Crawfish Fettuccini Alfredo

There used to be a New Orleans style restaurant around the way called Copelands. Michael and I would occasionally go there if we wanted to relive our food moments from our Nawlin's honeymoon. I always ordered the Crawfish Fettucini. Maryland is far enough away from Louisiana to make the availability of fresh crawfish nonexistent. However, I've been able to find the frozen crawfish from time to time. Not exactly the same, but it does make for a fine substitute.

Whenever I am feeling nostalgic for New Orleans or just in the mood for some serious comfort food, I turn to fettucini Alfredo seasoned with Creole spices.

If crawfish eating is not your bag or you aren't in the mood to hunt down the little mudbugs, you can substitute shrimp, crab, lobster, chicken, andouille sausage or go meatless.

CRAWFISH (OR YOUR CHOICE) FETTUCINI ALFREDO:

Servings: 4-6

Active time: 20 minutes

1 pound of fresh or boxed pasta, click here for the video recipe for fresh pasta

1 pound of cooked crawfish, grilled or steamed shrimp, or grilled chicken

4 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups of heavy cream

2-3 teaspoons of Emeril's Essence Creole Seasoning*

1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese + more for topping the pasta

Salt and pepper, to taste

Crusty bread to sop up all those creamy leftovers

Cook fresh made pasta for 2-3 minutes or per the directions on the package.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Pour in the heavy cream, Creole seasoning and continuously whisk until the cream starts to thicken, about 5-7 minutes. Do not let the cream come to a boil. Add the Parmesan cheese and choice of meat. Continue to whisk for another minute or two.

Pour the cream sauce over the pasta. Toss the pasta around so it can soak up the cream mixture and transfer to a serving bowl or individual plates.

Serve with crusty bread and gobble up every last bite.

*Click here for the post for Creole Potatoes Au Gratin for the Emeril's Essence recipe. The recipe makes a lot of seasoning. I keep a batch in a labeled baggy to use when I am in the mood for spicy. Take a taste of the sauce after the first two teaspoons. The pasta will soak up a lot of flavor. You can always sprinkle on more later, but you can't take it out.