Butter Poached Lobster with Fresh Pea Soup

This is a very interesting recipe that is sure to wow your guests. It's simple, served hot or cold and tastes great! It's the triple threat! And once you realize how easy and versatile butter poaching is you'll be hooked!

Beurre Monte'. In short is melted butter that remains emulsified. So it's actually a technique. Beurre Monte' can withstand heats that would normally break down and separate butter. How is this you may ask? Water! Additionally, you can use your Beurre Monte' as the base for sauces or as a poaching liquid to hold cooked items while you finish other components of the plate! Imagine grilling an amazing Rib-eye but the taters aren't done, drop that Rib-eye in a Beurre Monte'! it will hold the temperature of the steak without cooking it and... Did I just hear Butter and Steak! YEAH!

So back to the recipe. For the Beurre Monte" you'll need,

Beurre Monte'

1 Lb Unsalted Butter - Cold and sliced

2 Tbls water

A whisk

A skinny sauce pot - Taller than it is wide

Put the water into your pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to med heat and whisk in 1 tbls of butter at a time. Whisk to make sure the water and the butter emulsify. From here you can add any amount of butter you need! Once you are done hold the liquid at about 160. The Beurre Monte' will hold up to about 190 degrees, try that with regular butter!

Fresh Pea Soup

2 Tbls Unsalted Butter

2 Cups Sweet Onions - Chopped

4 Cups Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth - Kept warm in a sauce pan

5 Cups of Freshly Shelled Peas - You can use 20 ounces of frozen. Then rename the recipe!

Save 20 to 25 of the Pea shells for plating!

1/2 Cup Fresh Chopped Mint Leaves

Salt - To Taste

Fresh Ground Black Pepper - I use Tellicherry

Melt the butter in a large sauce pan. Add Onions, a pinch of salt and a couple cracks of pepper. Cook over medium heat until the Onions are translucent. Add the warm Chicken Stock. Slowly bring to a boil. Add the Peas and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the Peas are tender. Once the Peas are tender, remove the pot from the heat and throw in the mint leaves.

Transfer the soup to a blender and puree. Be careful as you may need to do this in batches. I never fill my blender past half full. Transfer the pureed soup to a non-reactive bowl (Glass). Taste for any additional seasoning. Remember, if you are going to serve the soup cold add more seasoning!

Butter Poached Lobster

2 Lbs Lobster tail - This works better if you are using 4 smaller tails

Bamboo sticks - 2 sticks per tail

Bakers twine

Poaching Liquid - Made earlier

Crack and clean the Lobster tails under cold water. Dry the tails with paper towels. I use the bakers twine and tie the tail as you would a roast. This helps to shape the tail so you'll end up with those perfect looking disks! Additionally I run two skewers through the tail to help hold the tail straight.

Bring your Beurre Monte' to about 180 degrees, slowly add two of the tails. At this time you could pour your soup into shot glasses.

Cook the tail for 4-5 minutes for two of the small tails. If you are using a large tail cook for 7-8 minutes. You do not want to over cook the tail. Test by slicing near the end of one of the tails. The meat should be white not translucent and the texture should be soft.

Gently remove the bakers twine and the bamboo skewers. Slice the Lobster tails into disks, rest the empty Pea pod on the opening of the shot glass and place your Butter Poached Lobster disk on top!

Enjoy!

Ernie

Oh those New Years side dishes!

As my good Foodie Friend +Mandy Rivers over at "South Your Mouth" points out, tradition and the South go hand in hand! And the rivalry over which foods to cook for New Years is almost as big as the College Bowl Games! 

So as a food blogger I felt compelled to post a family favorite good luck side dish. My Momma's Black-Eyed Peas and Ham Hock Cabbage. - Not so fast!

I've lived in Tennessee for nearly 30 years and I have eaten my fair share of Black-Eyed Peas and Collard Greens! But, without fail my Mom will call the day after Christmas to remind me to pay homage to our Irish roots which means Black-Eyed Peas and Ham Hock Cabbage. So this year I called my brother who recently has spent considerable time and money researching our families Genealogy. So to throw a bigger curve ball at me my brother gives me the quick run down. We have no Irish roots at all! ( I hate that because I love me some cabbage!) 

Scottish and British roots only, going back some 1700 years!

Now, a quick online study of how the Scottish celebrate the New Year tells me I love them already! The tradition is called "Hogmanay" pronounced HOG - MUH - NAY and it can last for days!! 

Plenty of adult drinks, Whiskey! Tons of fun traditions and If (when) you have a hang over the next day
they blame it on the dreaded Black Bun! A dense lump of Christmas pudding wrapped in pastry. 

So, instead of tackling Haggis, a traditional Scottish plate which by the way consists of heart, liver, Suet and lungs all sewn into a clean stomach which is seasoned and boiled. Sorry mom, this year I've decided to cling to my Scottish roots and just have a drink!   -Thanks Dan!

