The Delicate Flavors Of Romance Arise With The Marriage Of Earth & Wave
By Lamar Thomas at February 9, 2010 | 9:39 pm | Print
February is a good month for personal treats. Our Georgia weather is a wild ride of warm cold cool warm cool wet and then that weird warm touch in the middle of February, it’s a stretch of extremes varied enough to call for something special to brighten the long nights of winter.
Luckily, we have Valentine’s Day and that means a romantic meal in the company of a hoped for love or found desire. Some of us go out to eat, and some cook at home. If you are dining out then make reservations a month in advance and ask for a special table. If you want to avoid the huge crowds of Valentine’s Day dining then make your home the romance. The wonderful thing is that romance can be found anywhere, even in the kitchen. The pressures of such a day can be overwhelming for the novice in romance. A great way to lighten the heaviness of it all is to share the duties of shopping, and even better of preparing a wonderful dinner together in the warmth and security of your own home. When choosing the foods think of the sea, the earth, of eating with your hands and of course of the air full with intoxicating aromas of spice and mulled fruits. Celebrate life and love on this day and all days with the romantic ideal that we live to eat, not that you eat to live. Make the meal an event. This month our culinary aphrodisiacs are Maine lobster, artichokes, asparagus, fruit and very rich cheese.
Why not love? Why not the peaceful night? Why not share the stove and chopping block? There is more truth (following the poet Keats that beauty is truth) in a home kitchen than many a hillside picnic or low-lit night on the town in the pricey digs of an overbooked restaurant. What is an aphrodisiac? The heart and mind of two people becoming romantically aware of one another is an aphrodisiac. What is a culinary aphrodisiac? Foods that reflect the body, aromas that awaken all of the senses, spice and heat, aromatic herbs, the combination of hot and cold, fermented cheeses, sparkling beverages, the way that some foods mirror the smell of the sea or fresh tilled earth, these are the aphrodisiacs of cuisine. After that the love is all about the sharing of the moment. The moment shared is the moment beloved.
First: turn off all telephones, cell phones, televisions and computers. Turn on the music. Now let’s get started.
Plan a light salad like Boston lettuce with berries, red onion and balsamic vinaigrette as first course to your lobster entrée. If you want to make the salad fun then add Red Hots, they are crunchy, sweet and spicy and you can easily find them in the candy section at the store. The suggested beverages are a German Riesling or iced White Grape juice, hot jasmine green tea with a thin slice of fresh ginger, chilled Champagne with fresh raspberries or Sparkling Apple Cider. Get to know the products in your grocery store; there is more there than you may notice when doing your weekly shopping. Pick a day to research what is available, and don’t forget the specialty grocery stores in your area. I found everything for this meal right here in Athens. If you ever have a cooking problem or questions, just contact me. I’m glad to help.
Good places to see what’s happening with fresh lobster are any of the larger chain grocers. For specialized ingredients check out Earthfare, Fooks Market, Kroger, Publix and Whole Foods which have ingredients that I normally have only been able to find at international markets, also at any local wine and cheese shop. If you have the time then drive to Buford Highway and find everything you may desire at the 99 Ranch Market at Asian Square, including a galaxy off Asian sweets, or any Super H where you can find just about any available seafood at it’s freshest.
It’s hard to beat the great taste and texture of a boiled whole Maine lobster. You probably pass by the water tank in the seafood section at the grocery with just a little curiosity, and perhaps an urge to try them out. Do it. Give yourself the treat you deserve every now and then. In a restaurant the price of a whole lobster can be around $30 to $40, at home it will be half that for two, and sometimes less. They are easy to prepare, and all that is required is that when cooking whole lobster they must be alive. Pick the active ones in the tanks in the seafood section at the grocery store. A 1 1/2 -pound lobster will be enough for one person. My preference for boiled or broiled lobster is cold water Maine lobster. They are the sweetest of all lobsters and thusly prized for special occasions. Because of its texture and saltiness warm water lobster is better grilled over fire, or sautéed with other seafood like scallops, squid and conch. And for dining in the Caribbean what’s better than warm water snapper, squid, conch and lobster?
