Lobster Fricassee With Artichoke Coulis And Tarragon Food

ASPARAGUS, ARTICHOKE, AND MUSHROOM SAUTE WITH TARRAGON VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• For the Vegetable Saute: Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and the garlic and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and asparagus to the pan and cook until tender. Add the artichoke hearts and season with salt and pepper, then cook until the artichoke hearts are heated through. Remove the skillet from the heat, then add in the tomatoes and stir to warm them up.
• For the Tarragon Vinaigrette: Combine the oil, vinegar, tarragon, salt and pepper in a glass screw-top jar. Seal the jar and shake vigorously to mix the vinaigrette.
• Toss the vegetables with the vinaigrette and serve.

STOVE-TOP VEGETABLE FRICASSEE WITH TARRAGON CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat broiler.
• Heat oil in large high-sided, oven-proof skillet over medium heat Add sliced onion, bell peppers, asparagus, and carrots and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until crisp-tender. Stir in tarragon and vermouth cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add spinach (or dandelion greens) and milk and sour cream and simmer 2 minutes. Add more milk, if needed, to make sure the vegetables are submerged. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. Place pan under broiler and broil until golden brown. Serve mixture over rice.
• Chef's Note: You can clean and cut all vegetables and reserve in refrigerator, to be used when cooking fricassee.

FRICASSéE OF LOBSTER WITH PASTA

Steps:

• Cook lobsters in large pot of boiling salted water 4 minutes (lobsters will not be completely cooked through). Working over bowl to collect juices, twist off lobster heads to separate from tails. Cut heads in half lengthwise. Cut tails into thick medallions (do not remove shells). Crack claws but leave intact.
• Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add shallots and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add lobster with shells and juices and Cognac and ignite carefully. Cover skillet to extinguish flame. Add wine and simmer 3 minutes. Add cream and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Cover to keep warm.
• Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Transfer to platter. Spoon lobster with sauce over pasta and serve.

GRILLED GARLIC TARRAGON LOBSTER TAILS

Steps:

• Preheat grill.
• Remove the soft part of lobster tail with scissors.
• Hit shell lightly with a mallet to make it lie flat.
• Melt butter in saucepan and add garlic, ginger, tarragon, mustard and salt.
• Spoon some of the butter mixture over tails and reserve remaining.
• Let stand 20 minutes.
• Grill lobster 4 inches from heat for 10 - 15 min with meaty side up, basting frequently with reserved butter mixture.

TARRAGON CHICKEN FRICASSéE

Steps:

• Pat chicken dry and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté chicken in 2 batches, skin side down first, turning over once, until browned, 10 to 12 minutes total per batch. Transfer to a plate.
• Pour off all but 2 tablespoons oil from skillet, then cook shallots, garlic, and bay leaf over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened, about 2 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil. Stir in cream, broth, and 1 tablespoon tarragon, then add chicken, skin side up, and simmer, covered, until just cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer chicken with tongs to a platter and keep warm, loosely covered. If necessary, boil sauce until thickened slightly.
• Stir in lemon juice, remaining 1/2 tablespoon tarragon, and salt and pepper to taste. Discard bay leaf; pour sauce over chicken.

LOBSTER GELEES WITH FRESH TARRAGON OIL

Steps:

• Cook lobsters and make stock:
• Bring 6 quarts water to a boil in pot, then plunge 2 lobsters headfirst into water and cook, covered, 8 minutes from time they enter water. Transfer with tongs to a shallow baking pan to cool. Return water to a boil and cook remaining 2 lobsters in same manner.
• When lobsters are cool enough to handle, remove meat from tail and claws and set aside. Cut tail shells and lobster bodies (not including claws) into 1-inch pieces with kitchen shears, then rinse well, discarding gills, eye sacs, tomalley, any roe, and claw shells. Transfer to a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot, then add wine, carrots, celery, fennel, onion, garlic, large tarragon sprigs, salt, fennel seeds, red-pepper flakes, and remaining 2 quarts water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until liquid is reduced to about 6 cups, about 1 1/2 hours.
• While stock reduces, scrape any coagulated white albumin from lobster meat with a knife and cut meat into 1/2-inch pieces, then chill, covered.
• Make gelées:
• Pour stock through a dampened cheesecloth-lined large sieve into a large bowl, pressing on and then discarding solids. Transfer 2 3/4 cups stock to a bowl. (Cool remaining stock completely, uncovered, then freeze in an airtight container for another use.) Sprinkle gelatin evenly over 1/4 cup stock in a 1-quart saucepan, then let stand 1 minute to soften. Heat over moderately low heat, stirring, just until gelatin is dissolved, then stir in vinegar and remaining 2 1/2 cups stock.
• Put molds in a baking pan. Add 2 teaspoons gelatin mixture to each mold and freeze until set, about 10 minutes. Put 1 small sprig of tarragon and a tip of claw meat in bottom of each mold, then divide lobster meat among molds. Fill with remaining gelatin mixture and chill, covered with plastic wrap, until set, at least 2 hours.
• To unmold, dip 1 mold in a pan of hot water 3 to 5 seconds to loosen. Run a thin knife around edge of mold and invert gelée out onto a plate. Repeat with remaining molds. Drizzle plates with fresh tarragon oil .

