Creole Crawfish Pie

Ingredients

• 2 (9-inch) refrigerated piecrusts (preferably homemade)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter (plus 2 tablespoons, if needed)
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• 1 large (12-ounce) white onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1 large (12-ounce) green bell pepper, chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 1 medium (1 1/2-ounce) celery stalk, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 (16-ounce) package frozen peeled Louisiana crawfish tails, thawed in package and undrained
• 2/3 cup condensed cream of mushroom soup (from 1 [10.5-ounce] can)
• 1 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons Creole or Cajun seasoning, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon water
• Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

Steps

1. Roll out each piecrust on a lightly floured work surface into a 12-inch round. Transfer 1 dough round to a 9-inch pie plate, pressing dough into corners and up sides of plate and leaving a 1-inch overhang. Transfer second dough round to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place both crusts in refrigerator to chill until ready to use, at least 15 minutes or up to 1 day (covering with plastic wrap if chilling longer than 3 hours).
2. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium, and gradually whisk in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until roux is slightly thickened and turns the color of peanut butter, 4 to 6 minutes. (Relax, have a sip of wine, and enjoy this process. If you can make a roux, you’ve mastered the key to good Creole cuisine.)
3. Add onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic to roux in skillet; cook over medium, stirring often, until onion is transparent, about 7 minutes. Add crawfish and crawfish fat from package. If your crawfish package does not have fat, add 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet. Cook, stirring often, until crawfish tails curl up, about 3 minutes. Add condensed cream of mushroom soup, and slowly stir until combined. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium; reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors are fully incorporated, about 5 minutes.
4. Add sugar, Creole or Cajun seasoning, onion powder, basil, rosemary, and garlic powder to crawfish mixture in skillet, and stir until incorporated. Taste and add additional Creole seasoning, basil, and/or rosemary to taste. Remove from heat. Let cool, uncovered, until mixture is room temperature, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F with oven rack in lower third position.
5. Remove chilled piecrusts from refrigerator. Pour crawfish filling (about 4 cups) into prepared piecrust in pie plate. Cover pie with rolled-out piecrust. Using your fingers, press and seal edges together. Trim overhang to about 1/2 inch; fold overhang underneath itself, and crimp decoratively as desired. Whisk together beaten egg and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Lightly brush egg wash over top of piecrust. Using a sharp knife, cut a few small slits into pie top for steam to escape.
6. Place pie on a baking sheet, and bake in preheated oven until top is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven, and let rest about 10 minutes. Garnish with scallions, and serve.