Lobster Bisque With Cognac Recipes

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.

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.

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:

• 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