Croustillant de Tourteau et de Calmars à l’Américaine
This refined seafood dish combines crab, calamari, and a savory sauce Américaine, layered with crispy brick pastry. A beautiful and flavorful entrée.
Nutrition Facts
Per Serving: Calories: 320 kcal, Fat: 15 g, Sodium: 540 mg, Carbohydrate: 30 g, Protein: 20 g
Descriptions
This Croustillant de Tourteau et de Calmars à l’Américaine is a sophisticated French dish that layers delicate crab and calamari with crispy brick pastry.
The dish is elevated by a rich sauce Américaine, which is deeply flavorful thanks to ingredients like cognac, wine, and cream. Each plate is garnished with fresh herbs like tarragon and chervil, creating a perfect balance of texture and taste.
This recipe is an impressive choice for seafood lovers and those looking to serve something elegant at a dinner party.
Directions
1- Set up your workspace:
Organize ingredients and tools for preparation, cooking, and serving (5 minutes).
2- Cook the calamari:
Sauté calamari in sauce Américaine for about 20 minutes. Drain and keep warm.
3- Finish the sauce:
Thicken the sauce Américaine with a butter-flour mixture (beurre manié), reduce it, and add cream.
Pass through a fine sieve and keep warm.
4- Prepare the pastry discs:
Cut 24 discs from brick pastry, each about 3 inches (8 cm) in diameter. Brush with butter, season with salt, and bake between two trays to keep them flat (10 minutes).
5- Heat the crab meat:
Warm crab meat with some creamy sauce Américaine, a splash of cognac, and freshly chopped tarragon and chervil (6 minutes).
6- Warm the crab claws:
Heat the crab claws with a small amount of sauce Américaine (2 minutes).
7- Reheat the calamari:
Warm the calamari in a little sauce Américaine (2 minutes).
8- Assemble the dish:
- On each plate, place a disc of brick pastry. Layer with a portion of crab.
- Repeat the layering process, finishing with a top pastry disc.
- Arrange the calamari decoratively around the croustillant and place a crab claw on top.
- Brush with clarified butter for shine, and garnish with sprigs of chervil (10 minutes).
Note's
- The brick pastry should be crispy, so baking between two trays ensures flat, even discs.
- The sauce Américaine can be made ahead and kept warm over low heat.
- Substitute phyllo dough if brick pastry is unavailable.
Ingredients
- 0.88 lb (400 g) crab meat, shelled
- 8 crab claws, shelled
- 1.76 lb (800 g) small calamari, cleaned
- 24 sheets of brick pastry
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 oz (80 g) carrots, chopped
- 3 oz (80 g) onions, chopped
- 1.4 oz (40 g) shallots, chopped
- 7 oz (200 g) tomatoes, diced
- 0.7 oz (20 g) tomato paste
- 0.7 oz (20 g) garlic
- 1 bouquet garni
- 1.35 oz (40 ml) cognac
- 1.35 oz (40 ml) white wine
- 1 quart (1 liter) fond d’Américaine (fish stock)
- 0.05 lb (20 g) beurre manié (equal parts butter and flour)
- 6.76 oz (200 ml) heavy cream
- 1/4 bunch tarragon, chopped
- 1/4 bunch chervil, chopped
- Salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
- 1.4 oz (40 g) butter (for brushing pastry)
- Clarified butter (for finishing)