Happy New Years!!

Ernie

Chipotle Slaw

So just like others folks in the Mid-South I'm no stranger to Cole Slaw. Family gatherings, reunions and of course anytime there's Ribs, there's slaw! So while developing new Burgers for my Food Boat I also developed new flavor profiles for my slaw. It's easy to do and I recommend everyone ruin about 3 lbs of slaw just experimenting!!

Chipotle Slaw

2 Cups Slaw

3 Tbls Mayo - You can substitute plain yogurt for the mayo. I've even made this without mayo!

1 1/2 Tbls Blue Agave Sweetener

2 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo sauce mined

1/2 Lime squeezed

Pinch of Sea Salt

Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste

Combine all of these ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine all of the goodness!

Whether you use this as a side or on a burger it will be the star of the show!

Enjoy

How to Make Smoked, Deviled Eggs!

So I was at this restaurant in downtown Memphis and I ordered Smoked Crab Deviled Eggs. It really tasted good but the smoke was a bit harsh. So I asked the waiter to ask the Chef, what kind of wood did they use to smoke the egg yolks? The Chef stated that he did not use wood, which means they use liquid smoke. And that's fine but he was a little heavy handed with it.

So when I got home I was bound and determined to smoke some Egg Yolks!!

For me the details are what makes food great. So, to smoke egg yolks you have to start with perfectly boiled eggs!!

Perfectly Boiled and Smoked Eggs

10 Eggs

Water

Aluminum Foil

Charcoal

Wood Chips for Smoking!! Soak the chips in water.

Soak the wood chips

Dump your wood chips in a large pot and fill the pot with water. Set aside, the chips need to soak for at least 30 minutes, one hour is better!

Boiling the eggs

Place 10 eggs in a large sauce pot. Cover the eggs with COLD water from your tap. You'll want about 1" of water over the eggs!

Place the pot uncovered on high heat and wait for that puppy to boil!

As soon as the pot boils, remove it from the heat, place a lid on the pot and set a timer for 10 minutes. 

*set a timer for 12 minutes if you are using extra large eggs.

Prepare an ice bath. Simply a large bowl with ice cubes and water.

As soon as the timer goes off use a slotted spoon and move the eggs to the ice bath.

Carefully under running water crack and peel the eggs.

Cooking Note:

Q. What is that green hue around egg yolks?

Well there's great news! If you follow these directions, you should never see that green color on your egg yolks ever again!

A. Eggs contain both Sulfur and Iron. When eggs are cooked too long or at too high a temperature the sulfur and the iron react on the surface of the yolk. 

Now, if you live somewhere where the iron content in your water is high, you may consider using bottled water if the green is simply too much for you. However it is harmless and only affects the appearance. But again, now you know how to make perfect boiled eggs every time.

Now that we have perfect boiled eggs you will need to slice them in half and remove the yolk.

Check out the cool knife cut!

Place the Yolks on two sheets of aluminum foil, cut side down.

Setup the grill and smoke the eggs

Go out and fire up the grill! Use indirect heat (for those new to this that only means that you put all of the coals on one side of the grill. Let the coals get very hot. If you have a smoking tray begin adding the wood chips. If you do not have a smoking tray you can fashion one out of foil or you can do what I do... I drop a handful of the wood chips directly on the fire being careful not to extinguish the coals.

Lay the foil with the egg yolks on the opposite side of the grill. As seen below.

Cooking Note:

Make sure the air vent on or near the bottom of the grill is open and the the vent on top of the grill is half closed. You want the smoke to circulate around the yolks.

I smoke the eggs for 1 - 1 1/2 hrs. Add wood chips as needed, keep er smokin! Keep the heat low, rotate the eggs if you see one side cooking faster than the other and babysitting eggs is a great excuse to drink a beer!

You will notice as you check in on your yolks that moisture is seeping out of the eggs. This is normal.

This is what the end of the smoking process should look like!

Back inside, take a fork and mash up the egg yolks.

From here you can go in ANY direction! At first you will think that these yolks will never break down and become creamy. They will. 

Fold in grandma's deviled egg recipe, your deviled egg recipe and the yolks will break down. Taste, taste, taste as you will find yourself adding more deviled egg ingredients until you are happy with the level of smoke in the mixture.

Or once again you can leave the realm of normal! I add my mothers deviled egg ingredients (no relish) and then cook a Mexican roast for 6 hours, shred the meat and fold that into the mixture. You could shred ribs, crab or almost anything you feel would taste great with smoke flavoring! Your friends will be blown away!!

