For the love of Crawfish...

We started the summer off with small batches of Crawfish, 30 or 40 at a time. We have now reached critical mass. Yesterday we brought in over 200 Crawfish, at least 15 pounds. The Crawfish are huge and they are tasty. We soaked and rinsed the Crawfish well and then boiled those babies up. It took the guests an hour to demolish the boil, baby Potatoes, Andouille and Corn. Just in case the Crawfish wasn't enough, I also stuffed some home-grown Texas (brought by our guests from Austin) Tomatoes with fresh Crab Salad served on a bed of our freshly grown Butterking Lettuce dressed with a Champagne Vinaigrette.

Dinner was also great...Morel Mushroom crusted Rack of Lamb served with Parmesan Baked Tomatoes, Cauliflower Puree and Garlic Wilted Spinach, but dessert...dessert was fantastic!!!
I made a Raspberry Creme Fraiche Pavlova, a dessert that literally takes minutes, is easy to forget about making and hard to forget after finishing.

Essentially, Pavlova is a sheet of basic Meringue, baked till somewhat still tacky, cooled, spread with a filling and rolled like a Jelly-Roll. We filled ours with fresh Raspberries, whipped Heavy Creme and tangy Creme Fraiche. Its a mess to slice, but you are easily forgiven after the first spoonful!

NOLA Bean's Pavlova

Pan Spray
5 large Egg Whites
pinch of Salt
1 1/4 cups granulated Sugar

1 cup heavy cream, whipped
1/2 cup Creme Fraiche
2 pints raspberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a half sheet pan with pan spray. Line with a sheet of parchment paper and then spray with pan spray. Set the pan to the side. In the bowl of a kitchen aid mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Increase the speed to medium high and gradually add the sugar until the egg whites hold stiff glossy peaks. Spread this meringue into the prepared sheet pan and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees halfway through the cooking time. Remove the pan from the oven and invert the cooked meringue onto a sheet of parchment paper. Allow the meringue to cool for 10-15 minutes. In a large bowl combine the whipped cream, creme fraiche, and the raspberries. Once the meringue has cooled, remove the top sheet of parchment, spread with the creme fraiche filling and roll from the long side. The pavlova is ready to serve or can be refrigerated for a few hours. Use a serrated knife and a lot of patience to cut the pavlova. Messy is fine as long as it tastes good.