LOBSTER BISQUE WITH TARRAGON

Lobster Bisque With Tarragon image

Provided by Molly O'Neill

Categories project, soups and stews, appetizer, side dish

Time 2h10m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 17

Ingredients

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 large shallots, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, diced
2 1 1/4-pound live lobsters
5 tablespoons Cognac
1 1/2 cups white wine
2 cups mild fish stock
2 tablespoons roughly chopped tarragon leaves
1 bay leaf
5 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground white pepper to taste
1/3 cup long-grain white rice
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 cups milk
Finely chopped tarragon for garnish

Steps:

In a large soup pot, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat and add the carrots, shallots and celery. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are very soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Place a cutting board inside a sheet pan. (This will catch all the juices from the lobsters.) Lay a lobster on the cutting board. Place the tip of a large, heavy knife at the indentation where the carapace meets the head of the lobster, making sure that the cutting blade is facing toward the lobster's eyes. Swiftly and forcefully, plunge the knife through the lobster until the point of the knife hits the cutting board. Immediately force the blade down, splitting the head of the lobster. (The lobster will be dead, although it may still move.) Repeat with the remaining lobster.
Twist off the tails and claws of the lobsters. Split the bodies in half and scoop out and discard the spongy green parts in the head. Put the lobster pieces and any juice that has accumulated in the sheet pan into the pot with the vegetables and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until the shells are bright red, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the lobsters from the pot and cool a few minutes. Remove the meat from the claws and tails and refrigerate. Chop the shells into small pieces and return them to the pot.
Cook the shells for a few minutes over high heat. Add 4 tablespoons of the Cognac and ignite it. When the flames die, add wine, stock, tarragon leaves, bay leaf, tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
Remove as many large pieces of shell as possible and place them, a cup or two at a time, in a food processor. Pulse until the shells are finely ground. Return ground shells to the pot and add the rice and 3 cups of water. Dice the meat from the tails only and add it. Cover the pot and simmer another 30 minutes.
Put the soup through a food mill. Discard the solids and strain the puree through a fine sieve. Put the puree in a large saucepan and add the cream, milk and remaining Cognac. Heat very gently, not allowing it to boil, until hot. Just before serving, whisk in the remaining tablespoon of butter. Ladle soup into bowls and chop the claw meat to use with a little chopped tarragon for garnish. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 793, UnsaturatedFat 13 grams, Carbohydrate 35 grams, Fat 37 grams, Fiber 4 grams, Protein 57 grams, SaturatedFat 22 grams, Sodium 1898 milligrams, Sugar 13 grams, TransFat 1 gram