Tag: heavy cream

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.

Cream Biscuits – The Best Biscuit to Risk It

Every year, you dream about putting out fresh, homemade biscuits on the holiday table; but fear of failure, and the convenience of those popping fresh tubes, makes it nothing more than an annual fantasy. Then, you found out about these cream biscuits.

Instead of cutting butter into the flour, we’re using butterfat-laced heavy cream, which not only makes the recipe fast and easy, but also produces a biscuit that’s light, moist, and flaky. To that end, try and get some self-rising flour. You can make your own (see below), but for whatever reason, the pre-mixed stuff seems to work better.

As far as cutting goes, I don’t like to roll the dough too thin just to get more cuts. I do it about 5/8-inch thick, cut six nice biscuits, and then use the trimmings to get 4 or 5 more. You can get 12, but that depends on the exact size of your cutter. The nice thing about this dough is that re-rolling doesn’t seem to damage the texture.

If you do decide to raise your biscuit game this holiday season, maybe think about adding some chopped rosemary or sage to the melted butter. That would add some extra aromatic savoriness, not to mention make your kitchen smell really good. I hope you give these easy cream biscuits a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 10-12 Cream Biscuits:

2 cups self-rising flour (You can make you own by sifting together 2 cups of all-purpose flour with 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon fine salt)

1 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2-3 tbsp melted butter
Bake at 500 F. for 10 to 12 minutes, or until well-browned

Gorgonzola Cream Sauce – Now with Cream!

Since we’re heading into rich and creamy sauce season, I
thought I’d use a nice hunk of Gorgonzola as an excuse to post a tutorial for a
classic “cream sauce.”

Unlike what’s passed off as the real stuff at casual
dining chains, a true cream sauce contains nothing but heavy cream, and is on
another level when it comes to taste and texture. A regular diet of cream sauce isn’t recommended, but once in
a while, it’s nice to take a break from the old 2%, and the technique is dead simple.
Simmer cream in a saucepan until it reduces and thickens slightly, flavor it
however, and toss in some hot (hopefully stuffed) pasta. Done and done.

I went with a fairly mild, crumbly Gorgonzola this time, but
no matter which you choose, be careful not to “cook” the cheese. You just want
to stir it in on low, until it’s almost gone, and then turn off the heat.
Otherwise the cheese will “break,” and you’ll have a greasy mess.

Since my mini-ravioli delivery system featured a squash
filling, I decided to finish with diced apples and toasted walnuts. It was
perfect with the rich sauce, and I recommend it if you’re using a similar
pasta. Since the sauce itself is so easy, as in one ingredient easy, you can
spend all that extra brainpower thinking of things you can add to it. I hope
you give this great sauce technique a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 large or 4 smaller portions:

1 cup heavy whipping cream (36% fat)

salt and pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

3 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley

finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, optional

6 ounces dry mini-ravioli (double to 12-oz if using fresh
ravioli or tortellini)

1/2 apple, diced

1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts