MY amazing lobster bisque

I am very sensitive to flavors. If shrimp or shell fish is too "fishy" I can't handle it. I had to make my own version of lobster bisque and the handful of times I have made it for holiday's it is a winner. And lower fat etc!

Serves 4

2 TBSP minced shallot
2 bay leaves
3 gloves of crushed garlic
1-2 TSP of minced thyme
1 tsp of paprika (I  always use smoked)
2 tsp. Tabasco
2 TSP Worcester sauce
6 TBSP of salted butter
1 C half & half
4 oz tomato paste
6 TBSP sherry
1/2 C dry white wine
 1-1/2 vegetable stock
2 TBSP flour
1.5 pound COOKED lobster meat
Salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Start 2 TBSP of butter and flour in a large sauce pan, stir over medium heat until becoming a ball and add rest of butter and garlic, shallot and herbs and cook until translucent. Add vegetable stock and tomato taste and whisk until combined, add Tabasco, Worcester, wine , sherry and cook until blended. Add cooked lobster and salt & pepper and remove from heat and whisk in half & half until combined and serve right away.

Buttery, creamy, not fishy...decadent.

Beer battered cauliflower buffalo bites

Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower

For the batter
1/2 + 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup beer
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon dried onion
1/4 tsp. ground pepper

For the buffalo sauce
1/4 cup Frank's Wing Sauce or   Frank's Original Hot Sauce
3 Tablespoons salted butter, melted
pinch of salt

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with non-stick spray (I always use olive oil spray) and set aside.

Wash your head of cauliflower and cut into pieces. I made a variety of sizes. Place in a large Zip-loc bag with 1/4 cup of flower and shake to coat.

In a medium bowl, mix together the batter ingredients. It will be fairly thick.

Dip each piece of cauliflower into the batter until fully and evenly coated. Place onto the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake for about 15 minutes until the batter just hardens.

In a small bowl, mix together the buffalo sauce ingredients.

Once the cauliflower are done, remove from the oven and brush with the buffalo sauce. Again, fully and evenly coat each piece.

Put back into the oven and bake for a few more minutes (I think 5-7 minutes was my range), until  the sauce has mostly dried and the cauliflower is crispy.
We ate ours with Lite Bob's blue cheese dip.

Mushroom & asparagus risotto

Beautiful on a Autumn or Winter's evening

after the mushrooms and asparagus & onions have released their moisture add the rice.

add the second cup of stock and keep stirring until absorbed

add the Parmesan

all the liquid should be absorbed

I grated fresh black truffles into mine & stirred in the parsley

Ingredients:
1 bunch of small stemmed asparagus cut into 1" pieces and the root part cut & discarded
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup chicken stock (boiling)
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion (diced)
8 ounces mushrooms (sliced, I used a mix of cremini, shiitake and white)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 teaspoon thyme (chopped)
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock (or vegetable, warm)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano (grated)
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon truffle oil (optional) ( I used fresh truffles since I had some)
1 handful parsley (optional)


Directions:
1. Cover the dried porcini mushrooms in the stock and let sit for 20-30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pan over medium heat.
3. Add the onion & asparagus and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
4. Add the fresh mushrooms and saute until they turn tender and release their moisture, about 10-15 minutes.
5. Add the garlic and thyme and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
6. By this time the dried mushrooms should be nice and soft so remove them from the stock, squeezing to drain and reserve all of the liquid.
7. Chop the reconstituted mushrooms and add them to the sauce pan.
8. Add the rice and toast until it starts to turn translucent, about 1-3 minutes.
9. Add the white wine, deglaze the bottom of the pan and cook while stirring until the wine has disappeared.
10. Mix the stock that the mushrooms were soaked in with another cup of stock and add it to the sauce pan 1/2 cup at a time while stirring until it has disappeared.
11. Add the butter and parmigiano reggiano and stir until it has melted.
12. Season with salt and pepper and a touch of truffle oil.
13. Serve garnished with parsley.

