Lobster Bisque

Sapsucker Woods Pond

We went to Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary this week for a walk on the trails and to watch the birds. If you haven’t been there, you should stop and look around. The visitors’ center is beautiful with an inside bird watching place, lots of literature and movies on wild life. Check out their web site -www.birds.cornell.edu, I’m sure you will find it interesting.

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Souper Rachel is here to make Lobster Bisque with me this week. She is an integral part of Purity Ice Cream management team. She manages and handles making the muffins at the crack of dawn, is in charge of the ice cream cake department (she is so artistic) and is in charge of the events that Purity has. I think she knows how to do just about anything at Purity! She is also a licensed massage therapist and a couple nights a week is busy doing massages. Rachel loves lobsters¸ so she picked this soup out of The Soup Bible/Debra Mayhew to make for the blog. The lobster is essential for this distinctive fine- flavor soup. Plan on making enough of this recipe, which serves 4, because the three of us ate the whole recipe!

Lobster Bisque

Souper Rachel/Souper Sarah

The blue and black clawed lobster is known as the king of the shellfish. When cooked, its shell turns a brillant red. This is an extravagant soup, worthy of a celebration dinner party.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 4
1 cooked lobster, about 1 1/2 pounds
2 tablespoons vegetables oil
½ cup butter
2 shallots, minced
Juice of ½ lemon
3 tablespoons brandy
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of fresh parsley, plus extra to garnish
¼ teaspoon of mace
1 ¼ quarts of fish stock
4 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoon heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A dash of cayenne pepper, to garnish

1 – Preheat the oven to 350. Lay the lobster out flat and split in half lengthwise. Remove and discard the little stomach sac from the head, the threadlike intestine, and the coral, if any.

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2 – In a large soup pan that can be put in the oven, heat the oil with 2 tablespoons of butter. Sauté the lobster, flesh-side down, for 5 minutes. Add the shallots, lemon juice, and brandy and roast for 15 minutes.

3 – Remove the lobster meat from the shell. Place the shell and the juices in a large saucepan and simmer with the bay leaf, parsley, mace, and stock for 30 minutes; strain. Finely chop 1 tablespoon of the lobster meat. Process the rest with 3 tablespoons of the butter.

4 – Melt the remaining butter. Add the flour and cook slowly for 30 seconds. Add the stock gradually and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the processed lobster meat, the cream, and seasoning to taste.

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5 – Ladle into warm soup bowls and garnish with lobster, parsley springs, and a sprinkling of cayenne. Serve at once, piping hot.

The lobster wave!

Handsome creature!




Sauté lobster in butter and oil



Remove lobster meat from shell



Simmering for 30 minutes



Strain the stock




Add lobster meat , cream and season to taste

Serve at once, piping hot!





Served with spinach salad

We used Ground Mace this week in our soup. The recipe originally called for a blade of mace. I had quite a time finding out what a blade was and what we should use in the soup. The internet info - use 1/4 teaspoon of ground mace. Mace has a warm,spicy flavor that is subtler, but similar to nutmeg's with a more delicate flavour. Mace is often preferred in light dishes for the bight orange, saffron-like hue it imparts. Maceis produced by the Myristica franrans, a member of the mayriticaceae family. This plant, native to Indonesia, grows into a tropical evergreen tree of up to thirty feet tall. This same tree produces the better known nutmeg spice.

Rachel & I had fun attacking the lobster and there were parts and pieces flying around! It was all worth it. The combination of shallots, brandy and the mace simmering with the lobster gave it a delicious edge. It left a wonderful taste in your mouth. Thank you, Rachel for picking this great soup and cooking with me!!!

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The thought for the week -

Only you can decide the path worth taking.

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Happy souping until we meet again!

Souper Sarah