Valentine's Day...Lobster Newburg

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When it comes to Valentine's Day there are only two things to think about as far as I'm concerned, filet mignon or lobster.  The other must is chocolate for desert (here).  The rest is up for grabs.

A couple of years ago, I gave you a Filet Mignon With Roquefort Sauce as a main course for a Valentine's dinner.  There is also a recipe for Filet Mignon with Bernaise Sauce on the blog.

This year I am making you work a little, but not a lot.   If he or she is a lobster lover,  Lobster Newburg will be impressive...just what you want. It is much easier and less labor intensive than the Lobster Thermidor I posted for New Year's Eve but just as delicious.

Gastronomic lore tells us that the forerunner of this famous lobster dish was actually created at Delmonico's, the well-known New York City restaurant, during its heyday in the latter part of the last century. Mr. Ben Wenburg (or Wenberg, as some believe), a Delmonico's habitué during this period, is said to have devised a dish made with seafood, cream, and egg yolks. It was called Wenburg on the menu until some time later when the epicurean Mr. Wenburg became involved in a dispute with the management. Thereafter, the restaurant renamed the offering seafood "Newburg," and a classic was born.

A word to those who are squeamish about boiling live lobsters (I am).  Most fishmongers or reputable food markets will be happy to cook the lobster for you. Tell them to undercook by a couple of minutes and take the dead things home in a bag and immediately  proceed with the rest of the recipe.  Problem solved.

Check out Omnomicon's blog for the most beautiful photos I have ever seen on how to make this delicious dish and go for it! If that doesn't inspire you, nothing else will. (her recipe is different)

The recipe below is for 6 people, but if you serve it for Valentine's Day to just one significant other it can be easily adjusted.


Serves 6
 

Ingredients

• three 1 1/2-pound live lobsters
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon medium-dry Sherry
• 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon brandy
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated paprika*
• salt to taste
• 4 large egg yolks, beaten well
• toast points or white rice as an accompaniment
• Tarragon for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Into a large kettle of boiling salted water plunge the lobsters, head first, and boil them, covered, for 8 minutes from the time the water returns to a boil.

Transfer the lobsters with tongs to a cutting board and let them cool until they can be handled. Break off the claws at the body and crack them.

Remove the claw meat and cut it into 1-inch pieces. Halve the lobsters length-wise along the undersides, remove the meat from the tails, discarding the bodies but saving the tails, and cut it into 1-inch pieces.

In a heavy saucepan brown the lobster tail shells on medium high in 1/2 the butter for a couple of minutes.  Remove from heat and discard.  Add the additional butter and the lobster meat and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.  Add 2 tablespoons of the Sherry and 3 tablespoons of the brandy, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Transfer the lobster meat with a slotted spoon to a bowl.

Add the cream to the Sherry mixture and boil the mixture until it is reduced to about 1 cup.

Reduce the heat to low and stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon Sherry, the remaining 1 teaspoon brandy, the paprika, and salt to taste.

Whisk in the yolks, cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it registers 140°F. on a deep-fat thermometer, and cook it, whisking, for 3 minutes more.

Stir in the lobster meat and serve the lobster Newburg over the toast or, alternatively, over rice. Garnish with fresh tarragon.

*The original recipe called for 1/4 tsp. nutmeg and cayenne to taste.  I much prefer the use of paprika in this dish.  It is definitely more traditional 

New Year's Eve...Lobster Thermidor

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Mother and I have been dreaming of lobster sice she arrived ten days ago. There is a wonderful recipe in Gourmet magazine circa the 1970's for a lobster in Pernod sauce that we both adore but somehow I have lost my recipe and hers is back in Miami, buried heaven knows where. As an alternative, we have decided to cook another old favorite for New Year's Eve, Lobster Thermidor...the long version. It will be served with a simple green salad and our favorite Veuve Cliquot Champagne. Nothing but a chocolate mousse for dessert will do on this ocassion!