Enjoy

PASTA

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Pasta is so controversial. I have made it a variety of ways and for me it boils down to this, (get it, "Boils") lol! 
Make pasta that you like!I know pasta is wrapped in Italian tradition and I respect that. But not too many families can afford to put 8 eggs into their pasta. So I have my own pasta recipe and I like it because I can use it for both Pasta and Ravioli!

Pasta
2 Cups Flour
1 Tsp Table Salt
3 Eggs
2 Tbls Olive Oil

Pour the flour onto a clean surface and make a well in the center with your fingers, crack 3 eggs into the center, add the salt and olive oil.

Cooking Note: Set the eggs out before you begin so that they can begin to reach room temperature.

Using your fingers or a fork, mix the eggs up and slowly incorporate the flour into the mix. If you feel that your pasta is too dry, add a sprinkle of water to the dough. If too sticky then you should sprinkle with flour.

Once you you have created the ball of dough you should begin kneading it with the palm of your hands. Fold the dough onto itself and press away with your palm. do this for 5 to 10 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes if you can.

From here you can make Pasta or Ravioli! 

This pasta has been rolled out to about 4

and needs to get thinner!

Cooking Note: If you are making Ravioli keep this in mind, roll the pasta out either by hand or using a machine until thin. I go twice on 9 which is the lowest setting on my pasta machine. You want to see your hand through the pasta but you do not want it to be translucent. Also, you are looking for a perfect mixture of pasta to filling. So try to keep that in mind.

Enjoy

Avocado Crab Stack with a 

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

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I love making this for various reasons. The hot soup to cold crab stack contrast is amazing and the plate looks so good. And it's easy! As always read the whole recipe first. I like to break things down in my mind, recipes are no exception. It just works better for me. And when you do this you can see just how easy this elegant dish is to make! 

Avocado Crab Stack with a Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

8 - 10 ounces of Lump Crab meat (Fully Cooked) - picked through for shells
1 Small head of Romaine Lettuce - Shredded 
1 1/2 Avocados - mashed with a fork
1 Serrano Pepper - minced
1 Apple - Diced. (use an apple that you like)
1 Tbls of "The Sauce"
1 Lime

6 Lg tomatoes - Cut in half

2 Lg Red Peppers - Cut in half

2 Lg Shallots - rough cut

10 - 12 Basil leaves - Tear by hand

1 Bay leaf

1 Whole sprig of Thyme

3 1/2 Cups Tomato Juice

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

Olive oil

5 Tbls Mayo (We use Helmans, Homemade rocks of course)
1/2 Tsp Sriracha - or to taste
Squeeze of Lime to taste

Salt and Pepper

We use this product if we can not get or afford fresh Crab.

The Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

Start with the soup first, this will give the flavors more time to develop.

Your palate will thank you.

6 Lg tomatoes - Cut in half

2 Lg Red Peppers - Cut in half

2 Lg Shallots - rough cut

10 - 12 Basil leaves - Tear by hand

1 Bay leaf

1 Whole sprig of Thyme

3 1/2 Cups Tomato Juice

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Cut the tomatoes in half and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Cut the Red Peppers in half, clean out the seeds and white veins and place cut side down on the same baking sheet.

Drizzle with Olive Oil, broil at 500 degrees for 15 minutes or just until the peppers begin to blacken (See cool Picture above) .

In a deep pot add 1 Tbls olive oil over medium heat. Once hot add the shallots, thyme sprig and bay leaf, saute' until the onions are translucent. Now add the roasted peppers and tomatoes! Right about now your house smells real good! Continue to saute' for about 5 minutes. Pour in the tomato juice, stir and simmer for ten minutes. This would be a great time to taste and season.

Remove from the heat and transfer soup to a blender. Do this in batches, your kitchen will thank you! Blend until very creamy and then strain through a fine mess sieve. Return the soup to the pot and slowly add the heavy cream to taste. Re-season as you go! From here you could place the soup on a very low heat eye or you could let it cool and then refrigerate the soup. I love serving cold soup to guests, the flavors are so different, just remember to season more aggressively as cold food requires more seasoning. Oh, try to resist the urge to make a grilled cheese right now!

The Sauce

5 Tbls Mayo (We use Helmans, Homemade rocks of course)

1/2 Tsp Sriracha - or to taste

Squeeze of Lime to taste

Combine the first two ingredients and whisk. slowly add lime to taste.

Avocado Crab Stack

8 - 10 ounces of Lump Crab meat (Fully Cooked) - picked through for shells

1 Small head of Romaine Lettuce - Shredded 

1 1/2 Avocados - mashed with a fork

1 Serrano Pepper - minced

1 Apple - Diced. (use an apple that you like)

1 Tbls of "The Sauce"

1 Lime

Salt / Pepper

In a non-reactive bowl mix the diced apple, minced serrano pepper, 1 Tbls of "The Sauce" and the crab meat. Add a squeeze of the lime to keep the apples from browning. Only add enough romaine to add color to the mixture. Add just a pinch of salt. Gently fold the crab mix together. The sauce should only act as a binder holding the mixture together. Taste to determine if you would like to add salt or pepper.

