Camille Cooks For You

March is almost here and, for me, March is Lobster Fest Month. I’m not quite sure how this came about but I’m going to guess that it’s because my sister’s birthday is in March and she is the quintessential lobster lover. When we get together for her birthday lobster is always a part of the celebration.

This Lobster Blog is for my sister Lucille. Happy Birthday Little Sister. Let’s eat lobster this weekend!

Lobster Mac and Cheese

YUMMY!!!! Lobster Mac And Cheese

This recipe is not for the faint of heart. It’s rich and loaded with calories but if you’re going to splurge just once in a while then go for it. Also, the recipe is a little complicated to make and if you’re up for a challenge then this one is for you.

There is only one word for Lobster Mac and Cheese – Decadence!!!! I catered a party at which the Lobster Mac and Cheese was the headliner on the menu.  I made this outrageously deliciously creamy dish for 60 people.  I spent countless sleepless nights before the event putting the recipe together in my mind.  So many questions needed to be dealt with before I spent the gazillion dollars it cost to make this dish:  How much to make?  How can I infuse the lobster flavor into the sauce without making a traditional stock?  When do I add the cheese and mascarpone?  When do I add the lobster meat?  To bake or not to bake?  That was a really big question and I chose not to bake so as not to dry out the lobster meat.  Each question was answered and the recipe thought out perfectly before I made the dish.  My obsessiveness paid off as I got rave reviews and a lobster boat load of compliments on the dish.

I have taken my huge quantity recipe and cut it down to a reasonable size.  The new version will feed 8-10 generously or 16-18 as a side dish.

There are some things which are kind of up to you.  I put a good amount of lobster meat into the recipe but you might want more.  More won’t hurt and there need not be any recipe adjustments made.  Just add more lobster.

I chose a cheese of not too much intensity, Vermont White Cheddar, in combination with the rich and creamy mascarpone because I did not want to hide the flavor of the lobster infused milk.  You will notice I also did not add any herbs at the end of the dish.  I just want that lovely lobster taste to linger in my mouth.  No Herbus Interruptus.

Serves 8-10 (Can easily be cut is down in size)

1        1.5 to 2 LB Maine Lobster

4        Cups Whole Milk

4        Cups Half and Half

2        Cups Heavy Cream

3        Stalks Celery, Coarsely Chopped

3        Carrots, Unpeeled, Coarsely Chopped

1        Medium Spanish or Vidalia Onion, Skin On, Coarsely Chopped

1        Bay Leaf

1        Teaspoon Whole Black Peppercorns

1        Cup Flat Leaf Parsley Left Whole

1        Sprig Fresh Whole Sage Leaf

2        Tablespoons Tomato Paste

½       Cup Madeira Wine

8        Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

8        Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour

12      Ounces Grated Vermont White Cheddar Cheese

8        Ounces Mascarpone at Room Temperature

1        Teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt

½       Teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper

¼       Teaspoon Freshly Grated Nutmeg

1        Lb. Cooked Maine Lobster Meat, Coarsely Chopped (In addition to lobster meat pulled from the whole lobster)

2        Lbs. Shell Pastas

Buttered Bread Crumbs

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Plunge the lobster, head first, into the boiling water.  Bring water back to a boil, turn heat down to simmer and cook the lobster, covered, for 8 minutes.  Remove the lobster from the simmering water and immediately immerse it into an ice bath.  Cool the lobster completely in the ice bath, about 10 minutes.  Remove from the ice bath and carefully remove all of the lobster meat from the tail, claws and knuckles and coarsely chop.  Reserve all of the shells.  Cut the body in half and remove all the insides of the lobster.  Set the body and the rest of the shells to the side.

In a large pot, bring the milk, half and half, cream, celery, carrots, onion, bay leaf, peppercorns, parsley sage, tomato paste and Madeira wine to a slow simmer.  Add the lobster shells and body to the simmering mixture and continue to simmer covered for 1 hour.  Be careful to not let it come to a full boil (intense boiling could make it curdle).  After an hour, strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a large bowl.  Discard the solids.

In a large heavy pan, melt the butter over medium heat until bubbly.  Add the flour and cook for a few minutes stirring continuously to cook out the raw taste of the flour.  Slowly add the warm milk, cream, half and half mixture whisking continuously.  Add salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Bring to a slow boil and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes, always whisking.  Remove from heat and stir in cheese and mascarpone, being sure to completely combine. Fold in the lobster meat.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the shell pasta and cook until al dente following package instructions.  Drain the pasta, shaking the colander to get rid of excess water.

Place pasta in a large bowl and blend in the sauce, coating the pasta completely.  Spoon into pasta bowls and sprinkle with some of the buttered bread crumbs.  Serve immediately.

Grilled Maine Lobster with Corn and Potatoes

Grilled Maine Lobster with Potatoes and Corn

This is absolutely my most favorite way to have lobster. I love everything about cooking lobster on the grill especially the flavor and what the hot charcoal fire does to the meat. It’s hard to explain but when you cook the lobster on the grill you will know exactly what I am talking about.

