LOBSTER POT PIE - Restaurant Quality Main Course

Almost done with Christmas!!! I am still posting my Christmas Eve Dinner. It was a real present to me, as my wife and I spent the entire day cooking specialty menu items from memorable meals.

As a main course, I made a LOBSTER POT PIE. But not just any lobster pot pie, the inspiration for this dish came from a meal we had at Emeril's New Orleans Fish House in Las Vegas. Jackie and I went there more than a dozen years ago, and we still remember this story...

Jackie happens to really like lobster. We went to Emeril's mostly because I thought I would be able to buy her a lobster. Well, the menu was very involved, with a long description of the offered lobster dish. I read it over, and we discussed what all those words broke down to, and it did not sound like a basic lobster and butter. We specifically asked the waiter if it was a "Lobster pot pie", and he assured us that it was in fact a fabulous meal, filled with lobster meat and accented with lovely vegetables all covered with a rich cream sauce. he made no mention of the meal covered in pastry. Of course, when it arrived, it was a... LOBSTER POT PIE. It was a very good lobster pot pie, but it was still a fancy lobster pot pie.

Well, when it arrived, I was not... thrilled (to say the least). But, I did not want to be "that guy", that throws a hissy fit in front of a date. But at the same time, it was not what we wanted nor expected from the waiter. We had already established a friendly banter with the wine sommelier. He over heard our discussion about what we wanted to do. Well, short story version... he did the right thing. My wife's meal was comped, we received dessert free and somehow we ended up on Emeril's Christmas card list. For the next 5 years, we received cards with recipes and a pre-printed signature, as well as a Cajun Christmas scene. That pot pie was a great error in our favor! Just the term, lobster pot pie makes us both smile!

So, on with the recipe. This was going to be the most difficult and time consuming menu item of the day. It was especially nice when Jackie agreed to be my sous chef and did a lot of the chopping and stirring. Have to admit, after 10 hours of cooking, I was getting a bit punchy. How do "real" chefs do it???

This recipe was adapted from The Food Channel recipe for... EMERIL's LOBSTER POT PIE.

First, here's the ingredient list that I used... Recipe as printed made two servings

2 TBS Butter
1/4 pound Shiitake Mushrooms, diced
1 minced shallot cut thin slices and rings separated
3 TBS Brandy
3 TBS Crab Boil
1 TBS Flour
1 cup Buttermilk
1/4 cup frozen Peas
pinch Salt
1/4 TSP Nutmeg
1/4 TSP Cayenne Pepper
1/2 TSP Thyme
3/4 pounds lobster meat cut to bite size
1 TBS Chopped Chives
1 TSP Tarragon

1 sheet HOMEMADE PUFF PASTRY
OK, showing off a bit, as I make my own puff pastry, but you can certainly use the store bought,
1 egg whisked for wash

1. In heavy Sauce pan, melt butter, add mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes over medium heat until wilted and golden brown around the edges
2. Add shallots and cook until softened, about 1 minute
3. Add the brandy and cook until almost completely evaporated.
4. Sprinkle the flour over the top of the mushrooms and shallots. Stir to combine and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
5. Add the Crab boil and buttermilk and whisk until smooth. Continue to cook until thickened.
6. Add peas, salt, nutmeg, cayenne pepper and thyme and cook an additional 15 minutes, until sauce is very thick.
7. Set aside til cool.

1. You can make this all in one large casserole dish, or, as I did, use smaller individual dishes for singe serve. Roll out and cut your pastry as needed to fill the sides and edges of the dish(es), allowing it to droop over the sides 1/2 inch, also save enough to cover the top.
2. Add the stuffing goo
   
3. Also, save just a small amount to make a decoration... If you look close, you will see a little lobster in the center of the final dish.
4. Cover with the remaining pastry dough
   
5. Press tightly to seal the edges
6. take a knife point and put a few holes in the top to allow steam to escape
7. Brush on the egg wash
8. add the decoration, and add that wash as well
   
   
9. preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until pastry is puffed and golden brown and sauce is bubbly hot!

Plated this with the Hericot Vert from yesterday, and served with a dry red wine.

Everything we remembered... rich, thick, fabulous tastes. Perfect in every way...

including the presentation.

Good eats!

And tomorrow... we conclude with DESSERT!

Just in case you aren't paying close attention, I am posting my Christmas Eve dinner with my wife. We decided to recreate our culinary journey through restaurant quality meals. So far, you have missed...

• 8 AM -
  
  Asiago / Blue Cheese Crisps -
  RESTAURANT QUALITY Amuse-Bouche

• 9 AM -
  
  BLUE CHEESE SAUCE over Homemade POTATO CHIPS -
  Restaurant Quality Appetizer
  
  
• 10 AM -
  
  WELSH RAREBIT -
  Restaurant Quality Appetizer
  
  
• 11 AM -
  
  Creole SHRIMP and ARTICHOKE SOUP -
  Restaurant Quality Soup
  
  
• NOON -
  
  "ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN's KISS" CHOCOLATE MARTINI -
  Bartender Quality Drink
  
  
• 1 PM -
  
  SPINACH SALAD W/ Hot Bacon Dressing Poached Egg -
  Restaurant Quality Salad
  
  
• 2 PM -
  
  Mushroom and Spinach RISOTTO -
  Restaurant Quality Vegetarian Main Dish
  
  
• 3 PM -
  
  

  Jerk Shrimp over Risotto -
  Restaurant Quality Main Course
  
  
• 4 PM -
  
  

  
  
  A "HONEY" of a Sazerac Cocktail -
  

  Bartender Quality Drink
  
  
• 5 PM -
  

  HARICOT VERT (Green Beans) -
  Restaurant Quality Vegetable

Come back tomorrow to see what we did at 7 PM when we finally get to dessert of the meal!! ...