Be sure to purchase your lobster no more than one day before you plan to cook. Store them in the lower compartment of your refrigerator wrapped in either wet newspaper, or in the seaweed that the grocer may provide.
BOILED LOBSTER
2 1 1/2 pound whole live lobsters
1 1/2 gallons boiling water
4 tablespoons kosher salt
5 bay leaves
The easiest and most trustworthy method for the home cook is to boil the lobster. You will need a large kettle, or even use a deep roasting pot. It will need to hold at least two gallons of water. Fill to a little more than half full. When it comes to a rolling boil add your lobsters head first, one at a time with about thirty seconds between them. Cover the pot. Begin your timing when the water comes back to a boil. It will take 13 minutes per pound for the first pound and then 3 minutes per pound for each additional pound. So for 2 lobsters weighing 1 1/2 pounds each you will need to boil them for 19 minutes or so. They will be a bright red color.
When they have cooked, turn the water off, and lift them out of the pot with your tongs and place them on paper towels. When they have drained and are cool enough to handle then you are ready to crack open the shell. Insert the tip of a very sharp knife into the top part of the shell at the base of the head, push it in and then cut towards the tip of the tail. Do not make a deep cut, just about a half-inch into the lobster. Fold the shell back to expose the meat. In the upper body of the lobster you will see a greenish substance called the tomalley. Normally this is used to enhance a sauce, but for our purposes here just scoop it out and throw it away. It has a very strong flavor that is something of an acquired taste. Wrap the claws in paper towels and gently tap the claws with the back of your knife until they crack open. Place the lobsters on a platter type dish.
If you need to reheat the lobster, just put it in a 400-degree oven for 5 minutes.
Afraid of the “hassle” of whole lobster? No problem, just purchase 8 ounce to 1-pound lobster tails at the Athens Seafood Market, or the grocery store. Ask them to split the tails for you. Broil them 6 inches (Or on the middle rack) from the broiler in your stove for 5 minutes. Brush them with the lemon butter as they cook. Turn off the broiler and bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Plan on 8 ounces of meat per person.
LEMON BUTTER
8 ounces unsweetened butter
1/3-teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
While the lobsters are cooking go ahead and make the drawn lemon butter. You want to serve the drawn butter hot. The best method for this kind of butter is to melt a half-pound of butter to just below boiling on medium heat. Do not boil. When it has all melted and is about 150 degrees turn off the heat and pour into any oven proof/cold proof container. Refrigerate overnight. The butter will separate as it cools with the butter oil (what you will use) at the top, and the water and solids at the bottom. Cut a hole in the butter and drain out the water; use the yellow butterfat at the top. You will have about 5 ounces of usable butter. Put the clarified butter (the oil) into a saucepan on medium heat. As it heats add the lemon juice, salt and pepper, and chopped parsley. Again, don’t boil; heat to just below the boiling point (212 degrees is boiling), so 150 degrees or so will be fine. Time is just a couple of minutes. Serve in small bowls to dip the lobster meat. Eating whole lobster with knife and fork is kind of silly, just dive in and have the time of your life with this sweet and firm delicacy.
I have lemon butter with the recipe here, but you can use different kinds of flavored mayonnaise if you wish. Just add one of the following to a cup of mayonnaise for a Western classical taste: curry, dill, lime, cilantro, or tarragon, and then you have your own custom chilled lobster mayonnaise. If you want a spicy Japanese hint to your sauce then add a level tablespoon of wasabi powder and two tablespoons of honey to a cup of mayonnaise. The honey wasabi aioli/mayonnaise has become one of my favorites.
