Cold Fennel Soup With Lobster Recipes

LOBSTER AND FENNEL NAPOLEON WITH HERBED LOBSTER CREAM

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place the lobster claws in water for 3 minutes. Dont cook them through, but enough to be easily removed from the shell. Remove the claws from the water. Add the tails to the water and cook for 3 minutes. Extract the meat from the claws and the tails and set aside.
• In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the shallots, garlic and any scraps from the sliced fennel, saute until slightly brown. Add the lobster bodies, the cracked shells from the tails and the claws, saute another 5 minutes. Add a few good pinches of kosher salt and stir.
• Deglaze with vermouth and simmer until the alcohol is mostly cooked down. Add the heavy cream, turn the heat to low. Let simmer for about 30 minutes. Strain, add tarragon and pepper. Dice the par-cooked lobster tail, and add to the cream mixture.
• While the cream is simmering, crack the eggs into a large bowl and whisk. Add the sliced fennel and coat well. Pour the bread crumbs onto a plate. Dip each fennel slice in the panko, pressing firmly to coat completely on both sides. Lay the coated fennel slices on a plate.
• In a large saute pan, heat 1/2 cup of canola oil over medium heat. Fry the breaded fennel one piece at a time, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. When golden brown on one side, flip and cook the other side to the same golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Drain the fennel on paper towel and season with salt.
• The next step works better with a grill, but if this isnt an option, a saute pan works well.
• Preheat a grill. Coat the par-cooked claws with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place the claw meat on a very hot grill, cook about 2 minutes per side, and remove from the heat.
• To construct a plate, lay down one slice of fennel, then place one claw on top. Layer another slice of fennel and another claw on top. Spoon the cream liberally over the top, making sure each plate gets a nice amount of tail meat.

FENNEL, GARLIC AND POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the onion, celery, chopped fennel and a generous pinch of salt. Cook gently for about 5 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables have softened and lost some of their volume. Add the potatoes, garlic, bouquet garni and the water or stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, add salt to taste, cover and simmer 45 minutes.
• Remove the bouquet garni. Blend the soup until smooth with an immersion blender, or ladle into a blender, working in 1 1/2-cup batches. Remove the center from the blender cover, place a towel over the cover and pull it down tightly to prevent splashing. Blend and return to the pot. Heat through, add salt and pepper to taste and serve, or chill and serve cold, with your choice of garnishes.

FENNEL POTATO SOUP WITH LOBSTER MEDALLIONS, BLOOD ORANGE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or medium soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sweat them for 3 minutes. Add the fennel and sweat 5 minutes, until it begins to get tender. Add the potatoes, wine and Pernod and simmer to reduce the liquid until it is nearly gone. Season with salt and pepper. Add the vegetable stock, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the cream in a small heavy-bottomed saucepot over medium heat. Simmer to reduce until it has thickened and has rich nutty flavor. Set aside.
• While the soup simmers, prepare the Blood Orange Reduction. Whisk together the blood orange juice, lemon juice and honey in small non-reactive saucepot. Simmer over medium heat to reduce to a syrup, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Transfer soup in batches to a blender and process until smooth (or use a stick blender in the pot). Pass each batch through a mesh sieve, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Discard solids. Return the soup to the saucepot over medium heat. Whisk in the reduced cream and adjust seasoning to taste. Keep the soup warm while preparing the lobster.
• Bring a medium saucepot of salted water to a boil. Add the lobster tail and boil for 2 minutes, just enough to be able to remove the meat from shell, not to cook through. Put the tail in an ice bath to stop cooking. Remove the meat from the shell and cut the tail in half, rinsing if necessary. Slice the lobster into bite size pieces.
• Melt the butter in the saucepot. Whisk in the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add the lobster pieces and poach over low heat until just cooked through, about 2 minutes.
• Ladle hot soup into bowls. Add poached lobster pieces to each serving. Drizzle the soup with blood orange reduction and garnish with orange segments and fennel fronds.

COLD FENNEL SOUP WITH LOBSTER

Steps:

• Remove the stalks and feathery leaves from the fennel bulbs. Mince two tablespoons of the leaves and set aside. Chop the bulbs. You should have about two cups of the chopped bulbs. If additional fennel is needed, chop some of the stalks. Discard any unused stalks.
• Heat the oil in a heavy four-quart saucepan. Add the onion and chopped fennel bulbs and cook slowly, covered, until they are soft and transparent.
• Add the stock, bring to a simmer, and stir in the potatoes and cumin. Simmer partly covered until the vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes.
• While the vegetables are simmering, steam the lobster for 10 minutes, allow it to cool briefly, then remove the meat from the tail and claws. Dice the meat and refrigerate it, covered, until ready to serve.
• When the vegetables are tender, allow them to cool briefly, then puree in a blender in batches. Puree the soup in a food processor, if you prefer. It will not be as smooth and will benefit from being forced through a fine sieve. Refrigerate the puree, covered, at least four hours or overnight.
• Before serving, stir the half and half into the puree, using as much as you need to give the soup a creamy, but not too thick, consistency. If calories are a concern, the soup can be thinned with water. Add the Pernod and season the soup with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into six shallow soup plates and spoon some of the lobster into the middle of each. Scatter the minced fennel leaves over the soup and serve.