Recipe no. 38 from Jean-Baptiste Reboul's La Cuisinière provençale (1909), page 25.
Ingredients
- 2 onions
- 2 carrots
- Butter (a lump, plus 150 g, plus portions)
- 6 dozen crayfish
- Bouquet garni
- Sprig of celery
- White wine (2 glasses)
- Cognac (1 glass)
- Broth (2 litres)
- Rice (500 g)
- Cayenne
- Bread (croutons)
Preparation
- BrowningCut 2 onions and 2 carrots into dice, put them into a saucepan with a lump of butter and brown them lightly.
- CrayfishAdd 6 dozen fine crayfish, a bouquet garni and a sprig of celery.
- SauteingSaute over high heat.
- White wineMoisten with two glasses of white wine and let it reduce.
- FlambeingAdd a glass of cognac and set it alight; let it flame.
- BrothOnce it has gone out, moisten with 2 litres of good broth and let cook 10 minutes.
- RiceRemove the crayfish and replace them with 500 g of rice. Let it cook right through; the whole should come to a thick mush.
- Preparing the butterMeanwhile, remove the tails of the crayfish, shell them, cut them in two and set aside. Separate the claws and pound them in a mortar with 150 g of butter.
- Clarifying the butterPut the mixture into a saucepan and stir with a spoon. When the butter is clarified and begins to foam, strain it through a cloth, pressing it out.
- Stuffed shellsLet the crayfish butter cool and take half of it to stuff a dozen shells. Keep in a cool place.
- PoundingPound the remaining claws and shells, add the rice, pound the whole together well.
- ThinningThin it little by little with a few spoonfuls of broth.
- StrainingThen strain it through a cheesecloth.
- FinishHeat without boiling, thinning it with the amount of broth needed to bring it to a suitable thickness.
- ServingJust before serving, add a touch of cayenne and half the reserved crayfish butter, mix well with the spoon, pour into the tureen and add the reserved tails, the stuffed shells and small bread croutons fried in butter.
Reboul's text
Cut 2 onions and 2 carrots into dice, put them into a saucepan with a lump of butter, brown them lightly and add 6 dozen fine crayfish, a bouquet garni, a sprig of celery; saute over high heat, then moisten with two glasses of white wine, let it reduce, then add a glass of cognac and set it alight, let it flame; once it has gone out, moisten with 2 litres of good broth, let cook 10 minutes; remove the crayfish and replace them with 500 g of rice and let it cook right through; the whole should come to a thick mush.
Meanwhile, remove the tails of the crayfish, shell them, cut them in two and set aside; separate the claws and pound them in a mortar with 150 g of butter, then put this into a saucepan and stir with a spoon; when the butter is clarified and begins to foam, strain it through a cloth, pressing it out, let it cool and take half of it to stuff a dozen shells, then keep in a cool place.
Pound the remaining claws and shells, add the rice, pound the whole together well, thin it little by little with a few spoonfuls of broth; then strain it through a cheesecloth.
Heat without boiling, thinning it with the amount of broth needed to bring it to a suitable thickness; just before serving, add a touch of cayenne and half the reserved crayfish butter, mix well with the spoon, pour into the tureen and add the reserved tails, the stuffed shells and small bread croutons fried in butter.
As one can see, the making of this soup is very elaborate, but the recipe must be followed in every point for it to come out perfect.
Small Provençal glossary for this recipe
Reboul writes in French: no Provençal word appears in this recipe, apart from the dish's name itself. The table below gives the Provençal equivalents of the words used, in mistralian spelling, translated by Lingua Nostra. Each form is attested in our Provençal-English dictionary; click to open the entry.
| Provençal | English |
|---|---|
| cebo | onion |
| pastenargo | carrot |
| burre | butter |
| escarabisso | crayfish |
| amaneu | bouquet garni |
| àpi | celery |
| vin | white wine |
| besuscla | flame |
| bouioun | broth |
| ris | rice |
Source: Jean-Baptiste Reboul, La Cuisinière provençale, Marseille, 1909, recipe no. 38, page 25. Public domain. Transcription, formatting and Provençal glossary by Lingua Nostra.