Chef notes
Hand pies are quintessential New Orleans cuisine. They can be sweet or savory, and we all have our favorites; the crawfish hand pie is one of mine. Crawfish season in South Louisiana is sacred, and it's such a short period of time, so when we get the chance to eat amazing Louisiana crawfish, we do it in every way possible. I love this recipe, the roasted mushroom, sundried tomatoes and toasted Creole trinity really bring out the flavor of the crawfish. The flaky pastry shell makes it so you can grab it and walk during your favorite festival.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 large green bell pepper, diced
- 4 ribs celery, diced
- 1½ pounds mushrooms (such as crimini, oyster or shitake), sliced
- 1/2 pound sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated and chopped
- 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 pounds crawfish tails
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 pound pepper jack cheese, diced or shredded
- 1 pound fontina cheese, shredded
- 12 ounces puff pastry sheets
- egg wash (1 egg yolk + 1 tablespoon water, whisked)
Preparation
1.Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, add garlic and toast, about 3 minutes. Add onions, peppers and celery, and sauté until translucent. Add mushrooms and tomatoes. Cook until mushrooms are tender and liquid from mushrooms reduces. Season with Creole seasoning, salt and pepper. Turn heat off and let mixture set for about 10 minutes. Fold in crawfish and herbs.
3.Cool mixture in refrigerator. Once cooled, fold in the cheeses.
4.Cut puff pastry into 6 even squares. Place about 1/4 cup of chilled filling in the center of each pastry, leaving space around edges to seal. Egg wash sides of pastry and fold top over filling. Crimp with a fork to seal and trim edges. Egg wash the tops of the pastry.
5.Place the hand pies on the prepared baking sheet and bake at for 10 to 20 minutes.
