Crawfish with Black Truffle, Chanterelles, Jimmy Red Grits and Iberico Bacon
4 Servings
Crawfish
Live Crawfish
10 lbs
Iberico Bacon
, cut into ¼-inch dice
6 slices
Chanterelle Mushrooms
, washed, dried, and quartered
1 lb
Scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts
1/4 cup
Vegetable Stock
1 gallon
Unsalted Butter, diced
2 tbsps
Fresh Lemon Juice
1 tbsp
Fresh Black Truffle
, finely minced
2-3 oz
Quickish Jimmy Red Grits
Water
8 cups
$link
1 cup
Butter
2 tbsps
Cream Cheese
1 tbsp
Bay Leaf
1 ea
Salt
To taste
White Pepper
To taste
Lemon Juice
To taste
Hot Sauce
To taste
The Preparation
1. Place the grits and the water in a large saucepan. Slowly bring to a simmer and add the bay leaf. Skim all the chaff that rises to the top with a fine mesh tea strainer. Slowly simmer for 30-40 minutes. Stir the grits as they cook as much as possible, being careful to not let them stick to the bottom of the pot (if they stick, you must change the pot).
2. Right before you serve the grits season them with salt, white pepper, lemon juice and hot sauce. Fold in the butter and cream cheese.
3. To cook the crawfish: Bring the vegetable stock to a simmer. Working in batches of 10 crawfish at a time, cook them for 90 seconds and remove to a sheet tray to cool. Work through all crawfish in batches of 10 each. Remove the meat from shells and reserve bodies in freezer for later use.4. Add bacon to a large skillet and cook over low heat, until the half the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, about 2 minutes. Carefully add the mushrooms to the hot skillet and cook until soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the crawfish, half a cup of vegetable stock and cook until the crawfish are warm, an additional 2 minutes. Stir in the butter and lemon juice and season lightly with salt and pepper.
5. To complete and serve: Give the grits a good stir, then divide them between 4 warmed bowls. Spoon the shrimp and mushrooms and their broth on top. Garnish with the scallion rings and black truffle.