Tag: brandy

Classic Lobster Bisque – Finally!

I usually don’t have a good answer for why I’ve not gotten
around to filming certain iconic dishes like risotto, beef Wellington, and puff
pastry; but when it comes to lobster bisque, I do have a great excuse.

I won’t bore you with the details of how the tradition
started (translation: I don’t remember), but for as long as I can remember,
I’ve always made lobster bisque on Christmas Eve, to celebrate my sister-in-law
Jennifer’s birthday.

And since the few days leading up to Christmas are always so
busy and hectic with shopping, cooking, and travel, I’ve just never felt like
I’ve had the time to set up the camera to properly film the procedure. Well,
this year I decided to give it a go, and despite all the aforementioned
challenges, I was very happy with how this came out.

One word of warning: this recipe requires live lobsters,
brandy, and heavy cream. If you can’t get, or don’t want to use those
ingredients, then you’ll have to make something else. Sorry, but this recipe is
too sacred for substitutions.

Speaking of live lobsters, I know many are skeptical that
these “bugs” can actually feel pain, but to play it safe, I recommend putting
them in the freezer for 20 or 30 minutes to knock them out cold before their
ultimate demise.

I only showed the cracking and the picking of the lobster meat
very briefly, as this video was already too long for my tastes, but below I’ll
link an additional tutorial that show this in more detail. Yes, this soup takes
a little bit of work and expense, but I think you’ll agree with me (and
Jennifer) that all the effort is well worth it. Enjoy!


Makes about 1 1/2 quarts:
2 live lobsters (about 1 1/2 pounds each)
1 onion, chopped
2 rib celery, chopped
3 quarts cold water (this will reduce by about half during
the entire cooking process)
3 cloves garlic
4 springs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tsp paprika
1/3 cup white long grain rice
2 tbsp cheap brandy (inexpensive brandy tends to be a little
sweeter, and works well here)
1/2 cup heavy cream, or more if you like it creamier
salt and cayenne to taste
1 tbsp chopped tarragon to garnish

Bonus Lobster Meat Recovery Video: 
This video shows the picking of the lobster meat in much
more detail than I did. Since they are boiling the lobster, you can just skip
to the part where he is liberating all the meat. For more general lobster info,
you can also check out this page on Allrecipes.

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Mary Berry’s mincemeat bread and butter pudding

Goodtoknow TV

Free & easy recipe video: Watch new how-to recipe videos with goodtoknow and Woman’s Weekly see all videos >

This comfort food pudding is wonderful at any time of the year – not just at Christmas!

That’s goodtoknow

It is essential to make this in a shallow dish so that you get maximum crunchy top. It rises like a souffle, so serve it at once straight from the oven.

Ingredients

  • 50g (2 oz) ready-to-eat dried apricots
  • 2 tbsp brandy or rum
  • 12 thin slices white bread, buttered
  • 1 x 450g (1lb) jar luxury mincemeat
  • 50g (2 oz) caster sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 300ml (½ pint) double cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 150ml (¼ pint) milk
  • 1 tbsp demerara sugar

Method

  1. Well-butter a 28cm (11in) fairly shallow round china ovenproof dish. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/Fan 160ºC/Gas Mark 4.
  2. Snip the apricots into smallish pieces and soak in the brandy or rum whilst making the pudding.
  3. Make sandwiches of the bread using the mincemeat, but don’t fill right to the edges because these are trimmed off. Cut off the crusts and cut each sandwich diagonally into four. Arrange the sandwich triangles across the dish, slightly overlapping.
  4. Beat together the caster sugar, eggs, cream and vanilla extract. Stir in the milk.
  5. Scatter the apricots over the bread. Gradually pour over the cream mixture, making sure all the bread is coated. If you have time, leave the pudding to stand for 30-60 minutes (to allow the bread to absorb the liquid, so it becomes light and crisp during cooking). If you have no time, don’t worry – you can still bake it straightaway.
  6. Sprinkle the demerara sugar over the top of the pudding, and bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes until well-risen, crisp and golden. Serve warm with creme fraiche or cream.

Top tip: It is essential to make this in a shallow dish so that you get maximum crunchy top. It rises like a souffle, so serve it at once straight from the oven.Mary Berry’s Christmas Collection is available from Amazon, RRP £16.99.Win Mary Berry cook books

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Nutritional information

Guideline Daily Amount for 2,000 calories per day are: 70g fat, 20g saturated fat, 90g sugar, 6g salt.

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Today’s poll

What’s your budget to spend on food and drink for Christmas this year?

  • £151+ 27%
  • £101-£150 16%
  • £71-£100 12%
  • £51-£70 10%
  • £31-£50 9%
  • Less than £30 10%
  • I don’t know yet 5%
  • I’m not setting a budget 11%

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