Lobster Bisque With Tarragon Food

LOBSTER BISQUE WITH TARRAGON

Steps:

• In a large soup pot, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat and add the carrots, shallots and celery. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are very soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Place a cutting board inside a sheet pan. (This will catch all the juices from the lobsters.) Lay a lobster on the cutting board. Place the tip of a large, heavy knife at the indentation where the carapace meets the head of the lobster, making sure that the cutting blade is facing toward the lobster's eyes. Swiftly and forcefully, plunge the knife through the lobster until the point of the knife hits the cutting board. Immediately force the blade down, splitting the head of the lobster. (The lobster will be dead, although it may still move.) Repeat with the remaining lobster.
• Twist off the tails and claws of the lobsters. Split the bodies in half and scoop out and discard the spongy green parts in the head. Put the lobster pieces and any juice that has accumulated in the sheet pan into the pot with the vegetables and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until the shells are bright red, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the lobsters from the pot and cool a few minutes. Remove the meat from the claws and tails and refrigerate. Chop the shells into small pieces and return them to the pot.
• Cook the shells for a few minutes over high heat. Add 4 tablespoons of the Cognac and ignite it. When the flames die, add wine, stock, tarragon leaves, bay leaf, tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
• Remove as many large pieces of shell as possible and place them, a cup or two at a time, in a food processor. Pulse until the shells are finely ground. Return ground shells to the pot and add the rice and 3 cups of water. Dice the meat from the tails only and add it. Cover the pot and simmer another 30 minutes.
• Put the soup through a food mill. Discard the solids and strain the puree through a fine sieve. Put the puree in a large saucepan and add the cream, milk and remaining Cognac. Heat very gently, not allowing it to boil, until hot. Just before serving, whisk in the remaining tablespoon of butter. Ladle soup into bowls and chop the claw meat to use with a little chopped tarragon for garnish. Serve immediately.

LOBSTER BOUDAN WITH A FRESH LEMON AND TARRAGON BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine the lobster meat, shallots, cream and cognac. Season with salt, cayenne and pepper. Turn the mixture into a mixing bowl. Stir in the rice and parsley. Season with salt, cayenne and black pepper. **To test the seasoning of the sausage, pan-fry a small piece of the filling for a couple of minutes on each side. Re-adjust the seasoning if needed. Either using a feeding tube or a funnel, stuff the sausage into the casings and make 3-inch links. Bring a large saucepan of salted water up to a boil. Poach the sausage for about 5 minutes, or until the sausage is firm to the touch and plump. Remove from the water and allow to cool. In a large saute pan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Pan-fry the sausage for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and keep warm. To serve, spoon the sauce in the center of each plate. Lay a crouton in the center of the sauce. Place a couple of links of sausage over each crouton. Garnish with parsley and butter sauce.
• In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine the shallots and lemon juice. Season with salt and cayenne. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the mixture reduces by half. Add the cream and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, a couple of pieces at a time. Season with the salt and cayenne. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Add the hot sauce, Worcestershire and chopped tarragon. Keep hot.
• Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 1999

LOBSTER SHERRY BISQUE

Steps:

• Remove all the meat from the cooked lobster shells. Keep lobster shells and cut them up small using good kitchen scissors. Roughly cut up lobster into bite size pieces and keep chilled.
• Heat a medium size saute pan and add the butter over high heat. When hot add lobster shells, lower heat to medium low and cook for around 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the minced onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 2 - 3 minutes.
• Transfer everything into a large saucepan. Deglaze the empty saute pan with the sherry. Then add sherry with the pan drippings to the large saucepan. Heat the mixture over a low heat and slowly add the lobster stock until the bisque thickens. Add the tomato paste, bay leaf, thyme, paprika and heavy cream, and let simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool a bit.
• Pass the soup through a fine sieve. Sometimes needed to do twice to catch all the shells. Put the liquid back into a saucepan and over a gentle heat re warm. Taste for seasonings of salt or pepper. Add the lobster meat, but be real careful not to cook them.
• Serve in bowls each with a bit of lobster in it. Absolutely divine with the brandy or sherry drizzled over.

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:

• 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 I

Steps:

• Cut the lobster tail in half lengthwise.
• Melt half the butter in a pan, add the scallions and onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until soft but not colored. Add the carrot and cook for 2 minutes. Add the lobster halves, fish stock, parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns, the water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface as required.
• Remove the lobster from the stock, cool slightly and take the meat from the shells. Set the lobster meat aside, crush the shell and return it to the pan. Continue simmering for further 40 minutes. Strain the stock, then strain again through a sieve lined with 2 layers of damp muslin or cheesecloth.
• Cut some thin slices from the lobster to use as a garnish and set aside. In a blender, blend the remaining lobster flesh with a little of the strained stock until smooth. Mix the flour and remaining butter to a paste. Add the pureed lobster to the pot along with the flour paste, tomato puree, sherry, cream, nutmeg and salt and pepper, to taste. Mix well.
• Add the tarragon and the remaining stock and cook, stirring continuously, over high heat until the soup boils and thickens. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Season to taste and serve garnished with the reserved lobster and some sprigs of tarragon, if desired.

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.

SHORESIDE 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 (celery through peppercorns).
• 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:

• Fill a 6-quart kettle three fourths full with salted water and bring to a boil. Plunge lobster headfirst into water and cook, covered, over high heat 8 minutes. Transfer lobster with tongs to a large bowl and in a measuring cup reserve 2 cups cooking liquid. Let lobster stand until cool enough to handle. Working over a bowl to catch the juices, twist off tail and claws and reserve juices. Reserve tomalley and discard head sacs and any roe. Remove meat from claws and tail, reserving shells and lobster body. (Lobster meat will not be cooked through.) Coarsely chop meat and transfer to a bowl. Chill lobster meat, covered.
• Chop onion, celery, carrot, and tomato and halve garlic head crosswise. In a 6-quart heavy kettle heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté reserved lobster shells and body, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes. Add vegetables, garlic, herbs, peppercorns, brandy, and Sherry and simmer, stirring, until almost all liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add stock and reserved tomalley and cooking liquid. Simmer mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 1 hour.
• Pour mixture through a fine sieve into a large saucepan, pressing on and discarding solids. Whisk in tomato paste and simmer until reduced to about 3 cups, about 10 minutes. Add cream and simmer bisque 5 minutes. In a small bowl stir together cornstarch and water and whisk into bisque. Simmer bisque, stirring, 2 minutes. (Bisque will thicken slightly.) Add lobster meat with any reserved juices and simmer bisque 1 minute, or until lobster meat is just cooked through. Season bisque with salt and pepper.