So many steps are involved in the preparation of a really splendid lobster Thermidor, no wonder it costs a fortune in any restaurant.  For the recipe to be authentic, it must include mustard, preferrably powdered, Cognac,  and cheese at the end.  I have found no better recipe than the following one from Julia Child.

Lobster Thermidor is not a particularly difficult dish to execute,  though it is a bit time consumming but well worth the effort.  One major advantage is everything may be prepared in advance and heated up just before serving.

In this recipe the meat is stirred in hot butter before it is sauced, thus turning a rosy red. Buy lobsters weighing a good 2 pounds each, so the shells will be large enough to hold the filling.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for visiting my blog and to extend to all of you my warmest wishes for a happy and healthy New Year!

Lobster Thermidor

Servings: Serves 6

Ingredients

• Covered, enameled or stainless steel kettle with tight-fitting cover or stainless steel saucepan
• enameled or 4-cup stainless steel saucepan
• 1/2-quart enameled
• Wooden spoon
• Wire whip
• 3-quart mixing bowl
• 12-inch enameled or stainless steel skillet
• Shallow roasting pan or fireproof serving platter

• 3 cups dry white wine or 2 cups dry white vermouth
• 2 cups water
• 1 large onion , thinly sliced
• 1 medium carrot , thinly sliced
• 1 stalk celery , thinly sliced
• 6 sprigs parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp. thyme
• 6 peppercorns
• 1 Tbsp. fresh or dried tarragon
• 3 live lobsters , 2 pounds each
• 1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. salt

• 5 Tbsp. butter
• 6 Tbsp. flour
• 1 Tbsp. cream
• 1 Tbsp. dry mustard
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 4 to 6 Tbsp. more whipping cream
• Pinch cayenne pepper

• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 1/3 cup cognac

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Swiss cheese ( I use Gruyere, trust me)
• 2 Tbsp. butter , cut into bits

Directions:

Steaming the lobsters: Simmer wine, water, vegetables, herbs, and seasonings in the kettle for 15 minutes. Then bring to a rollingboil and add the live lobsters. Cover and boil for about 20 minutes. The lobsters are done when they are bright red and the long head-feelers can be pulled from the sockets fairly easily.

While the lobsters are steaming, stew the mushrooms slowly in the covered saucepan with the butter, lemon juice, and salt for 10 minutes.

The sauce: When the lobsters are done, remove them from the kettle. Pour the mushroom cooking juices into the lobster steaming juices in the kettle and boil down rapidly until liquid has reduced to about 2 1/4 cups. Strain into the 4-cup enameled or stainless steel saucepan and bring to the simmer.

Cook the butter and flour slowly together in the 1 1/2-quart saucepan for 2 minutes without browning. Off heat, beat in the simmering lobster-cooking liquid. Boil, stirring, for 1 minute. Set aside. Film top of sauce with the cream.

Split the lobsters in half lengthwise, keeping the shell halves intact. Discard sand sacks in the heads, and the intestinal tubes. Rub lobster coral and green matter through a fine sieve into the mixing bowl, and blend into it the mustard, egg yolks, cream, and pepper. Beat the sauce into this mixture by driblets.

Return the sauce to the pan, and stirring with a wooden spoon, bring it to the boil and boil slowly for 2 minutes. Thin out with tablespoons of cream. Sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon fairly heavily. Taste carefully for seasoning. Set aside, top filmed with a spoonful of cream.

Sautéing the lobster meat: Remove the meat from the lobster tails and claws, and cut it into 3/8-inch cubes. Set the skillet with the butter over moderate heat. When the butter foam begins to subside, stir in the lobster meat and sauté, stirring slowly, for about 5 minutes until the meat has turned a rosy color. Pour in the cognac and boil for a minute or two, shaking the skillet, until the liquid has reduced by half.

