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1
Place the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor.
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2
Pulse to combine.
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3
Add the butter in small pieces and pulse into the dry mix just until coarse pebbles form.
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4
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
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5
By hand, gradually work in the sour cream and 1/4 cup ice water.
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6
The dough should be soft and pliable but not sticky.
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7
Adjust as necessary with flour or water.
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8
Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes (or up to a day in advance).
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9
To prepare the pies, preheat the oven to 350F.
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10
Divide the dough into 8 equal parts.
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11
Roll each part into a very thin (1/8-inch) round and drape it into a 4-ounce tart pan or individual gratin dish.
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12
Cover each shell with parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans.
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13
Place the pie shells on a baking sheet and bake for 1012 minutes, until lightly golden.
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14
Remove the beans and parchment and bake 12 minutes longer.
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15
Dont let them color too much, because they will be baked again with the filling.
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16
Let them cool to room temperature.
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17
Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
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18
Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and fennel, if using, and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened.
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19
Add the garlic, scallions, and parsley and cook for 23 minutes more.
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20
Sprinkle the vegetables with the flour and stir.
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21
Whisk in the stock, lemon zest and juice, and Worcestershire sauce.
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22
Add the crayfish and simmer for a few more minutes, until the crayfish is warm.
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23
Adjust the seasonings with salt, pepper, and hot sauce.
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24
Cool to room temperature or refrigerate until ready to make pies.
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25
Fill each cooled shell with 3 ounces (about 6 tablespoons) of crayfish filling.
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26
Set them on a baking sheet and bake at 350F until hot and bubbly, about 15 minutes.
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27
Serve warm or at room temperature.
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28
I cook only with Louisiana crayfishaccept no substitutes!
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29
Frozen varieties are available from China, but they have no texture or flavor.
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30
Thats because the fat that normally coats fresh crayfish does not freeze well (it tends to go rancid before the tail meat does), so its rinsed off before freezing.
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31
But crayfish needs that fat to retain its sweet flavor.
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32
Your best bet is to choose a Louisiana source (see Sources, p. 384) whose crayfish are frozen close to the end of the January-to-June season.
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33
Better yet, buy a few pounds of fresh crayfish and freeze them yourself, but use them up within four weeks.
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34
Put your fear of pastry asidethis cornmeal pie dough is not sticky and is absolutely wonderful to work with.
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35
If you dont want to bother blind-baking pie shells you can simply prepare these as little turnovers.
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36
Roll each portion of dough into a 6-inch round, place a few tablespoons of filling on one half, fold the other side over the top, and crimp the edges together with a fork or your fingers.
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37
Brush them with egg wash, if you like, and bake at 350F until golden, about 2530 minutes, or deep-fry themwhich is more traditional.
