Step One: The Stock
Lobster Bodies, cleaned and separated,
chopped
4 each
Carrots, Large
dice
1 cup
Leeks, Large dice
½ cup
Onions, Large
dice
1 cup
Tomato Paste
½ cup
Water 3 quarts
Salt large pinch
Oil ¼ cup
- In a wide bottomed sauce pot, over medium high
heat, sauté half of the lobster bodies in half of the oil, until shells are
bright red. Remove and reserve; repeat with remaining shells and bodies.
- Add onions, carrots, and leeks to the pan and
sauté, adding oil if necessary. Season with large pinch of salt.
Cook, stirring constantly, over medium high heat, until vegetables begin to
color, 6-10 minutes.
- Add tomato paste and stir, coating the
vegetables, and reducing the heat to medium. Cook, stirring constantly,
until the tomato paste begins to noticeably darken, 4-8 minutes.
- Add Lobster bodies back to the pot, along with
water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender, coarsely chop the
remaining bits of shell and vegeatbles. Carefully pour the mixture
through a fine china cap or colander.
- You should have around 2 quarts of stock
Step Two: The Soup
Oil ¼ cup
Carrots, medium
dice 1.5 cup
Celery, medium
dice ½ cup
Onions, medium
dice ¾ cup
Leeks, medium
dice ½ cup
Tomato paste ½ cup
Brandy 1 cup
Lobster
stock 2 quarts
Heavy
Cream 2 cups
Salt to taste
Cayenne
Pepper small pinch
Freshly grated
nutmeg small pinch
- Heat wide bottomed sauce pot over medium high
heat. Add oil, onions, carrots, celery, leeks, and a pinch of salt and
sauté, stirring frequently, until vegetables color; 8-12 minutes. We want
to brown the vegetables.
- Add tomato paste and stir, coating the
vegetables, and reducing the heat to medium. Cook, stirring constantly,
until the tomato paste begins to noticeably darken, 4-8 minutes.
- Remove pan from flame. VERY CAREFULLY add
brandy. Fumes will be flammable: carefully set them alight with a
lighter. They will subsist rapidly.
- Add lobster stock and heavy cream. Bring
to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and simmer 25 minutes.
- At the end of the 25 minutes, remove from
burner. Season to taste with salt, and add cayenne and freshly grated
nutmeg.
- In batches, carefully puree in a blender and
pass through a fine mesh sieve or chinois. Taste again, to adjust for
seasoning. Final soup should be velvety, and not overly thick, rich with
lobster flavor and a faint trace of spice from the cayenne.
To garnish:
Lobster meat (knuckles are my favorite), cut into small
pieces
½ cup
Butter 1 Tablespoon
Chives,chopped 2 Tablespoons
Bisque, portioned into bowls
- In a small sauté pan over medium high heat, add
butter and swirl as it melts. Allow the butter to burn, swirling
constantly. When the butter is a rich, nutty, medium brown, add lobster
meat.
- Heat the lobster through, and then spoon the
meat and a little of the butter into the center of each bowl. Drizzle a
little of the butter around the top of the soup to impress your friends.
- Finish the garnish with a large pinch of chives.