Final assembly: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Fold the cooked mushrooms and two thirds of the sauce into the skillet with the lobster meat. Arrange the split lobster shells in the roasting pan. Heap the lobster mixture into the shells; cover with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with cheese and dot with butter. The recipe may be prepared ahead up to this point and refrigerated.

Place in upper third of 425-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until lobster is bubbling and the top of the sauce is nicely browned. Serve immediately on a platter or serving plates.

From Mastering The Art Of French Cooking by Julia Child
Table setting Carolyn Roehm
Photo Dorling Kindersley

On Deck...Fried Baby Lobster Tails!

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After 40 years of dreaming about them, this weekend we finally got to eat this childhood treat. 

There used to be a restaurant called the Clam Box in Westport, Connecticut that served great seafood.  On Friday nights, our parents used to take my brother and me for dinner and the four of us would pig out on lobster tails served with French fries and coleslaw, a steal at $4.95!  Although the menu at the restaurant was huge, we never even looked at it, except perhaps once in awhile waiting for drinks.  I am sure the rest of the food was as good as our baby lobster tails, and my mother would often say we should try something else but the three of us held steadfast and at the end she relented knowing that none of us would share if her entree was not as good.    Lobster in those days was plentiful and relatively inexpensive.  Of course, I'm talking about the pre fast food days of the early 60's and long before Red Lobster came along. 

I looked for a recipe for fried tails in all my cookbooks and over the Net and came empty handed.  I remember well the taste of those lobster tails, coated in bread crumbs and dipped in butter,  the meat inside so soft it melted in your mouth.   Nothing I saw in my search resembled the ones served at the Clam Box; so with my brother's help and a little imagination I ventured out on my own.

The first thing to determine was the type of oil to use.  When you fry something,  you need an oil that can withstand a high temperature, in this case 350 degrees.  Not all oils are created equal and some have a higher smoke point than others.  The smoke point  marks the beginning of both flavor and nutritional degradation; therefore, it is a key consideration when selecting a fat for frying, with the smoke point of the specific oil dictating its maximum usable temperature and therefore its possible applications. For instance, since deep frying is a very high temperature process, it requires a fat with a high smoke point.  Refined peanut oil has a smoke point of 450 degrees, one of the reasons it is used frequently when frying chicken.  It is my oil of choice also for frying oysters.

The rest was easy...bread crumbs that needed some flavoring, and a frying vessel  large enough to fry the tails without crowding.  As I do not own a fryer and few are made large enough to hold 3 or 4 tails, I opted for my wok which I use to fry chicken and oysters when I have a large crowd.

If you can find fresh Maine lobster tails get them; otherwise flash frozen ones will do.  We got ours at Whole Foods and although they were not from Maine they were very good (and quite pricey). I do not recommend the ones at Cotsco.  Although I have not tried them, they have a grayish color that does not give me a lot of confidence.  Regardless of which type of lobster you use, plan on two tails apiece.

The result was so incredible that they grabbed the plates from me before I could take a photo.  The picture above is not mine but it is as close as I could find to resembling this recipe.  I will leave you instead with a photo of the table.  All I can say is the dream was fulfilled and the lobster tails did not disappoint.  That is a lot to say after 40 years!

Serves 4

Ingredients

8 lobster tails

1 cup of breadcrumbs

1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning

2 eggs

Peanut Oil

Melted Butter

Lemon

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Add enough peanut oil to the wok to bring it to 3/4 full.  Bring the oil to 350 degrees.  You can check with a candy thermometer. I can usually tell by placing the palm of my hand a few inches over the oil.  If it's hot enough to cause discomfort after 5 seconds it's ready!  

With a pair of poultry scissors cut the cartilage in the tails to expose the meat.  Beat the egg yolks and add a little water.  Season the bread crumbs with the Old Bay Seasoning and place in a baggie. 

Dip the tails in the egg, lift and let the excess slide back into the dish.  Place in the breadcrumbs and shake the bag until well coated.  Place on a plate until all the tails are coated.   Place them in the freezer for 5 minutes before frying.

