I love the James Peterson recipe for lobster bisque. Great with a rich white burg. Not for a hot summer day, though.
Do you have it…or a link.
I had some in Maine last week, but have never made any. Might try if I had a good recipe that was easy enough.
3 1.5-lb female lobsters
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon brandy
1 teaspoon good quality sherry vinegar
1/2 cup risotto rice
5 cups fish or chicken broth
finely chopped: 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1/2 stick celery, 1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups dry white wine
1 bouquet garni
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons lobster butter (from shells stewed in butter), or just plain butter as an alternative
salt, pinch of cayenne
Rinse the lobsters, then kill them by inserting a knife in their heads. Do this over a bowl to catch the juices; strain them and add to the tomalley and coral mixture below. Twist off the tails, and snap off the claws where they join the head. Split the head in two and pull out and discard the grain sacs. Pull the coral and tomalley from the tail and head. Work them through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl with 1 teaspoon brandy and the vinegar. Refrigerate until needed.
Cook the rice with half the broth until completely softened.
Cook the vegetables in butter over medium heat in a pot large enough to hold the lobsters. When they have softened but not browned, put in the lobster pieces, 2 tablespoons brandy, the white wine, the remaining broth, and bouquet garni. Cover and simmer until the lobster pieces have turned deep red, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, let the lobsters cool out of the broth, and remove the meat from the lobsters.
Put the lobster shells in the pot with the vegetables and break up the shells with a blunt instrument. Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Strain the mixture into a clean pot and discard the shells. While the shells are simmering, dice the lobster meat and reserve.
Puree the rice with any broth left in the pot in a blender for about 1 minute. Combine with the lobster mixture and strain the soup through a fine mesh strainer.
Whisk the cream into the coral mixture. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer, and whisk in the lobster butter. Whisk the soup into the coral/cream misture, return everything to the pot, and heat gently without letting it boil. Add cayenee, diced lobster, and salt to taste.
Not as intimidating to do as it is to read, IME
One of the things I love about his writing is that he doesn’t assume knowledge on the part of the reader, as I often find in cookbooks. In other words, they are written for laymen not chefs.
It is pretty intimidating to read…
thanks