Artisan Bread and it's best friend...Crawfish Bisque!

Today has been a very fun day for me and the wifey!  We had the opportunity to meet with a very talented baker, discuss the benefits of fresh milled grains, and take a delicious loaf home!  The difference between the bread I took home and the bread you take home from the grocery store is vast.  The bread from Hey Lolly Bakery is spectacular!  It possesses a light, chewy texture, is full of complex flavors, and has a crust on it that just won't quit!!!  Not only does this bread taste much better, it is MUCH better for you.  I am not sure on all the specifics of how much better, but if you contact the bakery I am sure someone will be happy to explain it to you :).  The trick to having a bread like this in your possession is that you often times are not sure of what to do with it...Have no fear, I got you covered!  I recommend contacting the fine people at Hey Lolly Bakery and placing an order as quickly as you can manage.  The bakery is located in McKinney, Texas and can be contacted through their website www.heylolly.com you can also look them up on facebook under hey lolly. 

 

Ok.  Back to what I do...cooking great food to go along with this bread.  You are left with several different options here, panini's, panzanella (bread salad), bruschetta, or my personal favorite...soup!!!

This quality of bread screams out to me to be paired with a rich, creamy, luscious bisque, so that is exactly what I am going to do.  I should warn you all that I have a secret...I am OBSESSED with crawfish.  It is almost unnatural.  The reason is that crawfish is buttery and sweet just like crab or lobster, but much cheaper.  It is the poor man's lobster...except that its just the smart way to impart that flavor into soups, sauces, or sandwiches without breaking the bank! 

A traditional bisque will be all blended together, with that immersion blender I have been talking about, so that it is smooth.  I, however, prefer a little chunk and bite to my soups, so I will not be doing that.  This is a "bisque", meaning that it is cream based, but it is not your traditional bisque.  I feel it tastes even better, and will fill you up much better.  This ability to fill you up is what makes this soup a meal as opposed to an appetizer.  Without further ado...

Crawfish Bisque 

4 strips of peppered bacon
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 yellow onions finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped green bell peppers
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
5 sprigs of fresh thyme, tie together with a long piece of twine then attach twine to the pot handles so you can remove the thyme after cooking
3 large Yukon gold potatoes, skinned and cut into a medium dice (think bite sized cubes) after cutting, store in cold water to stop browning.
2 lbs frozen crawfish tails, defrosted
chicken stock, as needed
20 ounces heavy cream
Louisiana hot sauce 6-10 shakes
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper


Here we go kids...

Take a large pot, the biggest you have, and place on a burner set to medium heat and allow the pot to heat up.  Add in your butter and melt it down, then place your bacon in the pot.  Crisp up the bacon and remove for later.  Do not remove any of the bacon fat from the pot!!! DO NOT DO IT!!!!!  Add in your garlic and stir for about a minute, then add in your onion, celery, bell peppers.  Add in your red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper.  Turn heat up to medium high and cook for 15-20 minutes.  Add in your potatoes.  Pour in the stock just to cover the potatoes by about two inches.  Turn up to high heat to bring the liquid to a boil and cover.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potato is fork tender.  At this point your burner should be on low or medium low.  This is a good thing.  Add in your heavy cream and your hot sauce, stir in completely.  Add in your crawfish.  Cook for 5 more minutes to allow crawfish to come to temperature and all the flavors to marry together.  If you would like your soup thicker, all you need to do is add in a slurry of flour and water (1 tablespoon flour and enough water to make into a runny paste).  If your soup is too thick, you may add water/stock a little at a time until you reach your desired consistency.  Taste before serving to check on the seasoning, it may need more salt/pepper or maybe even more hot sauce! 

Take your loaf of bread and cut 1/2 inch slices.  Brush the pieces with melted butter and grill to get those great marks and crispy toasty bread deliciousness!!!

Pour your soup into your bowl and top with the chopped bacon from earlier in the day.  The bread is served on the side...I recommend dunking. I am a fan of the dunk.

You could also serve the soup in the bread like a bread bowl,  however, I worry the bread will lose some of its intense deliciousness if you do this....up to you my friends.  I used a loaf of Jalapeno and Cheddar Sourdough and it did not disappoint!!!!

Go on then, check out the bakery and get to making some delicious soup!!!! Eat Up!!!

BRAISED BEEF!!!

Braised dishes are often times a chef's most prized possession, meaning, if you see a braised "anything" on a menu (not including your chain restaurants) you should order it.  It will be more expensive, but well worth the added price.  My favorite things to braise are beef shanks, sometimes called osso bucco in Italian restaurants and beef short ribs.  However, they are pretty expensive and since I'm not making a killing off of being a college student who writes a food blog, I will not be using those ingredients.  The ideal braising beef is any of your less desirable cuts, for example the round is excellent.  Today however, I am breaking my own rule.  I braised this dish with the remainder of the beef loin used to make beef wellingtons for Xmas (if I get enough requests I'll do a post on it).  Nothing changes for you if you are using the round or another cut of beef.  Mashed potatoes and sauteed asparagus are the perfect sides for this dish!

Braised Beef

2 lbs beef round (cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch steaks)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups red wine (not your finest vintage, but it should be good enough to drink from a glass)
1 cup beef stock (not broth)
1 yellow onion, large dice
1/2 cup carrot, large dice
1/2 cup celery, large dice
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 tablespoons butter
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 dried bay leaf
2 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons butter

Place a large skillet with high vertical sides on your burner set to medium high heat.  Allow the pan to become hot, then add in your olive oil.  Dust your steaks with all purpose flour and place into the skillet.  Cook each side for 2-3 minutes to create a crust.  If after 3 minutes you do not have a crust yet, continue cooking until you do.  You do not want to cook the meat all the way, so be sure not to over do it!  Remove the steaks from the pan and set aside.  Add in another tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter, heat for 1 minute.  Add in the carrots, garlic, onion, and celery.  Cook the veggies for five minutes, or until softened. Sprinkle in your 2 tablespoons flour and stir into a paste (a roux).  Reduce your heat to medium low, and cook for ten minutes.  At this point add in your red wine and beef stock.  Mix together quickly and thoroughly then add in your thyme.  Cook the sauce for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The sauce should not be too thick, but thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (dip a spoon in the sauce, the sauce should coat the spoon without it dripping off).  Add the steaks into the sauce, the steaks should be mostly covered by the sauce, if not, add more beef stock.  Cover the skillet with tin foil and place into a preheated oven set at 200.  Cook for 5 hours!!! I know it, I know it....FIVE hours!! Yes, five hours.  Its how the meat will be fall apart tender and super delicious!!!  It is very important to check it every hour or so and flip the steaks over.  Make sure the liquid level never falls below covering half of the steaks, 3/4 would be best. 

After the five hours is over remove the skillet from the oven, and remove the steaks from the skillet.  Remove the thyme sprigs and throw away.  Now ladle the sauce and veggies into your blender and mix well.  Your could skip this step if you have an immersion blender and just blend in the skillet( I highly recommend this piece of kitchen equipment, it is a lifesaver!)  Return sauce to skillet, turn heat to high.  Allow the sauce to boil, then add in 2 tablespoons butter, stirring while the butter melts.  Place steaks into sauce to heat.  Then place a steak onto of a heaping spoonful of mashed potatoes, and ladle sauce onto the steak...don't be shy with the sauce!!!