FOODIE FRIDAY RECIPE - LOBSTER POT PIE

Lobster Pot Pie

One evening this summer I had the pleasure of dining waterfront in Connecticut overlooking the Long Island Sound.  One of the specials being offered was Lobster Pot Pie.  Who could resist?  It was a perfect meal which immediately shot to the top of my list of favorite foods.  I wish the restauranteurs would make this a permanent feature on their menu.  I deconstructed the entree and have come up with my version for you.  Although I first had the pot pie in the heat of summer I think it is even more perfectly suited to a crisp fall evening.  You could even make smaller portions to serve as a very elegant first course for Thanksgiving.  That would surely give your family and guests something to be thankful for!

INGREDIENTS:

meat from 2 steamed lobsters [each kept separate]

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 small potatoes, peeled and diced

2 cups half & half cream

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons instant [Wondra] flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons frozen green peas

1 teaspoon dry sherry

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, defrosted

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 400*

Parboil the peeled and diced carrots and potatoes until just fork-tender, drain and place in a mixing bowl.  In a small sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter but do not let it get any color.  Remove from heat and stir in the flour and the whisk in the half & half.  Return to low heat and add the salt, pepper, sherry and nutmeg.  Heat to just before simmer temperature while stirring,  but do not simmer or boil.  Remove from heat and add peas, potatoes and carrots.

Unfold the defrosted pastry sheet and cut two circles about 2 inches bigger than the rim of your [cereal-sized] bowls.

Place the meat from each lobster into each bowl and divide the cream/vegetable mixture over the lobster.  Cover each bowl with puff pastry and cut a small [1/2 inch] X vent in the center.  Place on a baking sheet and into the preheated oven on center rack for 20 minutes or until golden and flaky.

Serve in front of your fireplace* with a green salad and your favorite white wine. 

*if you don't have a fireplace, this dish calls for candles as the very least! 

FOODIE FRIDAY RECIPE - CAPE MAY LOBSTER SANDWICH

Best ever lobster & cheese sandwich!

I recently had the pleasure of a short trip to the New Jersey shore.  No trip to the shore would be complete for me without spending some quality time in Cape May.  Beautiful Cape May is located at southernmost tip of the Garden State and is home to some of the most beautiful historic Victorian homes in the United States.  

For me Cape May is a journey back to my youth.  I have been vacationing there since I was 5 years old.  The beauty of the town is that it never changes.  Businesses come and go but the structures remain intact and as charming as they ever were.  In fact, I think it looks better every year.  I'm rooted in Cape May.  When I'm on the tiny, pristine boardwalk smelling the aroma of roasted nuts from Marrow's Nut House and gazing out across the white sand to the ocean I feel as though time has stood still.

I feel the presence of my parents all around me when I'm in Cape May.  They loved it there.  I watched the first moon landing on a portable black and white TV with my dad while sitting  the steps of the Lafayette Motel which is still there.  The first mini golf courses which sparked my obsession still sparkle.  The church that my mother dragged me to on Sundays, when I would have preferred to be swimming, still watches over the quaint pedestrian mall in the center of town.

On this trip we found ourselves in a local beachfront restaurant for lunch.  This was never one of my "hangouts" as it was usually boisterous and a little too loud with live music and pitchers of beer everywhere but it was convenient and air conditioned.  I looked over the menu and decided on something which sounded odd and oddly interesting.  My Foodie Friday recipes have always been my own or family recipes which have been handed down to me but this week I'm going to share the recipe for that unusual but amazingly delicious lobster & cheese sandwich. This is more about the idea of combining ingredients that you wouldn't necessarily pair and having a truly great surprise.

Ingredients:

good quality grain or ciabatta bread

lobster meat [cooked]

brie

fresh mozzarella

fresh basil leaves

russian dressing

butter

Method:

Make a sandwich by covering the insides of two pieces of bread with the two cheeses.  Top one of the pieces of bread with a lump of lobster meat and then a few leaves of fresh basil.  Add about a tablespoon of russian dressing over the basil and close the sandwich.  Butter the outsides of the sandwich with softened butter and brown in a skillet until toasted on both sides.

