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Q). Could you please
give me the recipe for lobster Thermador? It was in the Herald about 2
years ago and I left it at our house in Montana. Thanks again for all
the great recipes.
JoAnn
Via e-mail
A). First, let's talk about lobsters. The two types seen today
are the American lobster, widely known as the "Maine" lobster, as most
of them come from the waters around that state, and the spiny lobster,
primarily found around the Pacific coasts. Maine lobsters have large,
heavy claws containing as much as half of the total meat, while the
spiny has tiny claws with all of the meat in
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the tail. California spiny lobsters are
seasonally available along our coast from Santa Barbara southward. Here
are a few other lobster facts: Maine Lobster has less cholesterol,
calories and saturated fats than lean beef, skinless chicken or pork and
is a good source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Lobsters are also
high in amino acids, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, zinc,
iron, Vitamin A, and many of the B vitamins. As for Thermidor, the best
known of all lobster dishes, it was created in January 1894 at Marie's,
a famous restaurant in Paris, on the evening of the premiere of a play
called "Thermidor". The name refers to the method of preparing and
cooking lobster by cutting it in half, grilling |
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and then slicing up the meat and returning
it to the half shell in a béchamel sauce with various added ingredients
which can include mushrooms and mustard. It is then browned under the
broiler and served. Thermidor is included in The Complete Guide to the
Art of Modern Cookery, by Escoffier, 1903, as "Homard Thermidor": Split
the lobster in half lengthways, season and gently grill, then remove the
flesh from the shell and cut into fairly thick slices on the slant.
Place some sauce crème finished with a little English mustard in the
bottom of the two half shells, replace the slices of lobster neatly on
top and coat with the sauce. Glaze lightly in a hot oven or under the
salamander."
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As for "Thermidor Pisto Style", my
method (rather than an actual recipe) featured in this column a few
years ago, is simply prepared by removing and cutting up the meat and
combining with white wine, mushrooms, cream and cheeses. The mixture is
then put back into the shells and broiled till bubbling hot. This is one
of my closely guarded recipes, served at |
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The Whaling Station only when spinys are
available. Another great dish
called "Lobster Newberg" was made famous at Delmonico's
Restaurant in New York in 1876, when the recipe was brought to the chef
by a sea captain named Ben Wenberg. It was an immediate hit, especially
for after-theater suppers, and owner |
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Charles Delmonico honored the captain by
naming the dish "lobster a la Wenberg." But later Wenberg and Delmonico
had a falling-out, Delmonico took the dish off the menu, restoring it
only by popular demand by renaming it "lobster a la Newberg," reversing
the first three letters of the captain's name. |
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~~~~~ |
Q). My cousins just returned from
Italy and they are raving about stuffed pizza they ate there. It
contained ricotta cheese, ham and spinach. Do you know what it is? Could
you share a recipe?
Stephanie
Portland, Oregon
Via e-mail
A). This popular dish called Torta Rustica, Pizza Rustica or
Easter Pie is not really a pizza but a savory pie. You can vary the
filling ingredients as long as you keep the ricotta and the eggs. There
are numerous variations to this dish, this one having a northern Italian
influence since spinach and ham are used. Try this recipe:
Dough:
3 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 T. baking powder
1 T. salt
16 T. cold butter
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks |
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Filling:
3 lbs. fresh spinach, washed and dried, thick stems removed
1/2 chopped onion
1 lb. ricotta cheese
1/4 lb. grated Parmesan
6 eggs
3 T. butter
6 oz. cooked diced ham
6 oz. grated Swiss or gouda
salt & pepper
dash of nutmeg
1 egg yolk to finish
To prepare the pastry dough, combine all of
the dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces, and
using your fingers, work it into the dough until you have pea sized
pieces. Add the eggs and egg yolks, and mix just until the dough comes
together. Form into a ball, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1
hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut 2/3 of the dough from the ball, and
roll it out into a thin circle large enough to cover the bottom and
sides of a 12 inch springform pan. Cook the spinach in a pan large
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enough to hold it until wilted. Squeeze dry,
and chop. Heat the butter in a pan, and once sizzling, add the onions.
Cook until translucent and then add the spinach to the pan. Mix. Cool
the mixture to room temperature. In a large
bowl, mix together the ricotta, spinach mixture, ham and other cheeses.
Beat the eggs into this mixture, and season with the salt, pepper and
nutmeg. Pour this filling mixture into the prepared tart pan, smoothing
the top to flatten. Roll the remaining dough into a circle just large
enough to cover the top. Place on the filling mixture and pinch the
edges along the seam to close. Pierce the top of the pie with a knife in
a few places. Beat the remaining egg yolk with a few teaspoons of water,
and lightly brush the surface of the pie with this mixture. Bake for
about 45 minutes, or until the crust is brown and the filling set when
tested with a cake tester or sharp knife. Cool and then un-mold onto a
decorative plate. Serve in wedges either warm or cold. Will keep well,
covered in the refrigerator for several days.
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