Lobster Bisque With Cognac Food

LOBSTER BISQUE WITH COGNAC

Steps:

• Place one live lobster on a work surface with its head facing your non dominant hand.
• Grip the lobster on the back of its thorax, or main body shell (the lobster's claws will have been secured by rubber bands). Look for the place where two sections of shell meet. Plunge the point of a sharp chef's knife between the shell sections. This will kill the lobster instantly although it will often keep moving.
• Split one of the lobsters lengthwise from head to tail. Separate the two halves. Remove and discard the two halves of the "sand sac" (the small bag) from inside both sides of the head, which is the lobster's stomach, and the long fingerlike spongy gills from underneath the main body portion. Repeat the process for the second lobster.
• Remove the dark green roe sacs and reserve. (The more mature the female lobster, the darker and more abundant the roe will be.) Cook the roe, crumble it, and reserve.
• Cut or twist off the claws from both lobsters. Break up the claw shells by hitting with a meat pounder or a hammer.
• Cut off and reserve the lobster tail sections (two halves from each lobster). Separately, cook the tail pieces in oil until the meat is opaque and the shells curl up. Cool and reserve.
• In a large saute pan or rondeau (as shown here), heat the olive oil till it's just beginning to smoke. Cook all the obster pieces except the reserved tail sections, at high heat till they turn bright red. Add the Cognac and Madeira and flambe, taking care to keep your face averted when lighting.
• Add the carrot, celery, onion, tomatoes, garlic, and bouquet garni to the pot. Cook together 5 minutes.
• If using a skillet, scrape the lobster vegetable mix to a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add tomato paste and Chicken Stock and bring to a boil. (If using a rondeau, add the liquid directly to the contents of the pot.) Simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
• Strain out solids, reserving both solids and broth separately and reserve pot-it is not necessary to wash it. Chop the solids into smaller pieces using a heavy chef's knife or cleaver. The smaller the pieces, the more flavor you'll be able to extract from the shells.
• Mix the lobster pieces and broth together in a large soup pot.
• Make a beurre manie (a soft paste of the butter and flour).
• If available, add the lobster roe to the paste, reserving some for garnish, if desired.
• Mash the roe together with the butter and flour to make a creamy paste.
• Whisk the beurre manie into the broth to thicken it. Add the white wine and bring back to a boil. Then, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour or until the lobster shells have given off their flavor, skimming as necessary and stirring occasionally.
• Skim off any foamy impurities that rise to the surface and discard.
• Meanwhile, cut the cooked tail meat into thin crosswise slices and reserve for garnish.
• Strain the mixture first through a colander, sieve, or china cap, pressing down firmly with the back of a ladle to extract all the good flavors. Dird the solids. Strain a second time through a fine sieve or china cap for smooth texture and to make sure no shell pieces remain.
• Transfer the strained liquid to large pot. To finish the bisque, stir in the cream, bring back to a boil, and season with salt, white pepper, and cayenne to taste. It should be fluid and creamy, thick enough to lightly coat the back of a wooden spoon.
• Ladle bisque into hot soup plates and sprinkle with reserved sliced lobster meat, chives, and any reserved cooked roe. Serve immediately.
• Store refrigerated up to 3 days. This soup may be frozen.
• Make a compact bundle of the herbs and orange zest strips.
• Either tie securely with kitchen string or place in a piece of muslin and tie shut. This makes it easy to remove the bundle after cooking.

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:

• Bring large pot of water to boil. Add lobsters head first and boil until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Using tongs, transfer lobsters to large bowl. Reserve 2 cups cooking liquid. Cool lobsters.
• Working over large bowl to catch juices, cut off lobster tails and claws. Crack tail and claw shells and remove lobster meat. Coarsely chop lobster meat; cover and chill. Coarsely chop lobster shells and bodies; transfer to medium bowl. Reserve juices from lobster in large bowl.
• Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over high heat. Add lobster shells and bodies and sauté until shells begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add onion and next 8 ingredients. Mix in brandy and Sherry. Boil until almost all liquid has evaporated, about 4 minutes. Add fish stock, reserved 2 cups lobster cooking liquid and lobster juices. Simmer 1 hour.
• Strain soup through sieve set over large saucepan, pressing firmly on solids. Whisk tomato paste into soup. Simmer until soup is reduced to 3 cups, about 15 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Add cream to soup and simmer 5 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in 1 tablespoon water. Add to soup and boil until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Mix lobster meat into soup and stir to heat through. Ladle soup into bowls.