CHILLED STEAMED ASPARAGUS
12 stalks asparagus, medium sized
1/2-cup apple juice
1/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
Put the apple juice and ginger in a medium skillet and bring to a boil. Add the asparagus and boil for two minutes. Remove from liquid and serve chilled. If you have an inside grill on your stove then grill the asparagus. Grilling gives nice dark lines of crisp fire flavor to the vegetables. The asparagus should be soft outside, crisp inside.
ARTICHOKE HEARTS SAUTEED WITH TURKISH PEPPERS
12 artichoke hearts buy the ones in the jar
10 thin slices Turkish pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 bulb chopped fresh garlic
1-tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Heat the olive and garlic on medium high heat for one minute, add the sun dried tomatoes and cook for another minute, add the artichoke hearts and cook, stirring frequently, for another two minutes, then add the Worcestershire, stir and that’s it. Serve hot.
Turkish peppers are a meaty textured and sweet red pepper with more fruit flavor than regular Hungarian pimento peppers. You can find them dried, or cured and preserved in glass jars or canned in juices. Once you are introduced to these excellent peppers you will want them for all of your special dinners. If you cannot find this pepper then use a roasted red bell pepper. You can either purchase the pepper already roasted or do it yourself. To do it yourself either blacken it by placing over a gas flame and turning it so that the skin blisters and turns a slight dark color, or rub with olive oil and roast in oven at 400 degrees until it blisters and darkens. After it has cooked place inside an airtight container or plastic bag. Refrigerate until chilled. Take out of the refrigerator and place in pan under cold running water. Gently peel the burnt skin off of the pepper and dip into the pan of cold water. Pull out the seeds. After you have skinned and seeded the pepper sprinkle extra virgin olive oil on it and refrigerate until ready for use.
If you really, really must have a starch with your meal then go with a baked Idaho russet potato, roasted new potatoes, or roasted Yukon gold potatoes. All are classic companions for lobster dinners. Rub the potato with softened butter and then sprinkle with coarse salt and coarse black pepper before baking. Wrapping the potatoes in aluminum foil is not necessary if you choose this technique.
THE END OF A PERFECT MEAL (dessert…)
MANGO, GRAPES AND CHEESE
This really isn’t cooking at all, but this is romantic cuisine, and we are looking for what combines, and what goes together better than fruit and cheese?
If you are not familiar with Port Salut cheese, it is a semi soft port wine infused mild cheese. Port Salut matches well with sweet crackers, apples and pears. Blue Saga is one of the greatest cheeses in the world. It is a double cream blue veined cheese that is rich, sweet and full with the scent of the classic bleu or even the green veined Gorgonzola. Blue Saga goes very well with grain breads, firm fruits, and cured hams in the Italian and Spanish style. Gouda is a firm slightly yellow/orange cheese that has a mild flavor compatible with crackers and fresh berries. In addition to the organic markets and large grocers there are a couple of wine/cheese stores in Athens now, so check these out for interesting variations on cheese. All of these cheeses pair well with sparkling wines and champagne, sparkling cider, sweet wines of Northern France and the German Rhone region, and fruit spiced teas.
1 ripe mango, peeled and sliced
1 bunch red grapes
6 strawberries, large
1 apple or pear, thin sliced (choose your favorite)
2 passion fruit cut in half (or guava)
2 ounces Danish Bleu Saga, Brie or Camembert
2 ounces Gouda cut in tiny wedges
2 ounces Port Salut cheese, cut in small wedges
For this dessert the larger the plate the better. If you like crackers with your fruit and cheese, then choose a sweet style wafer. Russian black bread or thick wheat is good as well. You can find great breads at Big City Bread, ask for Roz or Jim and they will guide you through the choices of appropriate bread for your meal. Any of the following beverages go well with this dessert: sweet espresso, orange pekoe tea, raspberry juice, iced tamarind juice, Champagne, and Sparkling Red Grape Juice.
H. Lamar Thomas
hlthomas@atlantacuisine.com
http://hlamart.wordpress.com/
COMMENTS