Serves 4

4     Whole Live Maine Lobsters Each Weighing 1½ Pounds

½   Cup XVOO

1     Tablespoon Coarse Sea Salt

2     Teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper

2     Lemons Cut in Half Crosswise

1     Pound Tiny Red and Yukon Gold Potatoes

4    Ears of Corn on the Cobb, Husk and Silk Remove and Each Cut in Half Crosswise

2    Sticks Unsalted Butter, Slowly Melted

1    Tablespoon Fresh Chives, Finely Chopped

1    Tablespoon Fresh Cilantro, Finely Chopped

1    Tablespoon Fresh Basil, Finely Chopped

1    Teaspoon Fresh Oregano, Finely Chopped

1    Teaspoon Fresh Thyme, Finely Chopped

Make a charcoal fire and when the coals are mostly white with ash, hold your hand 5 inches above the coals. You will know the coals are ready when you can no longer keep your hand over the coals after 3 seconds. This is a medium to medium high heat. This is perfect to cook everything without having to reload the fire. If using a gas grill, heat to medium high.

Meanwhile, as the coals are getting hot, place the corn on a double sheet of foil and the potatoes on their own double sheet of foil. Bring the foil up around the corn to make an open packet. Do the same with the potatoes. In each packet pour the rest of the XVOO over each, add ½ cup of water to each packet and sprinkle each packet with the rest of the salt and pepper. Bring the foil up each packet and crimp but leave it partially open.

Place the potato packet on the grill, cover grill and cook the potatoes for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes place the corn packet on the grill and cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes test the potatoes to be sure they are done by inserting a thin bladed knife into a potato and if the blade goes in and out of a potato easily when pierced they are ready. Remove the potatoes and corn from the grill and tightly close the packets to keep warm.

While the potatoes and corn are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add lobsters to boiling water one at a time. You may be able to fit only 1 or 2 lobsters in the pot. Bring the water back to a boil and cook the lobsters for 3 minutes. Remove the lobsters from the water and pull off the claws and gently remove the tails. Cut the lobster tails in half lengthwise and, with a mallet, crack the claws slightly (this will make it easier to cook the claw meat and remove from the shell). Put the lobster pieces and the lemons into a large bowl and toss with ¼ cup of the XVOO and half of the sea salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper.

Place the lobster on the grill with the flesh side of the tails facing the grill and cook for about 2 minutes to lightly char. Add the lemons flesh side down. Turn the tails flesh side up, turn the claws over and cook for about 5 or 6 minutes.

Remove all from the grill and place lobster, lemons, corn and potatoes in to a very large bowl. Pour the melted butter over everything and add the fresh chopped herbs. Toss to combine and place decoratively onto a large platter.

Cedar Plank Grilled Seafood Featuring Maine Lobster Tails, Shrimp and Grouper

I am so lucky to be living in the land of year round grilling and what better to grill than seafood AND what better way to grill seafood than on cedar planks?  Every time I grill my first thought is “I will never cook in the house again!”. and now “I will never grill seafood again without cedar planks”.

The flavor is incredibly wonderful and the clean up is exceptionally easy.  NO POTS AND PANS!!!  When I grill, the whole meal is done on my Weber Grill.  I’ve been grilling on the Weber for a very long time and I actually feel as comfortable on the grill as I am on a stove.  It took a while to figure it out but once I did I feel as if I have it mastered.

You need not be a master to grill and using the cedar plank make grilling even easier.  You just have to be sure to soak the cedar planks for at least 4 hours and you most certainly must have  control of the fire.

Build a big charcoal fire and when the briquettes turn white spread them out in an even layer.  Place the cedar planks on the grill and let them char for about 5 minutes.  It’s always best to put the cover on the grill when you put the planks on the grill:  They won’t catch fire.  After 5 minutes of charring, flip them over and put your seafood on the planks.  (For the seafood, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.)  Cover the grill and cook the seafood pretty much the same as you would in an oven at a high roasting temperature.  I cooked the shrimp for about 4 minutes and them flipped them over and cooked 4 minutes more.  (I used large shrimp – 15 to a pound – cleaned and peeled with the tail left on.)

The fish I grilled was a beautiful piece of grouper weighing about 12 ounces.  I cooked the grouper for approximately 12 minutes since it was a very think piece.  (Each piece of fish will vary so use your fish cooking knowledge and you won’t go wrong.)  Once I removed the seafood from the grill, I covered it loosely with foil and let it rest and “juice up” for about 10 minutes.

When cooking the lobster tails start by cooking them directly on the grill, meat side down, to char and grill mark the tails and then finish, meat side up, on the plank. Cook the tails covered with the grill lid. The amount of time on the grill and plank depends on the size of the lobster tails and how hot your grill is. You are the master of your grill and you control the timing. You will be able to tell when the tails are done once the meat turns opaque. Good size tails (1 LB. each, at least) will take about 12 minutes total cooking time.

I also cooked a baked potato and vegetables on the grill. For the potato I rubbed it with XVOO and liberally sprinkled it with coarse sea salt.  I did not wrap it in foil but I did put it on a piece of foil to act as a sort of pan.  It took about 45 minutes to cook.  I did this before I grilled the seafood and kept the potato warm in my kitchen oven.  For the vegetables I drizzled them with XVOO and sprinkled with coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

camille@camillecooksforyou.com