Lobster Bisque

Normaone's Note:

This is the first course of our Christmas Dinner and it's delicious. I could make a meal out of this and some really great crusty bread with no trouble at all! It is not difficult to make and it freezes very well. Along with our traditional Christmas main dish, Beef Wellington, it was hauled frozen, on dry ice, all the way to Colorado for the holidays last year with no problems. Just typing this is making me hungry. By the way, you can make sensational shrimp, crab or crawfish bisque using this same method.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 40 mins
• Prep Time: 40 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

For the Fish Stock

• 3 (8 ounce) bottles clam juice
• 2 cups water
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• ½ lb leek , including green tops,washed thoroughly,sliced
• ½ lb onion , sliced
• ½ lb mushroom
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf

For Completing the Bisque

• ½ cup butter
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• salt
• cayenne pepper (be careful!)
• 3 (1 ¼ lb) boiled lobsters (Plunge live lobsters into boiling water. When water returns to a boil, cook lobster 5 min for the fi)
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Place stock liquids in a 6 quart pot.
2. Add sliced onions, leeks, mushrooms, thyme and bay leaf.
3. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
4. When it reaches the boiling point, reduce heat so the broth just bubbles a little.
5. Let it simmer uncovered 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile shell the lobster, cut up and reserve the meat (keep the pincher meat whole and separate).
7. Cut up the shells (except for the pincher shells) and put them in the bowl of a food processor.
8. (not the pincher shells-they are too hard) Add the unsalted butter, cut into chunks, to the food processor.
9. Pulse the food processer until the butter and shells are well mixed.
10. Dump into the fish stock along with the pinchers and simmer partially covered for 20 minutes.
11. Strain through several thickness of dampened cheesecloth.
12. Melt 3/4 stick butter in a large saucepan.
13. Stir in, off the heat, the flour, tomato paste, and seasonings.
14. Gradually add the fish stock and stir over the fire until the bisque comes to a boil.
15. Simmer 10 minutes.
16. Stirring occasionally.
17. Reserve pincher meat.
18. Add other lobster meat to bisque.
19. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
20. Adjust seasonings.
21. Ladle bisque into bowls; top each bowl with the meat from one pincher; sprinkle with parsley.
22. Serve.