Lemon lavendar verbena sorbet

1 1/2 c fresh lemon juice
2c sugar
2c.water
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
1/4 c lavender flowers and leaves washed and left whole
2tbsp fresh lemon verbena leaves left whole.

Combine sugar and water and lavender & verbena in a medium saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sugar dissolves about 3-4 minutes. Cool completely and remove or strain if necessary lavender & verbena out. Add lemon juice & zest and stir to combine. Let stand or refrigerate until cooled completely.* Mixture can be covered overnight in the fridge, or chill in an ice bath for 30 minutes. Freeze according to manufactures requirements or place in freezer bag and massage every so often to break up ice crystals.

I love everything lemon. This was like an herbal spa treatment. It was soft, sweet, tart and delicately flavored with the lavender & verbena. It is a beauty. Could also be beautifully served with a Brut or dry champange as a cocktail.

Loquat jam

3 pounds of cleaned and processed loquats (skinned,d-seeded,and with the tough pith removed)
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
4c sugar
1 box Sure Jell lower sugar pectin
8 oz sized processed  Mason or Ball jars (I washed them in the dishwasher and left them in there drying while I was preparing the jam they need to be HOT to seal)

Fill a large canning or pasta pot with water and set to boil.

Wash, skin, d-seed & remove pith of loquats and put into food processor and process until not chunky, but not entirely pureed. Add 7 c. loquats into large saucepan and add 1/4c lemon juice and pectin & boil for 10 minutes. Sugar 2 c at a time and stirring until completely dissolved each time. Watch boil, when I stirred it it over boiled due to the bottom sugar boiling. When it bubbles and coats spoon turn off heat and ladle into prepared jars and seal tightly and put into pot of boiling water with water coverage of at least 1"above rim for 10 minutes and remove and set aside to cool over night at room temperature. You will know if they are sealed properly if when you push in the middle of the top and it doesn't pop back. If it does, it must be refrigerated. Otherwise it will store in a cool dark space for 8 months-1 year.

This is a beautiful spread. Not too sweet like an apricot but with a hint of citrus depth. 

Mulberry Jam

 6 pints cleaned ripe Mulberries

4c. sugar
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
1 package Sure Jell lower sugar pectin
7 cleaned & processed 8 oz Mason or Ball jars.
( I washed them in the dishwasher and left them in there drying while I was preparing the jam they need to be HOT to seal)
Fill a large canning or pasta pot with water and set to boil.

Pulse and process mulberries in food processor and transfer into a large pot & boil for 10 minutes. Process through a sieve and re-add 4c juice and 2 cups of the pulp back into pot and add 1/4c lemon juice & pectin whisk until combined over medium heat. Add 2 c sugar and mix to combine and then next 2c and mix until combined and bring to a boil.
When it is boiling and continues to do so when you have stirred it turn off heat and ladle into hot prepared pint jars and close tightly with tops & rims and put into the boiling pot of water. After all jars are filled boil in pot of water with water coverage of at least 1"above rim for 10 minutes and remove and set aside to cool over night at room temperature. You will know if they are sealed properly if when you push in the middle of the top and it doesn't pop back. If it does, it must be refrigerated. Otherwise it will store in a cool dark space for 8 months-1 year.

Kumquat margaritas

1 pint of kumquats
1/2 c. water
2 oranges

1 lime

agave sweetener (to taste)
2 oz. agave tequila
1 oz triple sec
kosher salt optional.

In a blender blend kumquats and water until smooth. Filter into a bowl through a mesh sieve or strainer. Juice both oranges and lime & add to kumquat juice.

In a shaker add ice 1 cup kumquat mix 2 oz. of tequila, and 1 oz of triple sec and 1 tsp. (or more to taste) of agave syrup. Shake and pour into 2 salted rimmed (optional) margarita glasses.

I also freeze the extra kumquat mix for future use.