A Lobster in Every Pot
My friends Zachary and Clark are always experimenting with delicious recipes from their outpost in Vermont. Once fall is in the air, they turn their attention to hearty, cold-weather dishes.
This lobster potpie, adapted from Ina Garten's potpie recipe that appears in her first book, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, is a perfect example. It's just Ina's style to take a homespun, comfort food like chicken potpie and raise it to the next level. I think her decadent version, made with lobster and Pernod, would be perfect for a cozy New Year's Eve dinner, myself.
Here are Zachary and Clark's tips and tweaks to Ina's winning recipe:
* The most important tweak we made to this recipe was to use lobster stock instead of fish stock. The flavor of this pot pie, like so many other dishes, lies mainly in the sauce, not the meat itself, so don't stint on the stock that underlies the sauce. If we can find good lobster stock in Vermont (our little fish store makes it), you should be able to find it almost anywhere!
* Fish stores usually sell shelled, cooked lobster meat. But we found a better, fresher lobster taste from buying frozen uncooked lobster tails and steaming them ourselves. It's easy, and frozen lobster tails can taste almost as good as fresh when properly steamed.
* We substitute celery for pearl onions. Ina has a thing for onions, and we think there are too many in her recipe. Celery adds a good texture as well as another classic sauce flavor.
* Be sure to use lard! The combination of lard and butter makes a robust, richly flavored pastry that stands up perfectly to the ingredients inside. Our butcher sells fresh lard; try to find it, since it's better than the processed stuff in the grocery store.
* Some people think they don't like the liquorice flavor of Pernod and fennel, but Ina's proportions in this are perfect--it's a most pleasant hint rather than anything too strong. A splash of cognac would also be a good idea, come to think of it!
Lobster Pot Pie
Ingredients:
Filling
1 cup chopped onion
1 fennel bulb, chopped
2-3 celery stalks, chopped
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
2-1/2 cup lobster stock
1 tablespoon Pernod
1-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons heavy cream
3/4 to 1 pound cooked lobster meat, chopped into bite-sized pieces or 3 frozen lobster tails, thawed and steamed 7-8 minutes
1 package frozen peas (about 1-1/2 cups)
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
egg wash
Crust
3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 pound cold fresh lard
1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 - 2/3 cup ice water
Directions:
1. Mix dry ingredients for the crust briefly in a food processor. Add lard and butter and pulse 10 times (until size of peas). With motor running, add ice water until dough begins to come together. Dump on floured surface and knead quickly into ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (can rest overnight or all day). When ready to assemble, divide into 2 equal portions and roll out for top and bottom crusts.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Saute the onions, fennel, and celery with the butter in a large pan over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Add flour and cook for 3 minutes, mixing thoroughly and allowing flour to cook. Add stock, Pernod, salt, and pepper, whisk thoroughly and simmer for another 5 minutes. Take off heat and mix in cream.
3. Put lobster meat, frozen peas, and parsley in the bottom of a large bowl. Pour in sauce, mix, and check seasonings.
4. Roll out one crust and line a deep-dish 9.5” pie pan, preferably glass. Pour lobster mixture in. Top with second crust. Crimp edges and brush with egg wash. Make 4-5 slashes in top for venting. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes in a preheated, until top is golden brown and filling is bubbling. This potpie can be prepared ahead of time, refrigerated, then baked for dinner. It may also be frozen for months, defrosted, and then baked.
Serves 4-5
The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, Ina Garten, Clarkson Potter, 1999
--Tracy Schneider
DonnaFaz on December 09, 2009 at 04:46 AM
Just reading this recipe made me salivate. I can't wait to try it. Thanks!
Donna
StellaCadente* on December 11, 2009 at 10:01 AM
I definitely want to try this one. Sounds like the perfect winter comfort food!