Stuffed Chicken Breast with Crayfish Tails

Ingredients:

• 8 chicken breasts skin on
• 7 oz chicken meat (breast or thigh)
• 8 oz of cream
• 1 large egg white
• 2 lbs of live crayfish or 1 lbs of crayfish meat
    (or substitute shrimps)
• 1/2 bunch of tarragon
• 1 carrot
• 1 onion
• 2 stalks of celery
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 3 tablespoon of vinegar
• 1 quart of chicken stock
• 6 oz of butter

Directions:

To cook the crayfish:

Wash the crayfish in a bowl of water, drain and let them sit in fresh water. Boil the crayfish in vinegar and water for about 1 minute, then shell them and save both the shells and the tail meat in separate containers. Dice the onion, carrot and celery, and sauté them for 5 minutes in a little butter, add the tomato paste, pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil, add the crushed shells then let simmer to half, then strain.

To prepare the chicken mousse:

Put the chicken meat in a food processor and puree it thoroughly, add the egg white, and mix again, and make sure the mixture is very smooth, add the cream and mix very carefully until the cream is well incorporated without over mixing, add salt and pepper. Add half of the diced crayfish tails in the mousse.

To stuff the chicken breast:

With a boning/utility knife cut and create an opening through the length of the breast. Put the mousse in a pastry bag, then pipe the mousse in the opening created.

Preheat an oven safe fry pan, and sauté the breast skin side down, when the skin is golden brown, flip the breast and keep roasting in the oven for about 20 minutes. Take the breasts out of the oven and let them rest while the sauce is being finished. Deglaze the fry pan with the reduced stock and cook it a little more, add the other half of crayfish tails and the chopped fresh tarragon, then add 2 tablespoon of butter gradually. Salt and pepper.

To plate the dish:

Slice the chicken breast and fan it; lay it in a warm plate and pour the finished sauce with crayfish tails with a spoon. Add a whole crayfish and sprinkle with fresh chopped tarragon.

Recipe credit: Chef Dominique Besson of Star Sharpening, Sacramento, CA