Crawfish Hand Pies

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large skillet (12-inch)
• •4-inch round cutter or clean tin can
• •Rolling pin
• •Rimmed baking sheets
• •Parchment paper
• •Pastry brush
• •Fork for crimping

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the blonde roux

   Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When it foams, whisk in the flour and keep whisking. You want a blonde roux here, the color of peanut butter, which takes about five minutes of constant stirring. This is not the dark roux of a gumbo. We need just enough to thicken the filling and add a hint of nuttiness without overpowering the crawfish.

   A blonde roux has more thickening power than a dark one. Since we want a filling that holds together in the pastry, we stop early.
2. 2

   Sweat the holy trinity

   Add the diced onion, celery, and bell pepper to the roux. Stir to coat everything in that buttery flour mixture. Cook over medium heat for eight to ten minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft and translucent. The onions should look almost melted, sweet and golden. This is where your filling develops its soul.

3. 3

   Add garlic and seasonings

   Add the minced garlic and cook just until fragrant, about thirty seconds. Now add the Cajun seasoning, cayenne, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Stir everything together and let the spices bloom in the fat for one minute. Your kitchen should smell like a Louisiana roadhouse right about now.

   If you are sensitive to heat, start with a quarter teaspoon of cayenne. You can always add more, but you cannot take it back. Taste as you go. That is the bayou way.
4. 4

   Add crawfish and finish filling

   Fold in the chopped crawfish tails gently. Crawfish are delicate and will turn rubbery if overworked. Cook for two minutes, just until heated through and coated with the vegetable mixture. Add the Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce, stirring to combine. Remove the skillet from heat.

5. 5

   Incorporate cream cheese

   Add the softened cream cheese in pieces and stir until it melts into the filling, creating a creamy binder. Fold in the green onions and parsley. Taste the filling now. It should be bold, slightly spicy, rich with butter and cream cheese. Adjust the salt and cayenne if needed. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until completely cool, at least one hour.

   The filling must be cold before you fill the pies. Warm filling melts the pastry and makes sealing impossible. Patience here saves frustration later.
6. 6

   Cut the dough rounds

   Roll out your pie dough on a lightly floured surface to about an eighth inch thick. Using a four-inch round cutter (or a clean tin can with both ends removed), cut as many circles as you can. Gather the scraps, re-roll once, and cut more. You should get about twenty-four rounds from two packages of pie dough.

7. 7

   Fill and seal the pies

   Place a heaping tablespoon of the chilled filling in the center of each dough round. Dip your finger in water and moisten the edges of the dough. Fold the dough over to create a half-moon shape, pressing the edges firmly to seal. Use the tines of a fork to crimp the edges all the way around. This crimping is not just decoration. It locks the filling inside.

   Do not overfill. The temptation is real, but a too-full pie bursts in the oven and makes a mess instead of a meal.
8. 8

   Chill the assembled pies

   Arrange the filled pies on parchment-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate for at least thirty minutes before baking. Cold pies hold their shape better and develop flakier crusts. This is also your make-ahead moment: the pies can be frozen solid on the sheet, then transferred to a freezer bag for up to two months.

9. 9

   Bake until golden

   Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Brush each pie generously with egg wash, making sure to get into the crimped edges. Cut a small vent in the top of each pie with a sharp knife. Bake for twenty to twenty-five minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the pies are deeply golden brown and the filling bubbles through the vents. If baking from frozen, add five to eight minutes.

   Do not pull them when they are pale gold. Push for deep golden brown. That color is where the flavor lives, and pale pastry tastes like raw flour.
10. 10

    Rest and serve

    Let the pies cool on the baking sheet for five minutes. The filling is molten right out of the oven and will burn eager mouths. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt while still warm. Serve on a platter lined with a cloth napkin, and watch them disappear. At Lagniappe, we serve these with a little dish of remoulade for dipping, but they need nothing at all.

Chef Tips

• •Louisiana crawfish tails are essential. Do not substitute imported crawfish, which lack the sweetness and texture of the real thing. Check the bag: if it does not say Louisiana, put it back.
• •Make your own Cajun seasoning by combining two parts paprika, one part each garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, and dried thyme, plus half a part each cayenne and black pepper. Store in a jar and use liberally.
• •If you cannot find crawfish, Gulf shrimp chopped into small pieces works well. The technique stays the same, and nobody will complain about a shrimp hand pie.
• •For a party, bake the pies just until they start to color, about fifteen minutes. Cool, refrigerate, then finish baking for ten minutes right before guests arrive. They will be crisp, hot, and perfect.
• •These pies want a cold beer beside them. A crisp lager or wheat beer cuts through the richness and refreshes the palate between bites.

Advance Preparation

• •The filling can be made up to three days ahead and stored refrigerated. The flavors deepen as it sits.
• •Assembled unbaked pies freeze beautifully for up to two months. Freeze solid on a sheet pan, then transfer to freezer bags. Bake directly from frozen, adding five to eight minutes to the baking time.
• •Baked pies keep refrigerated for three days. Reheat in a 350-degree oven for ten minutes to restore crispness. Do not microwave, which makes the crust soggy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 70g)