Rosie is actually back in the kitchen!
I hadn't realized what our "vacation"
had taken out of me.
So, I apologize to my readers
for not offering many cooking posts this week.
And ...
I still have to post Days 3 and 4 of our trip -
our visit to Biltmore Estate.
Please stay tuned for more of our "vacation."
Now, back to the kitchen.
Lobster Moreovers
coming up.
In the form of a bisque.
This is perfect for today
(which happened to be last Tuesday, May 10),
since a cold front blew through
and it's in the 50's
and we've been used to 80's - 90's.
Mr. Hawthorne made
lobsters for us on Sunday, May 9,
and I finished them up with this
Moreover Lobster Bisque.

Mr. Hawthorne was kind enough
to extract what lobster meat we didn't eat
Sunday night
as he sipped a glass of
Two Buck Chuck
from Trader Joe's in Raleigh.
We bought a case of the Chard for him
and a case of the Cab for me.
Pretty good wine.
Especially since I've paid a lot more
for crap wines.

I'm kinda doing this on the fly,
so bear with me.
My ingredients:
baby portabellas
1/2 sweet potato
1/2 potato
celery
carrot
red onion
white onion
scallions
colorful peppers
lime

Chop up the baby bellas ...

... and the potatoes,
white onion, carrot, and celery.

Melt a little butter in the pan,
add in some olive oil,
then add in the shrooms and saute.
Rosie Hint #259:
Never salt mushrooms
until after you saute them.
If you salt beforehand,
your shrooms will exude moisture
and steam not saute.

I cooked the mushrooms for a minute or so,
then added in the chopped onion, taters,
carrot, and celery.

Saute for about 2 minutes.

Next I made a roux.
Sprinkle in a bit of flour
(1/4 cup maybe, gradually)
and cook, stirring.

Cook the flour for about 2 minutes.

I had fish stock in the freezer
but you could use chicken stock
as a substitute.

Gradually add in the stock, stirring, ...

... and thickening.


If you need to thicken it up
a bit more,
shake in some more flour.
I'm using all purpose flour
in a shaker canister.
A flour shaker is a nice
kitchen gadget to have.
My flour doesn't clump
and I don't have to use a special
Shake 'n Blend Instant flour for gravies.
Get a flour shaker.

When you have a consistency
a tad thicker than you'd like,
finish off with some heavy cream ...

... and some sherry.
You just want a hint of the sherry flavor.
You don't want to overpower.

Taste and adjust seasonings.
I only added a bit of pepper.

Here are the toppings for my lobster bisque:
I minced a little bit of
the green, yellow, orange, and red peppers,
the red onion,
some parsley,
and some cilantro
and cilantro flowers.

I zested a little bit of the lime
and sliced my scallions.

And I found some Brie and goat cheese ...

... which I sliced into small pieces.

Mr. Hawthorne sliced corn kernels
off an ear of corn.

I sauteed the corn in a bit of butter.

Stir ...

... until popping and slightly browned.
Try a few kernels and see how
sweet it is.

Nice chunks of lobster
went into the bisque.

I taste tested again
and poured in a little white wine.

Next the corn went in.

And here's my lobster bisque
with small pieces of Brie and goat cheese, melting,
and all the toppings.

I think the cilantro flowers
gave it a nice touch.
This was pretty.
It was colorful.
Just
look at all those flavors!
The vegetables still had a bit of crunch to them.
And the best part,
every spoonful had a big bite of lobster in it.
Adding the potatoes
gives a natural starch thickener
to the bisque.
I was entirely satisfied with this
and I had no complaints.
And who would dare complain about such a dish (other than those unfortunate souls who are allergic to shell fish)? Sorry, we just have too many food allergies here. Darn it all...
ReplyDeleteLovely, lovely, dish...colorful and I bet the texture, with all that lobster & veggies & cream, was divine. Of course, YOU have homemade fish stock in your freezer...Can I move in with you and Mr. H.? I'll wash the dishes....
ReplyDelete