There are times, like yesterday, when not knowing what to do, we could actually come up with a real winner. A bit ago we bought two lobster tails (on sale) for a special occasion. We also had a couple of croissants in the freezer. When the plaintive cry comes up “what’s for lunch”, we came up with this one.
- 2 lobster tails (should actually be 3 to make a really good sandwich)
- 2 croissants
- 1 stick celery
- mayo
- 1 mango
- pinch of paprika
- 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
Cook the tails in salted water for 10 minutes and immediately cool down with cold water to prevent further cooking. Crack shells, remove the meat and coarsely chop. Set aside.
In a bowl, slice crosshatch pattern in each half of the mango and remove small cubes to bowl. Peel and thinly slice celery. Add lots of mayo (not salad dressing), a pinch of paprika and the lobster meat. Stir to mix well.
In a frypan, melt a tablespoon (or more) of butter, place the croissants in for about 1 minute, turn over and again, cook for a minute. (This is for the outside of croissants, not open face).
Open up the bun and fill with the lobster mixture. Pour a glass of wine or beer, take a bite and roll your eyes to heaven and say, thank you!.
These, my friends, are delightful.
* we also thought that halved seedless grapes would be just as awesome.
Fall Corn Soup
Before the last of the corn is gone, get some more and make this soup. You will be sorry if you miss out.
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, veins stripped and sliced thinly
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 4 ears of fresh corn, kernels cut from the cob (reserve the cobs)
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup whipping cream
- pinch of salt and pepper
- freshly popped and seasoned popcorn, for garnish
In a pot, melt the butter and add the onion, celery and garlic. Season lightly with the salt and pepper and cook until the onions are translucent (about 5-6 minutes). Add the stock, kernels, corncobs and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat and add the milk, simmer for 15 minutes and add the cream. Stir to mix and remove from the heat.
Cool slightly, and remove and discard the cobs. Puree the soup in small batches until silky smooth. With a fine strainer, strain the soup into a large bowl, pressing hard to extract all the liquid possible.
Season with the following:
Popcorn Garnish
- Pinch of sweet smoky paprika
- pinch of cayenne powder
- pinch of sea salt
- 1/2 lb. crab leg meat (no shell)
Toss the hot popcorn with the spices. Pour the soup into bowls, garnish with the poporn and add some crab leg meat on top.
Serve with Road 13 Chardonnay. Perfect match.
Salmon with Ginger-Avocado Salsa
This is a nice healthy treat that will also do for a Ladies Luncheon…..
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 1 stalk of celery, finely chopped, threads removed
- 1/4 cup pickled ginger, drained and chopped
- 1 ripe, firm avocado, diced
- 1 English cucumber, seeds removed and chopped (no big chunks)
- pinch of salt
- 4 salmon fillets
- 1 tsp. olive oil
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place rack in the upper third of the oven. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil. Mix all the ingredients except the salmon and oil together and set aside in the fridge to keep cold.
Brush the salmon with the oil and place skin side down on the cookie sheet. It should take abut 8 minutes to be cooked perfectly. To test, hold a fork in the thickest part of the fillet for about 10 seconds. If it comes out warm, it is done.
To plate….set a generous scoop of salsa on the plate and place the salmon fillet (minus the skin) on top. Serve with fresh warm buns and butter. Decorate with a small sprig of fresh dill.