Crayfish Blanc Mange

This recipe is ideal, for the one who want to have it ready the day or the morning before the dinner party.This recipe is made for 8 individual oven dishes.

Ingredients :

• Little blanc-mange, or flan, of crayfish tails, curry cream sauce and cucumber brunoise.
• 6 egg yolks
• 2 whole eggs
• 20 cc of double creamsaltCayenne pepper
• 2g of curcuma
• 40 tails of fresh water crayfish(fresh or in brine)
• 1 small tin of crab meat (chapka if you can find it)

Sauce:

• 20 cc of fish stock
• 5g of curry (madras the better)
• 10 cc of double cream
• half a cucumber

Direction :

• Peel, core and cut your cucumber into very small dices (brunoise). Cook them for 30 seconds in some salted boiling water, plunge them strait away in ice-cold water, strain them and set aside.
• Pan-fry the tails of crayfish in a little bit of olive oil for a couple of minutes. Then set aside.
• Pre-heat your oven at 180 degrees Centigrade (gas mark6, 350F).
• Put your egg yolks, whole eggs, double cream and curcuma in a bowl. Season with salt and a bit of cayenne pepper. Then mix for a minute of so. Add in the crab meat, mix for another 10 seconds.
• Take a shallow roasting tray, pour some boiling water, half way up. This is your bain-marie (double boiler) done up.
• Place 5 tails of crayfish at the bottom of each dishes, then pour some of the egg-cream mixture on the top of them. Cook for 35 minutes. (check if it's cooked with tip of a knife).
• While your blanc-mange (flan) are cooking, start putting your sauce together. In a pot bring the cream to the boil and let it reduce a bit. Add in the fish stock and bring to the boil again. Just before serving, add the curry and check the seasoning. Keep hot in a double boiler.

Arrangement:

• If you have, use 8 nice (black or white) plates to be able to see the contrast of colors. In the center of each plates, "un-mold" your blanc-mange (flan). Put some of the cucumber around it and coat with some curry sauce. Place a sprig of chervil on the top of the flan.
• If you have used fresh crayfish to realise this dish, place the head of one of them on the side of each plates.
• If you have prepared this recipe in advance. Heat-up your blanc-mange in the oven at 150 degrees (about 285F) for 7 to 8 minutes. Put the sauce on the range on low heat.A delicious starter ready in no time.

Brilliant idea isn't it?