TARRAGON LOBSTER SALAD

Steps:

• Plunge 2 live lobsters headfirst into an 8-quart pot of boiling salted water. Loosely cover pot and cook lobsters over moderately high heat 9 minutes from time they enter water, then transfer with tongs to sink to cool.
• Return water to a boil and cook remaining 2 lobsters in same manner.
• While lobsters are cooking, combine shallot, lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
• When lobsters are cool, remove meat from claws, joints, and tails. Discard tomalley, any roe, and shells (or save for another use). Cut meat into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Whisk mayonnaise, tarragon, and 1/4teaspoon black pepper into shallot mixture. Add lobster meat and toss gently to coat.

LOBSTER FRICASSEE

Steps:

• Melt the margarine in a saucepan; add the mushrooms, garlic powder, & onion powder.
• Saute 5-6 minutes.
• Whisk the milk and flour in a small bowl, whisking quickly to eliminate any lumps.
• Pour the milk mixture into the mushroom mixture; mix thoroughly, and continue cooking 3-4 minutes.
• Add the lobster, paprika, and salt & pepper to taste.
• Continue cooking 5-10 minutes until lobster is heated through.
• Spread rice or pasta onto a serving platter.
• Spoon lobster and sauce over the top.
• Garnish with parsley & then serve.

LOBSTER IN TARRAGON SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut open the lobsters and remove the meat, reserving the tomalley and coral.
• Melt 2 oz (50 grams) of the butter in a pan, add the onion, celery and carrot and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
• Add the lobster meat and cook until lightly browned, then season.
• Add half the brandy and cook until has evaporated, then add the mustard and tarragon.
• Pour in wine, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Remove the pan from heat, transfer the lobsters to a plate and keep warm.
• Strain cooking liquid into a clean pan.
• Chop the tomalley and coral a add to the pan with the remaining butter, remaining brandy a lemon juice.
• Cook over a medium heat until slightly reduced, season.
• Serve the lobsters covered with the sauce. Serves 4.
• That's it!

LOBSTER FRICASSEE WITH ARTICHOKE COULIS AND TARRAGON

Steps:

• To make the coulis, preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place all the ingredients in a nonreactive roasting pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Roast for 3 hours. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Remove the lemon and herb sprigs and puree the remainder in a blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reheat over low heat just before serving.
• To make the lobster and vegetables, fill a saucepan 2/3 full of salted water and bring to a boil. Cut each asparagus stalk into thirds and add the asparagus and haricots verts to the pan. Cook until the vegetables are al dente, about 4 minutes. Drain and immediately plunge vegetables into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. When cool, drain well and set aside.
• Fill a large lobster kettle 2/3 full of water and bring to a boil. Place the lobsters, headfirst, into the boiling water and quickly cover the pot. Wait 5 minutes. Remove the lobsters from the pot and immediately hold them under cold running water. When cool, remove the meat from the tail and claws. (It will still be somewhat raw.) Slice each tail into 6 medallions.
• Heat the butter in a large saute pan set over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the lobster meat with salt and add to the pan. Cook, shaking the pan, until the meat is just heated through, about 3 minutes. Divide among 4 warmed dinner plates and set aside. Return the pan to the heat and add the asparagus and haricots verts. Cook, shaking, until the vegetables are just heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and divide among the plates. Spoon some of the reheated artichoke coulis around the lobster, garnish with tarragon leaves and serve immediately with wild rice and orzo (recipe follows).