Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Butter-Poached Lobster Salad

We had this at a restaurant in Culver City called Sublime and it was so good I did my best to recreate it.  What I think I changed was browning the poaching butter and putting a shallot in the vinaigrette, but I cannot be sure.  Anyway, here's my version:

The Salad
1 1-1.5 lb. lobster tail
5 oz. package of pre-washed mixed baby lettuce
1 shaved head of fennel
1 cup of grapes

The Vinaigrette
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup mandarin orange slices
1 small shallot
1 tablespoon chopped lavender petals/leaves

4 tablespoons of butter for poaching

Combine oil, mandarin oranges, minced shallot and lavender in an immersion blender.  Add salt to taste.  Set aside.  (Pretty soon I am going to try making the vinaigrette with lemon juice [or Meyer lemon juice] and tarragon instead of orange juice and lavender -- perhaps a bit cliched, but dayum I think it will taste good.  I might put some lemon zest in the salad, as well.)

Steam the lobster tail for a minute and fifteen seconds per ounce, then put on top of some ice to cool.  Heat the butter in a small saucepan.  Shave then cut the fennel into thin slices.  Cut the grapes in half.  Combine fennel and grapes with the lettuce in a large salad bowl.  Shell and cut the lobster meat into medium-sized chunks.  When the butter is just browning, add the lobster and simmer for a few minutes.  Remove the buttery lobster chunks with a slotted spoon, shake off excess butter (is there even such a thing?  When I made this the lobster seemed to soak up all of the butter!) and put into the salad, then toss with the vinaigrette.


Monday, August 1, 2011

Lemon-Herb Roasted Chicken with Giblet Gravy

Putting herbs and lemon under the skin before roasting makes this recipe somewhat labor intensive, but the end result is well worth it. 

1 4-5 lb. chicken, giblets set aside
1/4 cup fresh oregano, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh savory, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh marjoram, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2 large lemons (see below)
2 tbsp. olive oil
Kosher salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Mix the herbs, garlic, olive oil, and the zest from both lemons.  Slice the lemons thinly and remove the peel by cutting in a circle with a sharp knife, then mix the lemon slices in with the herbs.  Sprinkle salt on chicken and work your fingers under the skin of the breast and thighs, loosening it from the flesh without breaking it.  Once you loosen the thigh skin, you can work your fingers under the leg skin.  Don't worry about the wing skin, but fold each wing tip under the rest of the wing.  Stuff lemon slices coated in herb mixture wherever you can.  I can usually fit two per breast, two per thigh, and one per leg.  Then add more herbs and massage everything around until it coats the flesh evenly.  Rub the remaining mixture (there should be plenty, if not I messed up and you should use more of everything) all over the outside of the chicken.  Put the lemon peels inside the cavity.  If any skin has torn stretch it back into place, layer it over the skin from which it separated, and hold fast with a toothpick or two.  This will keep the meat nice and moist.  Place the chicken on a roasting rack in a roasting pan breast side down.  Add water to the roasting pan and roast for 45 minutes, making sure to replenish the water before it evaporates.  Flip the chicken over (this required some teamwork with the Darling) and cook for another 45 minutes breast side up, making sure there is enough water.  The skin should crisp nicely.  Remove and let rest, then carve it up.  Now for the gravy:

Saute the giblets in a pan with olive oil until browned all over and sticking to the pan without burning.  Remove the neck, keep the liver and kidneys.  Deglaze with a 1/4 cup of sherry, scraping up any bits.  Add 1/2 tsp. each of garlic powder and onion powder, then a cup of chicken stock.  Stir thoroughly and simmer for about half an hour.  Cut the kidneys into small pieces and smash the liver with a fork and bring to a boil.  Add some water if necessary and stir.  Whisk in about 1/2 tsp. corn starch mixed with water until the sauce has thickened.  Keep warm in a gravy boat until ready to serve.