LOBSTER BISQUE

Steps:

• Dispatch the lobsters by plunging a sharp knife directly behind its head. Cut the lobster in half lengthwise; make sure to collect the juices that will run out. Remove the claws and tail pieces and set aside. Remove the head sac and liver and discard them; cut the body into pieces. Alternately, you can have your fishmonger do this.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and melt 3 tablespoons butter in it. Add the chopped lobster bodies and heads and their juices, the leeks, 1 onion, celery, carrots, 1/2 the thyme, 1/2 the orange zest and the tomato paste. Cook until the shells are red and the vegetables are soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and carefully pour in 1/4 cup cognac. Ignite the cognac with a long kitchen match and let the alcohol burn off. Return to the heat, sprinkle in the flour, stir, and cook for another 2 minutes. Add water to cover and stir up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Immediately decrease the heat and gently simmer until the soup is reduced and thickened, about 30 to 45 minutes. Strain this into a clean pot and season with salt and pepper if needed; keep warm.
• Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add remaining onion, thyme, bay leaf, and orange zest along with the peppercorns and let this mixture cook for about 5 minutes. Add the lobster claws and tails; toss to coat with the fat and flavors. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully pour in the remaining 1/4 cup cognac. Ignite the cognac with a long kitchen match and let the alcohol burn off. Put the pan into the oven and roast until the lobster pieces are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove the lobster pieces and set aside. When they are cool enough to handle, remove the lobster meat from the claws and tails. Chop the meat roughly and add it to the strained bisque.
• To serve, ladle the bisque into warmed soup bowls. Top with the Grilled Brie and Tomato, if desired.
• Heat the broiler. Put the cherry tomatoes onto a baking sheet, drizzle them with olive oil, and season them with salt and pepper. Broil them until they burst; set them aside.
• Butter the bread on both sides and top each with several slices of brie. Broil until the cheese is bubbling and slightly browned. Top with the tomatoes. Serve immediately.
• Yield: 6 servings

LOBSTER BISQUE

Steps:

• Melt 1/4 cup butter in a large saucepan. Add the carrots, celery and onions and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add sections from 2 lobsters to pan and saute until shells turn red. Remove pieces from pan when cool enough and remove meat from tails and claws and reserve it.
• Chop shells into smaller pieces and add to pan. Add 1/4 cup cognac and ignite. Then add the white wine, water, garlic, tarragon and bay leaf. Crush the drained tomatoes with hands and add to pot. Season with salt and pepper.
• Simmer over low heat for 45 minutes, but do not allow liquid to boil. Remove as many pieces of shell as possible. Put soup through food mill and return milled broth to pan. Add the reserved lobster meat and 1/3 cup long grain white rice. Simmer over low heat another 45 minutes, or until reduced to 2 cups.
• Pulse shells in a food processor until finely chopped. Melt 1/2 cup butter in a saute pan, add chopped shells and saute 5 minutes. Strain, reserving butter and discarding shells. Transfer reduced lobster-rice mixture to blender and puree. Strain the puree through a sieve over a mixing bowl and return broth to pot. Add the lobster butter and stir well. Add 1 tablespoon of cognac and heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the light cream and milk. Heat through, but do not boil.

CRAB BISQUE

Steps:

• Melt butter in oil in a large pot and saute onions, carrots and celery until onions are translucent.
• Add the other ingredients except cognac, cream and salt and pepper.
• Bring to a boil and cook about 45 minutes.
• Strain into another pot and add cream and cook on low for about 10 minures.
• Season with salt and fresh ground pepper.
• Add cooked meat from 1 large Dungeness crab and heat.
• Add cognac and serve hot.

LOBSTER BISQUE

Steps:

• Over medium heat in a large deep pot melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, bay leaf, and thyme. Cook, stirring often, until the onion softens, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Add 3 pounds of the lobster meat to the pot. Refrigerate the rest of the lobster meat. Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes.
• Add the wine and tomato. Raise the heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil, and then turn the heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
• Add the stock. Raise the heat to high, and bring back to a boil. Once it boils, turn the heat to low and cover. Cook for 20 minutes.
• Use a hand blender to puree the soup. (At this point, you may refrigerate the soup, covered, for up to 2 days. Reheat before proceeding.) Bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat to medium or medium-low so it bubbles gently. Add the remaining butter in bits, stirring it in until it all melts. Add the cream and the remaining lobster meat. Heat through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cognac. Garnish with parsley. Ladle into soup bowls or cups making sure each serving has some chunks of lobster meat.

