How long should the crayfish timbale cook?

It cooks in a water bath in the oven for about half an hour. Count on around 2 hours in total, including cleaning the crayfish and making the ragout and forcemeat.

What do I need for 8 servings?

1 kg fish forcemeat, 50 crayfish, 1 small can of mushrooms, 50 g butter, 35 g wheat flour, 1/4 l milk, 1/4 l cream, salt and crayfish butter.

How is the mold assembled?

Brush the timbale mold well with cold-creamed butter, arrange cleaned crayfish tails as a lining, then spread fish forcemeat about 2 cm thick inside. Fill with the ragout (butter and flour thinned with milk and cream, brought to a boil, then folded together with the rest of the crayfish tails, small fish balls, mushrooms and crayfish butter – without cooking). Finally cover with fish forcemeat.

What is it served with?

The timbale is served with crayfish sauce. The recipe is from Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), p. 152.

Crayfish Timbale

Name: Crayfish Timbale
Prep time: 1 h 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients: 1 kg fish forcemeat; 50 pcs crayfish (cooked, tails cleaned); 1 small can mushrooms (about 200 g, drained); 50 g butter (plus butter for the mold); 35 g wheat flour; 2.5 dl milk; 2.5 dl cream; salt (to taste); crayfish butter; crayfish sauce (for serving)

Crayfish timbale from Erken's Stor kokebok 1914: a mold lined with crayfish tails and fish forcemeat, filled with a ragout of crayfish tails, fish balls, mushrooms and crayfish butter in cream sauce, covered with forcemeat and steamed in a water bath for ½ hour. Served with crayfish sauce.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 152 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

A timbale is a mold lined with forcemeat and filled with ragout, steamed in a water bath — a classic festive dish in Erken's party kitchen. Crayfish timbale with crayfish sauce was one of the most elaborate fish dishes in the book.

How to make it

1
Prepare the mold
Brush a timbale mold well with cold, creamed butter and line it with cleaned crayfish tails.
2
Add the forcemeat
Spread fish forcemeat in a layer about 2 cm thick inside the mold.
3
Make the ragout
Stir together butter and flour, thin with milk and cream, and bring to a boil. Salt to taste.
4
Mix the ragout
Fold in the rest of the crayfish tails, small poached fish balls, the mushrooms and the crayfish butter without cooking further.
5
Fill and cover
Fill the ragout into the mold and cover with a layer of fish forcemeat.
6
Steam in a water bath
Set the mold in a roasting pan of hot water and let the timbale cook in the oven at about 160 °C (320 °F) for ½ hour until it is firm.
7
Serve
Turn the timbale out onto a platter and serve with crayfish sauce.

Changes from the original

Measurements modernized to dl/l and grams; "vandbad" explained as a roasting pan of hot water. The OCR error "vannes" has been corrected to "vendes" (folded).

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Clean, minimally processed groceries matched to the ingredients — approximate prices.

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Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From1914 1949 Modernised

To1914 1949 Modernised

1949 (proofread, p. 180) → 1914 (proofread, p. 152)~40% of the text changedremovedadded

~~Krepsetimbal.~~ 1 kg. ~~fiskefarse~~ fiskefarce 50 ~~kreps~~ krebs 1 liten boks champignons 50 gr. smør 35 gr. hvetemel 1 1/4 l. melk 1/4 l. fløte salt ~~krepsesmør.~~ krebsesmør. En timbalform pensles godt med ~~koldt,~~ koldt rørt smør, beklædes med rensede ~~krepsehaler.~~ krebsehaler. Formen bestrykes derefter med ~~fiskefarse~~ fiskefarce ca. 2 cm. tykt og ~~fylles~~ fyldes med ragout, laget på paa følgende ~~måte:~~ maate: Smør og mel røres sammen, ~~spes~~ spædes med melken og fløten, ~~gis~~ gives et opkok; resten av ~~krepsehalene, små~~ krebsehalerne, smaa fiskeboller, ~~champignonen~~ champignonsen og ~~krepsesmøret varmes~~ krebsesmørret vendes i sausen uten å at koke. Formen ~~dekkes~~ dækkes med ~~fiskefarse;~~ fiskefarce; koker i ~~vannbad~~ vandbad i ovnen ~~3/4~~ 1/2 time. Serveres med ~~krepsesaus.~~ krebsesaus.

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Frequently asked questions

How long should the crayfish timbale cook?: It cooks in a water bath in the oven for about half an hour. Count on around 2 hours in total, including cleaning the crayfish and making the ragout and forcemeat.
What do I need for 8 servings?: 1 kg fish forcemeat, 50 crayfish, 1 small can of mushrooms, 50 g butter, 35 g wheat flour, 1/4 l milk, 1/4 l cream, salt and crayfish butter.
How is the mold assembled?: Brush the timbale mold well with cold-creamed butter, arrange cleaned crayfish tails as a lining, then spread fish forcemeat about 2 cm thick inside. Fill with the ragout (butter and flour thinned with milk and cream, brought to a boil, then folded together with the rest of the crayfish tails, small fish balls, mushrooms and crayfish butter – without cooking). Finally cover with fish forcemeat.
What is it served with?: The timbale is served with crayfish sauce. The recipe is from Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), p. 152.

Equipment for this dish

Meat grinder →Erken ground her own forcemeat – your own grinder lets you control fat and coarseness.Foodstuff.no

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