glossy or melted.
• •Serve these with brut Champagne or another dry sparkling wine. Its acidity clears the butter, while the bubbles suit the salty sweetness of the crayfish without trampling it.

Advance Preparation

• •The beurre d’écrevisses can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Let it soften until spreadable, then beat it smooth before assembling the toasts.
• •The tail halves can be prepared 1 day ahead and refrigerated in a tightly covered container. Keep them cold until the final assembly.
• •Cut and toast the crescents up to 6 hours ahead, cool them completely, and hold them airtight at room temperature. If they soften, crisp them for 3 minutes in a 325°F (165°C) oven and cool again.
• •Assemble no more than 30 minutes before serving so the toast remains crisp. Refrigerate briefly if necessary, then let the finished croûtes stand for 10 minutes before they reach the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 105g)