RED LOBSTER LOBSTER BISQUE

Steps:

• Place the water, the white wine and the fish stock into a wide, deep pot (or a Dutch oven), and bring to a boil on high heat.
• Place lobsters, topside down, in the broth. Reduce heat to medium and cook covered for approximately 6 minutes. With a pair of tongs, turn lobsters and cook covered for another 6 minutes.
• Remove lobsters from broth and put them to the side. When the lobsters are cool enough to handle, begin removing the meat from the shell, dicing the pieces into ½-inch cubes. Store the lobster meat in the refrigerator until later. Place the lobster shells back into the broth, reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20 minutes.
• Strain the broth through a sieve into a container and store in the refrigerator until later. Discard the lobster shells.
• Put your pot (or Dutch oven) back on the stove under medium heat. Pour in the melted butter.
• Once the butter is heated up, add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Sautee for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add the cognac (or brandy) and cook until the alcohol has evaporated.
• Mix in the flour, stirring with a heavy gauge spatula or spoon until the mixture is blond in color and has a buttery aroma.
• Mix the diced tomatoes, paprika, thyme and ground pepper with the cold broth from the refrigerator. Then, pour the broth slowly into the butter and vegetable mixture. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes under medium low heat, stirring frequently so not to burn.
• Remove bisque from heat. Blend small amounts of bisque in blender and then puree. Puree all of the bisque and pour pureed bisque back into pot with remaining amount.
• Add chopped lobster meat and heavy cream, heat and serve. If the soup is too thick, thin it by adding milk or water prior to serving.
• Chef's Tip:.
• Adding a touch of brandy or sherry to the stock can bring a wonderful touch to this classic preparation.

LOBSTER BISQUE

Steps:

• Heat the water in a large stock pot to boiling. Drop in the lobsters and cook covered for 12 minutes. Remove the lobsters from the pot; reserve 4 cups of the water. Let the lobsters cool.
• When the lobsters are cool enough to handle, crack the shells and remove all the lobster meat. Finely dice the meat and set aside. Reserve the shells.
• Melt half the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the lobster shells and pour in the Cognac. Heat until the Cognac is warm, then flame it with a match. When the flames subside, stir in 1/2 cup shallots, the garlic, tomato paste, wine, reserved cooking liquid, the tarragon, thyme, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain through a sieve into a bowl.
• Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons shallots and sauté 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the strained lobster stock; whisk until well blended. Whisk in the milk and cream and heat over medium heat until hot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Whisk the egg yolks together in a small bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of the hot soup and then return to the pot; whisk until thoroughly blended. Stir in the reserved lobster meat. Heat for several minutes and serve immediately.

LOBSTER BISQUE WITH ARMAGNAC

Steps:

• Boil water in a large stock pot.
• Twist claws and tails off lobsters and reserve bodies. Add claws and tails to the boiling water. Simmer tails for 3 minutes, and claws until they turn bright red all over, about 8 minutes. Remove lobster pieces as they finish cooking and place in a large bowl. Reserve the cooking liquid.
• Let the lobster cool slightly. Crack claws and remove the meat from the tails and claws, cover and refrigerate.
• Twist legs off the lobster and cut the bodies into large pieces.
• Heat olive oil in a large enameled cast-iron casserole. Add fennel, celery, carrot, onion, leek and garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are browned, about 8 minutes.
• Add legs and body pieces to the casserole and cook over high heat, stirring, until shells start to brown, about 8 minutes.
• Sprinkle flour evenly over the shells and stir well. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it starts to brown, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in wine and Armagnac and simmer for 3 minutes.
• Stir in thyme, bay leaf, saffron and the reserved lobster cooking liquid until smooth.
• Simmer broth over low heat, skimming occasionally, for about 1 1/2 hours. Strain broth and press on the solids to extract as much liquid as you can. Return broth to the casserole.
• Add heavy cream to the casserole and simmer for 5 minutes. Season the bisque with salt and pepper.
• Cut reserved tail and claw meat into 1" pieces. Add the meat to the simmering bisque and cook until just heated through, about 1 minute.
• Add a splash of Armagnac to 8 soup plates. Ladle the lobster bisque into the soup plates, garnish with the parsley and serve.