(2341). Shells Filled With Crawfish Tails (Coquilles Garnies De Queues D'Ecrevisses)

Prepare a salpicon with the meats picked from the large claws and the tails of crawfish; add to it a third as much cooked mushrooms, cut in dice shape, and mingle with some good reduced thick bechamel sauce (No. 409); with this fill eight or ten silver or china table shells (Fig. 438;; smooth the preparation to a dome and cover with a layer of the cream fish forcemeat (No. 76). Range the shells on a small baking sheet, dredge the forcemeat with grated parmesau and brown for five minutes under the salamander (Fig. 123); keep the shells hot at the oven door for five minutes longer, then dress them symmetrically on a wooden foundation covered with white paper; surround this foundation with green parsley leaves.

Fig. 437.

(2342). Shells Filled With Shrimps And Oyster Crabs (Coquilles Garnies De Crevettes Et De Crabes D'Huitres)

Put the oyster crabs into a saucepan on the fire, with a little white wine, and when poached drain and lay them in a sautoir with the same amount of cooked and shelled shrimps fried in butter; add lean bechamel cream sauce (No. 411) that has been well seasoned; with this fill some buttered and breaded silver shells (Fig. 438) or else clean clam shells; throw bread-crumbs over, baste with butter and brown in a hot oven.

Fig. 438.

(2346). Shells Of Fish (Coquilles De Poisson)

Cook a prepared sea bass in a court-bouillon (No. 38), then drain, suppress the skin and bones and only use the meat after shredding it well; reduce some veloute sauce (No. 415) with mushroom essence (No. 392) and the court-bouillon; season properly and thicken with egg-yolks and butter, then stir in the fish. Butter some shells (Fig. 438), besprinkle with bread-crumbs, fill them with the fish preparation, having the tops slightly dome-form; bestrew with bread-crumbs and grated parmesan, baste over with butter, then brown in the oven; serve as soon as they have attained a good color.

(2347). Shells Of Frogs' Legs (Coquilles De Cuisses De Grenouilles)

Fry in butter one pound of frogs' legs without letting them acquire a color; butter some shells (Fig. 438), bread-crumb the insides, and fill the bottoms with a cream bechamel (No. 411); placeon top cooked and minced mushrooms, and over this the boned frogs' legs; cover with more bechamel, make another bed of mushrooms and frogs, and finish with bechamel; dredge the tops with breadcrumbs fried in butter, set them in the oven, and when very hot and nicely browned serve at once on folded napkins.

(2348). Shells Of Lobster (Coquilles De Homard)

Kill two two-pound lobsters by plunging them into boiling water for two minutes; break off the claws, and put them into a saucepan with the bodies; cover with a court-bouillon (No. 38), and allow the liquid to boil for twenty minutes while covered; then remove the saucepan from the tire and leave the lobsters to partially cool off in this stock; drain them. Suppress the claw shells, and cut the meats up into three-sixteenths of an inch squares; lay them in a small saucepan, detach the tails from the bodies, rub the creamy parts of the latter through a sieve, and strain the lobster stock; put this on the fire to reduce to a half-glaze, and incorporate into it slowly a quart of reduced bechamel sauce (No. 409); season with a pinch of cayenne pepper; the sauce should be reduced to a proper degree and seasoned. Cut the lobster tails lengthwise in two, take out the meats, and cut them into slices; butter the insides of the shells (Fig. 438), strew over with bread-crumbs, and dress the pieces of lobster crown-shaped inside of these, alternating them with a slice of truffle; lay them in a sautoir, one very close to the other; add the dice-shaped pieces of lobster to the sauce and pour this over the contents of the shells.

Besprinkle with parmesan. and color the tops. using a salamander (Fig. 123); then dress the shells on folded napkins in a circle, garnishing the center with green parsley sprigs.

(2349). Shells Of Mussels Or Oysters Baked (Coquilles De Moules Ou D'Huitres Au Gratin)

Suppress the black foot (the appendage) of some mussels and cut them up into two or three pieces; place these in a highly seasoned allemande sauce (No. 407); add to it chopped parsley, and fill the shells (Fig. 438) already buttered with this preparation; dust over with fried bread-crumbs, and leave them in the oven for a few minutes before serving. Oysters may be prepared exactly the same way.