Appetizer: Crab and Lobster Bisque
Ingredients:
4 lobster tails
1 king crab leg clusters (about 1.5 lbs)
½ onion
Sprig of thyme
2 garlic cloves
6 cups water
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup diced onion
½ cup diced carrots
½ cup diced celery
2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ cup white rice
2 tsps salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
½ cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp sherry
Tarragon, chopped for garnish
Directions:
Remove the lobster and crab meat from shells and cut into small bite-sized pieces. Place the shells into a pot with ½ onion, thyme sprigs, 2 garlic cloves and enough water to cover the shells (about 6-8 cups). Bring mixture into a boil and let simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the broth and set aside. Discard shells, onion, thyme and garlic cloves.
Into the now empty pot, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and sautee the onion, carrots and celery until softened about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste and rice. Sautte for 5 minutes then add about 4 cups of broth. Let simmer until rice has completely softened, about 20 minutes. Carefully add the mixture into a blender halfway and blend until smooth. Do not fill the blender to the top as mixture is still hot, it will take several batches to do this.
Place mixture back into the pan and let simmer on low heat, add the salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cayenne and more broth if it seems too thick. Add the heavy cream and sherry and continue to cook until warmed through. Season to taste.
In the meantime, melt the remainder 2 tablespoons of butter and cook the lobster and crab meat on low heat until cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
To serve, ladle soup into a bowl and add some of the crab/lobster mix in the middle. Drizzle a bit more heavy cream and garnish with chopped tarragon.
Main Dish: Braised Short Ribs with Mashed Potatoes and Garlic Broccolini
Ingredients:
4 lbs. bone-in short ribs
Salt to taste
Olive oil
1 cup diced onion
½ cup diced carrots
½ cup diced celery
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1/3 cup tomato paste
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup red wine, optional
32 oz (4 cups) beef broth
Rosemary sprigs
Thyme sprigs
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325F
Season the ribs with salt on all sides. Into a heavy bottomed skillet, add some olive oil and sear the ribs for a few minutes on each side until they develop a crust. Remove the ribs from the skillet, discard all but 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the diced onion, carrots and celery, cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and flour. Cook for a few minutes until tomato paste has darkened in color. Add the wine (if using) and cook until liquid has reduced by half. Add the broth, thyme, rosemary, garlic cloves, salt and pepper. Let it come to a simmer then add the ribs back into the skillet. Cover then transfer to the oven and cook for about 3.5 - 4 hours.
Remove the ribs from the mixture and carefully strain the sauce, discard all vegetables. Place the sauce back into the skillet and let it thickened. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and stir. Serve with mashed potatoes
Mashed Potatoes
4 medium size russet potatoes
Salt
White pepper
¾ - 1 cup warmed half and half
4 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions:
Scrub the potatoes clean and place into a pot with enough water to cover the potatoes. You quarter the potatoes for faster cooking. Bring to a boil then lower the heat, cover and cook until tender. Drain and carefully peel the potatoes. Place potatoes back into the pot and mash with a masher or us a food mill. Add the, half and half, salt and white pepper. Mix with a rubber spatula then add the butter. Stir once more until combined.
Garlic broccolini
2 bunches broccolini
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon juice, optional
Boil the broccolini until slightly tender but still have a bite to it. Immediately place into a bowl of cold water with ice. Into the now empty skillet, add the olive oil and garlic. Cook until garlic is fragrant then add the broccolini, salt, pepper and lemon juice if using. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Dessert: Blackberry Cobbler
Ingredients
24 oz fresh blackberries (or any berries of choice)
1 cup cup sugar, divided
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
½ cup heavy cream
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F
Combine sugar and cornstarch and toss with the fresh blackberries. Place into a pie dish and set aside.
Into a separate bowl, combine the flour baking powder, the remaining ½ cup sugar and butter. Use your hands to mix the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the heavy cream and fold until combine and use your hands to form small clumps. Place on top of the blackberries and bake for about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.