When the oil is hot enough, slide the tails into the oil making sure there's enough room for them to fry without crowding.  For the size of my wok it meant frying four at a time.  Fry until golden, about 3 - 4 minutes.

Remove to a cookie sheet lined with paper towels and place in the oven at 250 to keep warm until the rest of the tails are done.

Serve immediately with melted butter and lemon quarters.

Coleslaw is a must! I served mine with corn on the cob but French fries was what was originally served..

Photos: 1. Google, 2. Lindaraxa

   

  

Lobster Risotto

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In order to make a good risotto, you have to start with a great broth.  The one I had was from the leftover lobster bisque I made from two big lobsters we ate last Saturday.  They are the most inexpensive two lobsters I have ever eaten.  They were 2 1/4 lbs. each and no matter how hard we tried, we simply couldn't finish them off.  Day two found me in the kitchen covered in lobster making bisque from the two big claw we had left.  It was a forever routine, even simplifying Julia Child's recipe. ..and I'm good at that!  Don't even bother to attempt.  I finished it my way and it was superb.  That didn't do the trick and we still had some leftover broth and meat I was not going to throw out.  Who knew when I would have lobster again!  Into the freezer both went  and tonight ta ta!  The best of the last three meals.  Not even at Daniel have I had a risotto like this, but it was all  due to the broth, which had cognac, wine and  a small amount of cream.

I am not going to be able to give you exact measurements for the broth as each one of us is going to start with a different amount of leftover lobster.  I trust most of you know how to make a simple broth!

Broth

Save the big chunks of meat for later in a bag. Saute all the leftover small pieces of meat and shells in butter add chopped onions , add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cognac, ignite (watch out).  When it dies down, add 1/2 small can of tomato paste, bay leaf, 1 cup white wine, 6 to 8 cups of water, salt and pepper and boil for about 1 hour in medium low without a lid. Taste for salt and pepper.  When done, it should concenrate down to about 6 cups.  If not, don't worry, you can dilute with water before you start the risotto. Let it cool off and place in the refrigerator overnight.  I actually did this as I was doing the dishes the night we ate the steamed lobsters...I am always thinking ahead!

Risotto

Ingredients

4 TB butter
1 onion, chopped
saffron ( about 6 to 8 sprigs)
1 tsp. tarragon
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine

6 - 8 Cups of lobster broth*

Directions

Bring the broth to a rolling boil and keep in the back burner.

Sautee the chopped onion in butter.

Add the leftover lobster meat and sautee for a minute just to warm up. Remove the lobster to a plate.

Add the saffron and the tarragon to the butter and onion in the pan.  Sautee for about a minute.

Add the rice and the wine.  Bring to a boil. When the wine has been mostly abosrbed, start adding the broth one ladleful at a time. Make sure the broth is still bubbling in the back burner.  Stir until almost absorbed.  Add the next laddleful.  and continue stirring. You will continue doing this for about 25- 30 minutes so be patient.  It will pay off. Notice we have not added salt or pepper as the broth should have enough.

You want the risotto to be al dente but not hard.  After years of making risotto I know by the look but if you are new at this, just taste it.  I like mine a little runny but definitely not soup like.

The broth boiling low in the back burner

Lobster meat sauteed waiting to be added at the end!

Starting out

Almost ready for more broth

Almost done

Done! notice how the grain is open

Serve the risotto on a soup plate and top with the leftover lobster meat.

No cheese!! You do not add parmesan cheese to seafood risottos.

Enjoy, you worked hard!!

*if the broth is too concentrated or you don't have enough, it is okay to add some water to bring up to 6 cups.  Make sure you bring to a boil again and check for salt.

In case you are interested, for $50 ($8.89/lbs) two persons ate one night boiled lobsters, next night lobster bisque and a third night lobster risotto.  Not bad!


All photos Lindaraxa