Mash the Avocado's and hit them with a light squeeze of lime as well.

In a large bowl (no offense @Cat Cora) place a ring mold, old soup can or anything you think you can make a stack in! Start by adding the avocado first then add some of the crab mix. 

Cooking Note: 

Use the back of a teaspoon to apply pressure to both the Avocados and the Crab mix as they are added. This will pack the ring mold tighter and provide a better presentation for your guests!

Remove the ring mold gently, apply light pressure to the crab with your spoon as you slide the ring up. Ladle your hot or cold soup around the stack! Top the stack with "The Sauce".

Cooking Note: Drizzle Olive Oil or White Truffle Oil around the soup, take a picture and share with friends!

Enjoy

Huevo Escalfado

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I have made some style of eggs almost every morning for as long as I can remember! So one particular morning I had set up my ingredients to make yet another round, of Eggs Benedict. Don't get me wrong I love both the challenge of the Hollandaise Sauce and it's velvety flavor, but today I want to put my own spin on it! I had no name for this dish until I put the ingredients into an English to Spanish translator!

Huevo Escalfado

I always recommend making the Pico first because you want the flavors to marry while resting in the fridge. 

Pico De Gallo

1 Small Red Onion - Diced

1 Serrano or Jalapeno Pepper - Diced and add to taste

2 Roma Tomatoes - Diced

2 Cloves of Garlic - Minced

1/4 Cup packed Cilantro leaves - Chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all or the ingredients above in a non-reactive bowl, I recommend glass. Toss lightly as you do not want the Tomatoes to become crushed. Taste the Pico and keep in mind that cold food requires more seasoning than warm food. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.

*Cooking Note

Of course this is a Basic Pico De Gallo, you could always add Cumin, Coriander, Cayenne or a host of other dry or wet Chili and hot sauce products. Play with the flavors and have fun!

4 Lg Eggs - Cold Eggs work best when poaching

1 Baking Potato - Very thin slices, you will need eight

1 Avocado

4 Tbls Chorizo - I measure and cut Chorizo just as you do wrapped Butter

1/3 Cup Heavy Cream

1 Tbls Unsalted Butter - Cut into three equal slices

1 Tsp White Vinegar 

1/2 Cup Pico De Gallo - Recipe provided above

Poaching the Eggs

In a medium sauce pot bring 3 inches of water plus one Tsp of White Vinegar to 180 degrees. The Vinegar helps the Egg Whites firm up and not separate from the Egg. 

Crack your Eggs into separate ramekins ensuring the yolks do not break. This is also a great time to look for egg shells!

Stir the water quickly in one direction with a wooden spoon and slowly add your Eggs on at a time. Be careful not to over crowd. The Eggs should remain in the poaching liquid for 3 minutes. Be careful not to let your water boil as your Eggs will over cook and the bubbles from the boiling water will dent your Egg ruining it's appearance. When done remove the Eggs with a Slotted spoon and reserve on a folded paper towel.

*Cooking Note

Your poaching liquid could almost be anything! white wine, milk, your favorite soup or a Beurre Monte' - Melted emulsified butter!

Rinse and dry the potato. Then, with the skills of a Thomas Keller Chef, slice the potato as thin as you can. You will need 8 slices.

Chorizo Reduction Sauce

*Cooking Note

Creating this sauce allows us to kill two birds with one stone. First of course we are making the sauce, second is that we will fry the potatoes at the same time.

Heat a sauce pan over medium heat. Once hot add the 4 Tbls of chorizo. Use a wooden spoon to break it up quickly. As soon as the chorizo has been broken up you should begin to add the potato slices to the pan. - You may have to work in batches based on the size of your saute' pan. Keep in mind that we are not trying to make potato chips! You simply want to cook the potato slices to Al Dente'... That's right, your bite! Plate the potatoes as they finish. Two per serving.

Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer removing the bits of chorizo reserving the sauce of course! Return the sauce in the same pan back to the heat and add 1 on the butter slices. Whisk to incorporate and taste. Remove from heat.

You are now ready to plate! Return your poached eggs back to the poaching liquid for 20 seconds. Then remove with a slotted spoon to a folded paper towel. pat any remaining water off of the eggs and place eggs on the potato slices. Drizzle the eggs with the chorizo reduction and top with a generous Tbls of the Pico De Gallo. Slice the Avocado and plate as a side. Don't forget to make the cool sauce swipe on the plate!

*Cooking Note

The avocado slices could be topped with Cotjio cheese or drops of your favorite hot sauce!

Enjoy!