Lobstah Bisque

Another homework assignment, another blog post.  This time we are in our comfort foods unit and the assignment was to make a chowder or bisque at home.  I have made chowder quite a few times so I decided to try something new and go with a bisque.  Instantly my mind went to lobster bisque.  This is a dish that I am always tempted to order when I see it on a menu but I have only actually had it once. 

A few years ago Jason and I took a trip out to Boston to watch the Brewers take on the Red Sox.  We both instantly fell in love with the city.  How could you not love a place with all the charm of small town America and all the offerings of a big city.  We went with intentions of soaking up as much history as we could but ended up taking in a ton of amazing food along the way as well.  I would go back there over and over again just to eat.  Anywhere that lives on a diet of seafood and italian food is right up my alley.  Before going there I spent hours researching restaurants and everything I read pointed us toward the Union Oyster House for the authentic historical Boston experience.  This place has been open since 1826 and proclaims itself to be America's first restaurant.  While walking on the Freedom Trail on our first day in the city, we found the Union Oyster house and decided to stop of dinner.  There was quite a wait for a table so we sat at the raw bar and spent a good hour just talking to the crazy french man who was shucking oysters like he was born to do it.  I could have just sat for hours and watched him work.  While looking over the daily specials, I discovered that the soup of the day was a lobster bisque and decided I had to try it.  I ordered up a cup and Jason decided to try the clam chowdah.  It was the most wonderful soup I have ever tasted.  There was such a deep rich flavor in the light creamy broth and the large pieces of lobster in it were cooked to perfection.  Our soups were so good that we both ordered up another bowl and ended up skipping dinner.  Someday we will get back to Boston and although there are many new places to try I know we will end up back at the Union Oyster house for some soup.  I guess there is something to be said about a restaurant that has been in operation for 186 years.

I found this recipe in a Bobby Flay cookbook that I got years ago and have always wanted to try it but never got around to it until now.  I altered it a little bit to suit our tastes and the ingredients I had available.

Lobster and Green Chile Bisque with Grilled Corn Relish

3 Tbs unsalted butter
1 medium spanish onion, chopped
2 large carrot, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 1/2 cups mushroom stems
5 cloves garlic, minced
2-1  pound lobster tails
1/2 cup dry sherry
2 cups white wine
7 cups water
8 sprigs parsley
8 sprigs cilantro
1 bay leaf
8 peppercorns
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 roasted poblano peppers, peeled, seeded and pureed
1 1/2 Tbs Old Bay Seasoning
1 Tbs smoked paprika
5 Tbs unsalted butter
5 Tbs flour
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 Tbs honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Grilled Corn Relish
3 ears fresh corn, silks removed and ears soaked in cold water for 10 minutes
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
1 roasted poblano pepper, peeled, seeded and finely diced
2 Tbs fresh lime juice
1 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs fresh cilantro chopped
salt and pepper to taste

I started off by giving Jason the task of manning the grill to cook the corn and roast the peppers.  While he was doing that, I got together my all the ingredients for the stock.

Melt the butter in a stock pot and add in the onion, carrots, celery, mushroom stems and garlic and sweat until soft.  Cut the lobster tails in half (I recruited Jason for this task since I wasn't strong enough, or willing to lose a finger).  Place the lobster over the vegetables and cover the pot.  Cook until lobster is cooked through.

Once the lobster is cooked, remove from the pot and remove the meat from the shell.  Break the shell into pieces and return to the pot.  Add the sherry and ignite to burn off the alcohol.

Once the alcohol burns off, add the wine and cook until reduced by half.  Then add the water, parsley, cilantro, seasonings, tomatoes and pepper puree.  Cook over low heat for 25-30 minutes.  While this is cooking you can chop up the lobster into small pieces.

After the 25-30 minutes is up, strain the stock and return to the pot.

In a small sauce pan, melt the remaining butter. Once melted whisk in the flour and cook for about 3 minutes.  Add this to the stick and stir to completely combine.  Cook the stock over medium heat until it thickens and the flour taste is gone, about 25 minutes.  In another sauce pan heat the milk and cream over medium heat until reduced by half.

While that was happening I got together the corn relish that Jason had so nicely grilled for me.

I cut the corn off of the cob and mixed it up with the chopped onion and pepper and the lime, cilantro, oil and a little salt and pepper.  For only being April I was surprised that not only was fresh corn available in the grocery store, but that it also had pretty good flavor.

Once the cream and milk had reduced, I added that into the thickened stock and put the lobster meat back in.  Stir up the soup and add the honey, chopped parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook for a couple of minutes for the lobster to warm back up and it's ready to serve.

I served the soup with some parsley and paprika on top and added some of the corn relish.  Although this was no where near the Union Oyster House's lobster bisque, it was very good.  It didn't quite get as thick as I would have liked it to be but Jason loved it and he rarely get excited about food so I guess I did something right.