This sandwich was halved and arranged on a plate with potato chips and a cup of tomato soup for dunking.  I found the soup to be completely unnecessary and overpowering.  The flavors of the melted cheeses with the hint of sweet from the lobster and Russian dressing work so well with the crisp clean bite of the fresh basil.  This is a gooey, savory elegant sandwich.

FOODIE FRIDAY RECIPE - LOBSTER FRA DIAVOLO

Lobster fra diavolo is a sure-to-please summer favorite of mine.  Piquant and light, I prefer to serve mine over a heaping bed of mafalde pasta.  Mafalde is best described as narrow lasagna noodles.  They stand up well to the spicy sauce and yet they're delicate.  You can adjust the heat factor of this devil's dish from mild to torturous.  I prefer mine on the medium to hot side.  

Ingredients:

One 32 ounce can of good quality tomato puree, preferable San Marzano tomatoes.  

4 medium lobster tails*

1 small onion minced

8 ounces sliced mushrooms

one 8 ounce jar of roasted red peppers

salt

pepper

2 teaspoons dried oregano

6 leaves fresh basil

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes [to taste]

1/4 cup red wine

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 clove minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound mafalde pasta

Method: 

In a small saucepan lightly brown the onion in olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic and remove from heat.  Add tomato puree, 1/2 tomato can of water, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, oregano and 5 basil leaves.  Reserve one leaf of basil to chop and sprinkle over cooked dish.  Return sauce to heat and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

While the sauce is simmering par boil the lobster tails in salted water with the white vinegar for 4 minutes.  Immediately remove the tails to a cold water bath to cool for handling.  

When the lobster is cool enough to touch, cut the tails in half lengthwise with a sharp knife and remove the meat.  Now I like to cut the meat into bite-sized pieces but you can leave them halved.  Set aside until sauce is done.

Now bring a large pot of salted water to boil and prepare the mafalde according to the package directions.

Drain the roasted peppers and slice into medium strips.

At the 45 minute mark remove the sauce from the heat and add the lobster, peppers and wine and return to the heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve on a platter over the cooked pasta.  Sprinkle the basil leaf over top and enjoy!  

* you can easily substitute cleaned, raw shrimp or even calms.

BONUS RECIPES - COQUILLES ST. JACQUES

Here is another meatless recipe for Lent but it's good year 'round.  It's easy, delicious and elegant.  You can serve it as an appetizer or entree and wait for the "wows"!  This is my shortcut version of a time consuming classic but no one will ever know.

Ingredients:

4 scallop baking shells*

12 medium shrimp [peeled & cleaned]

4 large sea scallops

1 lobster tail 

1 can condensed cream of mushroom or celery soup

1/3 cup light cream or whole milk

2 tablespoons chopped roasted red pepper 

1/3 cup Corn Flake crumbs or crushed Ritz Crackers

pinch of fresh ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon white vinegar

2 teaspoons sherry

salt

ground black pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 425* with rack just above center

In 2 quart saucepan bring 1 quart of water, vinegar and 1 tsp. salt to a boil.  When the water reaches the boil lower to simmer and add the shrimp.  As soon as the shrimp turn pale pink [very quickly] remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl leaving the water in the pan.  Repeat with the lobster tail and cook for about 4 minutes and remove to a plate leaving the water.  Now add the scallops to the water and remove from heat.  Cook for 1 minute and remove.  Now you can discard the water.

Shell and clean the shrimp leaving the tails on, if they were not already done. Shell the lobster tail and cut in half length-wise and then cut each half into 4 pieces.  Quarter each scallop.

In a small pan combine the can of soup, cream and sherry and gently warm over low heat while stirring.  Add  a 1/4 tsp. of black pepper and pinch of nutmeg.  Remove the warmed sauce from the heat and stir in the roasted red pepper.

In each scallop shell arrange 3 shrimp, 4 pieces scallop and 2 pieces lobster.  Cover each with sauce and top with corn flake crumbs.

Place shells on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil and bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

For an appetizer, serve one each on a plate.  For an entree** serve each shell on a bed of buttered rice with a vegetable on the side.

*you can substitute ramekins for the shells.

** you can also bake the mixture in a small casserole dish and serve in baked puff pastry shells over rice. 

This dish pairs beautifully with a semi-sec sparkling wine.

Coquilles St. Jacques