Copycat Panera Lobster Bisque Food

LOBSTER BISQUE

Steps:

• Split lobster tails lengthwise with sharp kitchen shears. Remove meat and set aside. Add empty shells to stockpot or 4-qt sauce pan. Cover with seafood stock and water. Add Herbes de Provence and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat as low as you can while still maintaining a simmer. Allow to simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes.
• Add the lobster meat, cover with lid, and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove when meat is bright red and white. If any part is still translucent, continue to simmer until cooked. Remove meat from pot and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into small pieces and refrigerate until ready to add to bisque.
• While the lobster stock is cooking, you can begin to make the bisque at the same time.
• Heat butter over medium high heat in a large pot. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Stir to coat in butter and cook until soft, about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
• When vegetables are just about done and begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, add garlic, stir to combine, and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes.
• Add tomato paste, stir well to coat vegetables, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium. Sprinkle over flour over mixture, stir well to combine, and cook while stirring frequently to prevent burning for an additional 2 minutes. The mixture should really start sticking to the bottom of the pan and turning brown. Do not allow it to burn.
• Add wine to deglaze pan. Stir well with a flat bottom wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pan. Allow in wine to simmer for several minutes. The liquid will reduce and the mixture will become thick.
• Set a fine mesh sieve or strainer over your pot and pour the lobster stock through the strainer into your pot. Discard shells. Stir broth into bisque base until well combined. Reduce heat to lowest setting to maintain a gentle simmer and allow to cook for about 30 minutes to allow flavors to develop. Stir occasionally during this time.
• Remove bisque from heat. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup right in the pot. Alternatively, transfer to a blender to purée and then return bisque to pot.
• Add heavy cream and chopped cooked lobster pieces to bisque and stir well. Heat over medium-low heat until bisque is heated through. Season with salt and pepper, as desired. Serve hot with crusty bread on the side.

LOBSTER BISQUE

Steps:

• Stock: In a large pot lined with a steamer basket, bring 1 inch salted water to a boil. Steam lobster tails, top-side down, until just cooked through and tails curl under, 6 to 8 minutes for small tails and 8 to 10 minutes for large. Transfer to a plate and let cool. When cool enough to handle, use kitchen shears to cut through underside of tails. Remove meat from shells; reserve shells. Run a paring knife along back of each tail and remove vein. Cut meat into bite-size pieces; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add shells and cook until fragrant and deep red in color, about 4 minutes. Add fish stock, wine, and 6 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, skimming impurities from surface, until reduced to 6 cups, 40 to 45 minutes. Strain stock into a large liquid-measuring cup or heatproof bowl. Wipe out pot. (Stock can be stored in airtight containers in the freezer up to 3 months.)
• Bisque: In same pot, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add fennel, onion, and garlic and season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, bay leaf, paprika, and cayenne; cook 1 minute. Add brandy, sherry, and strained lobster stock; season generously with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer 30 minutes. Remove thyme and bay leaf.
• Working in batches, puree soup in a blender until smooth. Return soup to pot. Let cool 15 minutes. Whisk together cream and cornstarch, then stir into bisque. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until thickened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning as desired.
• Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add lobster meat and cook until just warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour soup into bowls and serve, topped with lobster, fennel fronds, and a squeeze of lemon, if desired. Soup can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 days.

LOBSTER BISQUE

Steps:

• Fill large stockpot with water and bring to a boil. There should be enough water to cover lobsters completely when immersed. Place live lobsters in boiling water head first to minimize splashing. When water re-boils, turn down the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Do not overcook lobsters. Remove lobsters from the pot using tongs; save all the water in stockpot as this is now a flavorful stock to be re-used.
• Place 10 cups of stock in a clean stockpot and put on low heat. Clean claws and tails of lobsters and reserve meat, legs, and swimmerets. After lobsters are cleaned, place shells in stockpot with 10 cups of stock. Cut bodies in quarters and place in stockpot, making sure to include all roe and tomalley in pot. Add 1 cup tomato paste and simmer on low heat for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to have heat so high as to burn stock. Pour entire contents of pot through sieve into clean stockpot; this should now be 8 cups of glorious red stock.
• Place onions, celery, carrots, thyme, parsley and saffron in a large saute pan, add 4 cups stock from original stock pot and put on high heat for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup tomato paste and black pepper. Turn down heat and simmer 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Press entire contents of saute pan through sieve into stockpot of 8 cups previously made stock.
• To finish Bisque, put pot on medium heat. Add heavy cream slowly, using whisk to blend. Add sherry. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes; bisque will thicken slightly. Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup water and slowly add to bisque with whisk. Simmer on low heat for another 20 minutes.
• If you prefer your bisque to be thicker, you may add more cornstarch, or perhaps, flour, but have found the bisque thickens nicely over low heat, and additional cornstarch or flour takes away from the wonderful flavor.
• Place pieces of previous cleaned lobster meat in bowl and add 1 cup of bisque. Garnish with legs and swimmerets around the bowl and one parsley leaf in center, if desired.

LOBSTER BISQUE

Steps:

• In a saute pan heat a little oil over med-high heat and saute shallots, onions, and garlic for one minute.
• Deglaze the pan with the white wine.
• Add the worcestershire, tabasco, and thyme and saute for another minute.
• Deglaze the pan with the sherry.
• Add the paprika, hot water and lobster base and combine well.
• Stir in tomato paste and add the bay leaves.
• Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Whisk in heavy cream and the butter and bring to a boil.
• Add the lobster and simmer until cooked through.
• Serve with crusty garlic bread.

PERFECT LOBSTER BISQUE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, celery, and carrot. Cook and stir until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, and season with salt and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
• Pour the vegetable and broth mixture into the container of a blender, and add 1/4 cup of the lobster meat. Cover, and process until smooth. Return to the saucepan, and stir in the half-and-half, white wine, and remaining lobster meat. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently until thickened, about 30 minutes.