Julia Child's Lobster Thermidor

I've been on this Julia Child recipe kick ever since I saw Julie and Julia. Here's another one of her fabulous recipes, Lobster Thermidor. Butter, heavy cream and lobster...how can you go wrong? I have to admit, I cheated and used lobster tails, not whole live lobsters for two reasons. First, I couldn't bear the thought of mudering a lobster by boiling it alive, and secondly, because the thought of having to dissect if afterwards while its beady little eyes were still looking up at me was not very pleasing either. So, if you can stomach it with the whole lobsters, go for it, if not, this recipe works just fine with lobster tails, just make sure the total weight of the lobster is the same.

Lobster Thermidor

from Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"

Steaming the Lobster:
3 cups dry white wine or 2 cups dry white vermouth
2 cups water
1 large onion , thinly sliced
1 medium carrot , thinly sliced
1 stalk celery , thinly sliced
6 sprigs parsley
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. thyme
6 peppercorns
1 Tbsp. fresh or dried tarragon
3 live lobsters , 2 pounds each
1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt

Sauce:
5 Tbsp. butter
6 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cream
1 Tbsp. dry mustard
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup whipping cream
4 to 6 Tbsp. more whipping cream
Pinch cayenne pepper

Sautéed Lobster Meat:
4 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup cognac

Final Assembly:
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Swiss cheese
2 Tbsp. butter , cut into bits

Steaming the lobsters:

Simmer wine, water, vegetables, herbs, and seasonings in the kettle for 15 minutes. Then bring to a rolling boil and add the live lobsters. Cover and boil for about 20 minutes. The lobsters are done when they are bright red and the long head-feelers can be pulled from the sockets fairly easily.

While the lobsters are steaming, stew the mushrooms slowly in the covered saucepan with the butter, lemon juice, and salt for 10 minutes.

The sauce:

When the lobsters are done, remove them from the kettle. Pour the mushroom cooking juices into the lobster steaming juices in the kettle and boil down rapidly until liquid has reduced to about 2 1/4 cups. Strain into the 4-cup enameled or stainless steel saucepan and bring to the simmer.

Cook the butter and flour slowly together in the 1 1/2-quart saucepan for 2 minutes without browning. Off heat, beat in the simmering lobster-cooking liquid. Boil, stirring, for 1 minute. Set aside. Film top of sauce with the cream.

Split the lobsters in half lengthwise, keeping the shell halves intact. Discard sand sacks in the heads, and the intestinal tubes. Rub lobster coral and green matter through a fine sieve into the mixing bowl (skip this step if you are using lobster tails), and blend into it the mustard, egg yolks, cream, and pepper. Beat the sauce into this mixture by driblets.

Return the sauce to the pan, and stirring with a wooden spoon, bring it to the boil and boil slowly for 2 minutes. Thin out with tablespoons of cream. Sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon fairly heavily. Taste carefully for seasoning. Set aside, top filmed with a spoonful of cream.

Sautéing the lobster meat:

Remove the meat from the lobster tails and claws, and cut it into 3/8-inch cubes. Set the skillet with the butter over moderate heat. When the butter foam begins to subside, stir in the lobster meat and sauté, stirring slowly, for about 5 minutes until the meat has turned a rosy color. Pour in the cognac and boil for a minute or two, shaking the skillet, until the liquid has reduced by half.

Final assembly:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Fold the cooked mushrooms and two thirds of the sauce into the skillet with the lobster meat. Arrange the split lobster shells in the roasting pan. Heap the lobster mixture into the shells; cover with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with cheese and dot with butter. The recipe may be prepared ahead up to this point and refrigerated.

Place in upper third of 425-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until lobster is bubbling and the top of the sauce is nicely browned. Serve immediately on a platter or serving plates.

Posted by: Julia

Sweet Chili Glazed and Walnut Crusted Tilapia with Roasted Asparagus

This was a nice light meal that was quick to prepare, perfect for a week night. I added a side of rice and dinner was served! My husband really like it too and he's very picky when I make fish.

Sweet Chili Glazed and Walnut Crusted Tilapia with Roasted Asparagus
from Picky-Palate.com

Ingredients:
1 bunch of asparagus
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
3 Tablespoons honey
¼ teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon warm water
¾ Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
½ Cup ground walnuts (I ground them in food processor)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
4 tilapia fillets
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
1. Place asparagus onto a edge rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and garlic salt. Roast in oven for 12-15 minutes or until fork tender, turning half way through. Remove and keep warm.

2. Place the honey, chili powder and warm water in a small bowl; mix to combine. Place crumbs, walnuts, salt, chili powder and pepper into a shallow dish; mix to combine. Season both sides of tilapia fillets with pinches of salt and pepper. With a pastry brush, brush honey glaze on both sides of tilapia then press into crumb mix. Continue until all fillets are coated.

3. Heat oil into a large skillet over medium heat. When hot place coated tilapia fillets into skillet; cook 2-4 minutes per side, until golden brown and fish flakes easy with a fork. Remove and serve warm.

4 servings

Posted By: Julia

Orange Salmon

My Mom gave me this recipe from a dinner she had a Lola's house and I finally got around to trying it. This was a great recipe for salmon. The buttery richness combined really well with the orange flavor. Definitely a keeper!

Orange Salmon
adapted from Lola Hardy

Ingredients:
4 Pieces of Salmon
4 tsp butter, divided
1 orange
Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Place salmon pieces in pan. Season salmon with salt and pepper. Place 1 tsp of butter on each piece of salmon. Cut orange in half and squeeze the juice onto the salmon. Scrape the remaining pulp from the salmon and divide among salmon pieces. Sprinkle salmon with garlic powder. Bake for 30 minutes.

Posted by: Julia

Dark Balsamic, Soy and Honey Glazed Salmon

I love salmon, and I also try to fit fish into our weekly menu for the health benefits it provides. I have been on a search for a good salmon recipe for as long as I can remember, and I think I have finally found it! This was one of the best recipes for salmon I have ever had. I adapted it slightly to fit my preferences. Enjoy!

Dark Balsamic, Soy and Honey Glazed Salmon
adapted from bigoven.com

Ingredients:
3 pounds Salmon
3 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup Vegetable oil
2 tablespoon Brown sugar
1 tablespoon Honey
2 1/2 tablespoon Soy sauce

Instructions:
Wash and prepare salmon. Whisk vegetable oil, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, honey and soy sauce until mixed well (emulsified). In a large airtight recloseable (ziploc) bag, carefully place the salmon. Add marinade. Marinate in fridge for 1-3 hours (do not overmarinate... you still want to primarily taste the salmon).

Remove fish from marinade, reserving marinade. Broil 4 inches from the flame for 5-10 minutes depending on thickness of fish, until it flakes easily.

Meanwhile, heat marinade in a small sauce pan over medium high heat until thickened. Pour marinade over fish and serve.

Posted By: Julia