Brittany has been indulging in one particular dish that the Chef prepares daily; Lobster Bisque. She said it tastes heavenly and is so velvety and smooth that she is forced to indulge in a bowl every day. It’s served with a little jigger of cream sherry to swirl in.
My husband Jerry and I love lobster bisque too and I’ve decided to serve it for New Year's Eve. We don’t care to go out and partake in the festivities of New Year's Eve as it’s just too hectic and too many drunks are on the road. I won’t be serving dinner in the dining room, but will set up a small bistro table by the fireplace for our romantic New Years Eve dinner of; Shrimp and Chutney Spread served with toasted garlic baguette slices, Classic Lobster Bisque and Warm Chocolate Gooey Cakes served with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.
The word “Bisque” is a thick, creamy, highly-seasoned soup of French origin, classically of pureed crustaceans. It can be made from lobster, crab, shrimp or crayfish. Also, some people call creamy soups made from vegetables bisque's. Crustaceans are first sautéed lightly in their shells, them simmered in wine and aromatic ingredients before being pureed. For an authentic bisque, the shells are ground to a fine paste and added to thicken the soup. I will not be doing that.
Shrimp and Chutney Spread
1 lb. unpeeled medium shrimp
1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup finely chopped scallions
Tabasco sauce
¼ cup good quality mango chutney
1 Tbl. curry powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Bring water to boil in sauté pan and add your shrimp. Cook until shrimp turn pink. Drain well and refresh with cold water to stop cooking process. Chill in refrigerator. Remove and peel and devein and chop coarsely. Combine all the other ingredients in a bowl and beat with electric mixer until well blended. Stir in shrimp. Serve with toasted baguette slices which have been rubbed with fresh garlic, or any cracker of your choice.
Classic Lobster Bisque
(2) 1 ½ lbs. live lobsters
1 white onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 Tbl. minced garlic
2 nice ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup dry white wine
6 cups fish stock (you can also use chicken stock)
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbl. tomato paste
½ cup brandy
Cream sherry
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh parsley, minced
1 ½ Tbl. cornstarch
2 Tbl. water
In a large stock pot filled with salted water which you have brought to a boil, add the lobsters and cooked covered about 10 minutes. Remove lobster and let cool to the touch. Over a bowl to catch the juices, remove meat, and tomalley. Reserve the lobster shells. Chop lobster meat and transfer to a bowl. Chill.
In a deep sauté pan, over medium heat add 2 Tbl. of butter and add onion, garlic, carrot, bay leaf and thyme cooking until onion softens about 10 minutes. Add brandy and simmer until almost all liquid has evaporated about 5 minutes. Add fish stock and reserved tomalley and any reserved liquid juices from the bowl. Simmer mixture uncovered about 1 hour. Pour mixture through a fine sieve into a large saucepan, pressing and discarding solids. Whisk in tomato paste and simmer until reduced to about 3 cups. Add cream and simmer for about 5 more minutes. In a small bowl stir together cornstarch and water and whisk into bisque. Whisk in a pat of butter and add reserved chopped lobster meat with any reserved juiced and simmer for a couple of minutes. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Ladle into bowls and drizzle sherry on top. Sprinkle with parsley.
Warm Chocolate Gooey Cakes (this recipe comes from Pastry Chef, Debbie Smith of Olympia, thanks Debbie)
Preheat Oven 450
½ cup butter, plus more for ramekins
2 tsp. all-purpose flour, plus more for ramekins
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
Butter and lightly flour 4 (4 oz.) ramekins. Tap out excess flour; butter and flour them again, set aside.
Place butter and chocolate in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water; and heat until the chocolate has almost completely melted. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat together the eggs, yolks and sugar until light and thick. Add melted chocolate mixture, beat to combine. Quickly beat in flour until just combined. Divide batter evenly among the molds. Place filled molds on a baking sheet and bake until the sides have set but the centers remain soft about 6-7 minutes. Invert each mold onto a plate and let rest 10 seconds. Unmold by lifting up 1 corner of the mold and the cake will fall out. Serve immediately with vanilla bean ice cream or whipped cream which you have added a splash of Kahlua.
Bon Appetit
"And this is the promise that He Himself made to us; eternal life"
1 John 2:25
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