Tag: bisque

Lobster Bisque

2 Comments

A holiday favorite and traditional classic. Lobster bisque needs no introduction.

Lobster Bisque

Savory, sweet, buttery and delicious classic Lobster Bisque
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 6 cups

Equipment

  • Stock pot with steamer insert
  • Dutch oven or stock pot, 6 -7 quart size
  • Immersion blender or regular blender

Ingredients
  

  • 30 oz Lobster tails Frozen are fine if fresh is not available
  • 4 cups Water
  • 1 tbsp Sea Salt
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1/2 cup Dry Sherry
  • 2 cups Dry White Wine A buttery chardonnay works well here.
  • 4 cups Chicken Stock
  • 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter
  • 1 1/2 cup Fennel Bulb, Roughly Chopped Use the white part only
  • 3 stalks Celery, chopped
  • 1 cup Shallots, chopped
  • 1 cup Diced Tomatoes, Canned Can use fresh, but peel and seed
  • 1/4 cup Brandy
  • 3 tbsp Raw White Rice
  • 2 tbsp Tomatoe Paste
  • 1 tsp Hungarian Paprika Do not use smoked paprika
  • 1/8 tsp Cayenne
  • 2 each Bay Leaf
  • 2 tsp Thyme leaves, fresh Remove from stalks
  • 2 tsp Lemon Juice, fresh squeezed
  • 1 oz Maderia

Instructions
 

  • Thaw lobster tails completely if frozen.
  • Using a sharp knife or poultry shears, cut through the top side of the lobster tail, splitting from end that is closest to the body all the way to the tail.
  • Pry the shell apart to allow access to devein the tail. Look for the vein along the edge of the shell, it will be a dark gray vein between the shell and the meat. Remove the vein.
  • Bring 4 cups of water with 1 Tablespoon of salt to a brisk boil in a large stock pot.
  • Add the deveined lobster tails to a steamer basket, shell side down (shell protects the meat from intense heat of the steam) and place over the boiling water in the stock pot. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and steam the lobster for 5-7 minutes. Reserve the steaming water for the stock.
  • Immediately remove the tails when the lobster turns bright red and the tails are opaque. Do not over cook at this stage.
  • When cool enough to handle, remove the tail meat from the shells with a fork. Try to get it all in one piece if possible. Chill the lobster meat until ready to use.
  • In a large stock pot or dutch oven (6 – 7 quart size) saute lobster shell in olive oil over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes to release flavors.
  • Deglaze the pan with the sherry. Scraping up any bits off the bottom of the pan.
  • Add 2 cups white wine, chicken stock, and reserved salted water from steaming the lobster tails. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and simmer until reduced to about 6 cups of stock. This takes approximately 45 minutes.
  • While the stock is cooking, chop the vegetables and measure out the remaining ingredients.
  • When stock is reduced, strain shells from the stock. If the stock is less than 6 cups add a bit of water to bring to 6 cups of lobster stock. Reserve stock an proceed to next steps.
  • In a large stock pot or dutch oven,saute the fenne, celeryl and shallot in 1/4 cup unsalted butter, until soft and starting to brown.
  • Add in the reserved stock, diced tomatoe, brandy, raw white rice, tomato paste, paprika, cayenne, bay leaf and thyme; simmer for 45 minutes. Remove bay leaf.
  • Using an immersion blender or regular blender, puree the final liquid. If using a regular blender, use care in handling hot liquid and do it in small batches as steam from the hot liquid can cause pressure to build inside the blender. Return all liquid to the pot.
  • Stir in the heavy cream, fresh lemon juice and Maderia to finish off the bisque.
  • When you are ready to serve the bisque, slice the lobster meat into serving size pieces and saute in a tablespoon of unsalted butter over medium-high heat, just until warmed through to prevent overcooking meat.
  • Spoon bisque into bowls and top with the warmed, buttery lobster meat. Enjoy!

Notes

Cook with a wine you would drink.  Don’t skimp on the wine, it should not be too acid, or too sweet in this dish. 
Recipe can be made up to step 12 a day in advance to save time on the day you wish to serve. 
 
 
Keyword bisque, Lobster, soup

Tomato Bisque

1 Comment

I was working to prep the vegetable garden all day yesterday, and threw this bisque together with toasted sandwiches at the end of the day. It makes a quick meal that warms you when the spring days turn to cold evenings; or any time of year when you have that yearning for a good comfort food.

This bisque is a hearty, rustic soup with a flavor medley formed from its vegetable base. As written it is Vegetarian/Keto friendly. Substituting nut milks for the dairy in the recipe will convert it to Paleo/Vegan friendly.

I like mine topped with a bold cheese such as Parmesan, Gorganzola or Blue, maybe a bit of Roasted Garlic. I serve with homemade croutons or a slice of toasted and buttered rustic bread.

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, diced
1 Large Carrot, diced
2 Stalks Celery, diced
4 Cloves Garlic, peeled and mashed
32 Ounces of Fresh whole tomatoes, peeled 
(or 28 ounce canned whole tomatoes with with juice if fresh not available)
1 Cup Chicken Stock
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced
1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, mincd
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 Cup whipping cream

  • saute
  • simmer
  • blend
  • Serve & Enjoy!

Instructions

  1. On medium setting, heat butter and olive oil in a medium stock pot until butter melts and begins to sizzle. Add onion, carrot and celery. Cook and stir until the onion is translucent 5-10 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes, stock, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes until tomatoes are cooked and easy to squish with the back of a spoon.
  2. Add fresh herbs and blend with an immersion blender, or you can transfer to a food processor or blender if you do not have an immersion blender and blend in small batches and cover lid with dish towel to avoid hot splatters. Blend until no chunks remain and herbs are flecked throughout.
  3. Add fresh whipping cream and stir to finish soup.

Tip: This past year, I had a lot of tomatoes come out of the garden, and the kitchen was being remodeled, so I learned you can actually freeze whole tomatoes. I washed and cored my tomatoes and then froze them on cookie sheets individually before placing in re-sealable freezer bags. This allows you to remove the tomatoes individually – they don’t stick together. You can just reach in the bags and grab what you need for a recipe. When they thaw they are great for soups, stews, sauces, condiments and salsas. The skins slip right off after thawing.

If you don’t garden, but frequent farmer’s markets for that sun-ripened tomato taste, this technique is a great way to have that fresh tomato taste throughout the fall and winter. I use my frozen tomatoes and just weigh them out with a kitchen scale before partially thawing, peeling and dropping into soup base.