Make something with it?
After a nice week at Uproot, I borrowed the Chef's copy of "On the Line", a book of Chef Eric Ripert's of Le Bernardin (One of the best seafood restaurants in NYC?). My Dad told me yesterday about how he came across a nice 10 pound pack of wild lobster tail from some far away place and suggested I boil or steam them for dinner tonight. My reply? "Umm... No? Leave that to me".
My family would usually just steam or boil lobster until they were "red" and we would eat it just like that. Maybe a little black vinegar with julienned ginger... but no other seasonings. It still tasted delicious... but then again, you can't fuck lobster up THAT badly (unless you cook it until it becomes condom-textured).
Well, I have to cook for experimentation purposes and artistic/creative purposes so I drew some inspiration from Eric Ripert's book and attempted to prepare Lobster two different ways.
1. Warm Lobster Timbale in a Champagne Nage
2. Roasted Lobster with Wilted Romaine, Butternut Squash, Candied Ginger, and Port and Tamarind Reduction. and and and and.
Anyway, I took a quick skim at the ingredients and the methods of preparing each dish and thought both would be "doable" within a few hours. The only time consuming part of both dishes was allowing the stock/sauces/boiling liquid to reduce and extract flavors. Not much prep work at all for either of these recipes.
So, I started off by reducing a crapload of chicken stock. Canned. Sauteed some Carrot/Celery before adding the stock to give it a bit more flavor...
Chopped up a buncha random stuff, celery/carrot/fennel/garlic and added some black pepper corns and shit to a buncha cold water.
Then added a good amount of Champagne and Champagne vinegar
Then Sandy was acting up and I had to put her in her place. SIDDOWN BITCH!
Sliced some butternut squash rounds... roasted off for a little bit in the oven. Used a cup to cut nice rounds out of them (Need to buy ring molds).
I really was tempted to make a butternut squash soup and put like some leftover prosciutto and stuff into it and into this awesome squash vessel. (Buttnutt squash with the seeds removed). Such a cool hat as well.
Felt like making some potatoes for my little brother and some steak. (Yeah, boring kid) so got some small red/white tossed in extra virg, s/p/paprika. Roasted off for some time (I don't time things, they got soft, without being burnt). Pulled them out and smashed them, added a pat of butter on top of each one and threw some thyme leaves on them and finished them in the oven. Delicious
Tossed some pearl onions/cherry tomatoes in too along w/ garlic confit and it was a tasty looking family potato dish.
Cooked some lobster tails off in the stock (after it was simmering for about 2 hours) and tossed in herbies (basil/thyme/cilantro). Strained some cooking liquid off to the side to reduce for the "Timbale" dish.
Candied some Ginger. Didn't turn out quite as well as I had planned or envisioned. I didn't have a nice long piece of ginger to julienne or make thin pieces out of. Flat little rectangles. bleh. Tasty though.
Steaks for daniel
Lobster timbale... red onion/carrot/celery which were lightly/quickly sauteed and seasoned, sliced some cooked/boiled lobster tails and finished in the oven with a little shallot/tarragon/butter.
I stacked them in a cup (lack of ring mold) and turned it upside down. Not too bad. Not too good either.
Finished plate. Mixed some reduced boiling liquid with a bit of champagne, failed to strain it but provided a very tasty broth at the bottom. Topped with some candied ginger.
Whole lobster tail with red wine/port reduction with wilted endive and butternut squash rounds (hidden??)
Steak for daniel with tarragon cream jus
I need to buy some fucking white plates. Getting bored of this black japanese style shit.
Had an inkling for some drinkling and bought this. Tasty shit.
Ah, and to start a new exciting week at Uproot again 5 hours from now!
