331. BISQUE OF CRAYFISH A L'ANCIENNE

The modern cook · Charles Elmé Francatelli · 1846
Source
The modern cook
Yield
16.0 persons
Status
success · extracted 12 days ago
Not a recipe
No
Ingredients (19)
For the soup base
For finishing and garnish
Instructions (11)
  1. To make soup enough for sixteen persons, procure sixty crayfish, from which remove the gut containing the gall, in the following manner:—Take a firm hold of the crayfish with the left hand, so as to avoid being pinched by its claws; with the thumb and fore-finger of the right hand pinch the extreme end of the central fin of its tail, and with a sudden jerk, the gut will be withdrawn.
  2. Then mince or cut into small dice, a carrot, an onion, one head of celery, and a few parsley roots; to these add a bay-leaf, a sprig of thyme, a little mignonette pepper, and two ounces of butter.
  3. Put these ingredients into a stewpan, and fry them on the fire for ten minutes; then throw in the crayfish and pour on them a bottle of French white wine.
  4. Allow this to boil, and then add a quart of strong consommé, and let them continue gently boiling for half an hour.
  5. Then pick out the crayfish, and strain the broth through a napkin by pressure into a basin, in order to extract all the essence from the vegetables.
  6. Pare the shell off fifty of the crayfish tails, trim them neatly, and set them aside until wanted.
  7. Reserve some of the spawn, and also half the body shells, with which to make the crayfish butter (No. 184) to finish the soup.
  8. Take all that remains, and add thereto six anchovies washed for the purpose, and also a plate of crusts of French rolls fried of a light brown color in butter.
  9. Pound all these thoroughly, and then put them into a stewpan with the broth that has been reserved in a basin, and having warmed the bisque thus prepared, rub it through a tammy into a purée.
  10. Then take the purée up into a soup-pot, finish by incorporating therewith the crayfish butter, season with a little cayenne pepper and the juice of half a lemon.
  11. Pour the bisque quite hot into the soup-tureen containing the crayfish tails, and send to table.
Original Text
331. BISQUE OF CRAYFISH A L'ANCIENNE To make soup enough for sixteen persons, procure sixty crayfish, from which remove the gut containing the gall, in the following manner:—Take a firm hold of the crayfish with the left hand, so as to avoid being pinched by its claws; with the thumb and fore-finger of the right hand pinch the extreme end of the central fin of its tail, and with a sudden jerk, the gut will be withdrawn. Then mince or cut into small dice, a carrot, an onion, one head of celery, and a few parsley roots; to these add a bay-leaf, a sprig of thyme, a little mignonette pepper, and two ounces of butter. Put these ingredients into a stewpan, and fry them on the fire for ten minutes; then throw in the crayfish and pour on them a bottle of French white wine. Allow this to boil, and then add a quart of strong consommé, and let them continue gently boiling for half an hour. Then pick out the crayfish, and strain the broth through a napkin by pressure into a basin, in order to extract all the essence from the vegetables. Pare the shell off fifty of the crayfish tails, trim them neatly, and set them aside until wanted. Reserve some of the spawn, and also half the body shells, with which to make the crayfish butter (No. 184) to finish the soup. Take all that remains, and add thereto six anchovies washed for the purpose, and also a plate of crusts of French rolls fried of a light brown color in butter. Pound all these thoroughly, and then put them into a stewpan with the broth that has been reserved in a basin, and having warmed the bisque thus prepared, rub it through a tammy into a purée. Then take the purée up into a soup-pot, finish by incorporating therewith the crayfish butter, season with a little cayenne pepper and the juice of half a lemon. Pour the bisque quite hot into the soup-tureen containing the crayfish tails, and send to table.
Notes
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