Entertaining

» Robert Dailey - Yum!

Georgene:
Crawfish are merely freshwater crustaceans, and they grow very large in the south (about the size of freshwater prawns, or large Gulf shrimp, which are also scavengers). The Acadians, being poor and isolated, "created" many foods that were not normally eaten. Fifty years ago, no one except Acadians would admit to eating the lowly crawfish. Now, much of the crawfish (or crayfish)caught or farm-raised in the south are shipped to Europe and the East Coast(for consumption). Crawfish are also a big export of China.
Crawfish etouffee is a wonderful (and quite delicate) dish combining crawfish, butter, onions, bell peppers, a little salt and pepper and a little garlic and sauteeing these ingredients. It is generally served over rice (not Uncle Ben's but that sticky, oriental-type rice. Crawfish pie is also a wonderful dish, made famous by country singer Hank Williams, but created several centuries ago by imaginative Acadian cooks.
I made some crawfish pie for a rather large holiday party at my home in Santa Fe. No one there was Acadian (except me and my wife), and most were transplants from the Midwest. The crawfish pie went first (in a flash). Gallons of crawfish gumbo were also consumed. The chicken and sausage gumbo and the "American" food were the last to go.
The turducken may sound a litle over the top, but the three meats, along with the spices and seasonings, make a wonderful melange of taste.
I prefer mine with cornbread-oyster dressing and some cranberry sauce (with real cranberries...not that jelly stuff).
Add some new potatoes cooked in cream (actually a German dish generally eaten with saurbraten), a fresh green bean casserole with mushrooms, a sweet potato crunch, a few irresistable deserts and voila...stuffed people.