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Crayfish Boiled in Court Bouillon

Put some butter in a stewpan, and add a little celery root, onion and leek, all finely minced, place the pan on a moderate fire and fry them. Then add a little white wine, salt, a small bunch of parsley, and a few peppercorns. Boil for seven or eight minutes, and then throw in twenty-five live crayfish; cover over the pan and boil for eight minutes longer. Toss them in the pan a little, remove, place on a strainer to drain, and then on a dish. Strain the liquid, reduce it by boiling to half its original quantity, add a small piece of butter, and pour it over.

Crayfish, Bordelaise Style Place two dozen selected crayfish in a pan with water and a little milk mixed, and allow them to soak for two or three hours; then remove them and place on a strainer to drain. In the meantime make a good mirepoix of vegetables with Bordeaux wine, and add to the liquor a bunch of parsley, a slice of raw ham, one small wineglassful of cognac, two or three tablespoonfuls of Madeira and a little salt. Put the lid on the stewpan, place it on the fire, and let boil five or seven minutes; when it is boiling hot throw in the crayfish, and leave for ten minutes, after which pour the liquor through a sieve; reduce it to half, adding slowly one pint of veloute sauce. When sufficiently reduced strain it through a cloth into another pan, and stir in one-fourth pound of good butter, a small piece of crayfish butter, and one tablespoonful of finely chopped parsley. Remove the small claws, put them in a group in the center of the dish, and arrange the bodies round, garnishing all with a few sprigs of parsley. The sauce must be served separately.