Claw and Order

Every so often, it's good to spend a little extra on food. It's an area most people try to save money on during hard times. Yet, we often forget to treat ourselves to a nice meal from time to time. When was the last time you cooked a tender Chateaubriand for yourself? Shucked fresh oysters? Compiled a decadent cheese platter for your family? Yes, these are expensive. So, everything in moderation.

A Court Bouillon is a poaching liquid that is used only to poach foods. It is not advised to use a court bouillon as stock since you add things to a court bouillon that you would not to a stock. A Fish Stock is strictly made with bones, bay leaves, peppercorns, onion, celery and leek trimmings (no carrots in this one). And it only takes about forty five minutes to make this stock (unlike beef stock which takes forever). With fish stock you can make a soup like Bouillabaisse, or a seafood risotto or use it in a sauce like beurre blanc or creamy shrimp pasta sauce. Whatever you like.

I discovered several weeks ago that many major grocers do not have fish stock in their inventory. Either it's frozen in the fresh soup area or not available at all. So, whenever you get a chance to make a stock, you may want to try it then freeze it until you need it. I find stocks can last a few months in your freezer, but once it gets freezer burnt, thaw and use quickly.

Anyways, I don't why I rambling about stock when in this recipe I use a Court Bouillon.

Poached Lobster with a Garlic Clarified Butter

1 Whole Live Lobster, named Yummy
1 Cooking Onion, roughly chopped
1 Celery, roughly chopped
A Few Black Peppercorns
1 Bay Leave
100 ml White Wine
Juice of a Lemon
100 g Butter, melted
2 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
Pinch of Sea Salt

In a tall stock pot, heat some oil and add onion and celery. Cook for one minute, add white wine and half of lemon juice. Add water to almost fill the pot. Add bay leaf and peppercorns and bring to a rapid boil. Do Yummy a favour by cooking him or her in rapid boiling water and not simmering water.

In a small pan, saute garlic in melted butter. Sprinkle with sea salt. Remove any milk solids at the top and keep warm.

For a 1.5 lb. lobster, cook for 12 - 15 minutes. Let cool for 1 minute and let the fun begin.

I usually remove the claws from the arms and crack them. The arms are a pain to eat from but considering the cost of it, you better take everything you can. Then pull the tail off, squeeze it to crack the shell. Pull it apart and the tail comes out pretty easily.

This process is so much easier to show than to write. One day, buy a lobster and just go for it.

Dip lobster into butter and enjoy.

Serves 2.

A Humble Chef's tip: keep it simple! Don't try grilling live lobster or something silly like that. Steaming live lobster can be messy too. Trust me and cook it in a Court Bouillon.

Variation: of course, the meat can be used in so many ways. In a salad, or a soup, or a pasta or even in an hors d'ouvre.

In One Spear, Out The Other

I am a big fan of asparagus. I already posted a great soup that really celebrates this singular speared vegetable. It looks wonderful on a plate and it is so easy to cook. Quite simply blanch in salted water and voila! A wonderful side dish to any meal. Whip up some hollandaise, reduce some balsamic vinegar and create a wonderful little salad.

Harvested in spring, expensive in winter, asparagus should be used in season as much as possible. If you like the white asparagus more than the original, be prepared to spend for it. It is a little more labour intensive to create the the white asparagus. Which is done by denying the asparagus any sunlight.

I like the green variety myself; especially for this recipe. A simple pasta served in a light broth. I think it is a shame that many home cooks feel like they have to have a sauce for pasta. That is simply not true. In fact, "alla olio" refers to a style of pasta that is lightly tossed in oil.

Keep it simple and the results just may amaze you.

Fettuccine with Asparagus and Baby Scallops

12 Asparagus Spears
2 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
1 Cooking Onion, finely diced
Juice of 2 Lemons
1 Small Red Pepper, finely diced
1 Pint of Cherry Tomatoes, quartered
200 ml White Wine (I've used rum and it works too)
Small Bunch of Chives, chopped
About 30 Baby Bay Scallops
Box of Fettuccine
Drizzle of Olive Oil
Dab of Butter
200 g Parmasan Cheese
Salt and Pepper to Taste

In a large pot of salted water, cook pasta as per manufactuer's instructions.

In a medium sauce pan of salted water, cook asparagus until tender. Cooking time varies depending on the thickness of the asparagus. Remove and shock in cold water.

In a large saute pan, heat oil and cook onion and garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Add peppers and tomatoes and continue to cook for 3 - 4 minutes. Add scallops and wine. Bring to a boil and let simmer for one minute. Add lemon juice and asparagus. Bring up to heat and season to taste.

Toss with pasta.

Serves 8.

A Humble Chef's tip: if making right away, don't bother shocking the asparagus and toss in broth. If you like a little more liquid, hold back on seasoning and add a small ladle of pasta water.

Variation: Shrimp, white asparagus, rose sauce. Wonderful.