Name: Crayfish or Shrimp à la Bordelaise (Les Écrevisses à la Bordelaise)
Yield: For 4 people
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: Green Pascal celery (1 small stalk, with the leaves); Italian plum tomatoes (1 lb.); Bay leaves, garlic (2 cloves), dried thyme, Crystal salt, whole black peppercorns; Carrots (2 medium); Parsley (2 sprigs); Green Pascal celery (3 stalks); Bay leaf, garlic (1 clove), tarragon, thyme, Crystal salt, freshly ground black pepper; Brown Sauce (2 cups—see recipe below); Arrowroot or cornstarch (a few Tb); Tomatoes (3 medium); Strong beef bouillon (6 cups); Parsley (3 or 4 sprigs); Dry white wine (2 cups); Tomato paste (1 to 2 Tb); Cognac (¼ cup plus 1 to 2 tsp); Sherry, dry Fino (½ cup); All-purpose flour (about ½ cup); Olive oil (7 Tb); Olive oil (about ½ cup); Butter (7 Tb); Crayfish or large shrimp in shells (16 to 24, depending on size); Tomato sauce (1 cup); Beef and veal bones, cut up by your butcher for roasting (2 lbs.); Shallots (4); Fresh tarragon leaves (enough to fill ¼ cup, chopped); Sweet butter (½ lb.); Yellow onions (2 medium); Heavy cream (a few Tb)

Preparation info

For
4
people

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Auberge of the Flowering Hearth

By Roy Andries De Groot

Published 1973

About

This obviously is not a regional dish of the Alps but the classic high cuisine preparation of various forms of shellfish in dry white Bordeaux wine. It does involve the extra effort and time for the advance preparation of a classic Brown Sauce, but the final result is worth the effort The complicated and subtle flavors of the sauce, contrasting with the crisp flesh of the shellfish, make this a party dish in the grand manner.