Skip to main content

Beurre Noisette-Poached Lobster Chowder #SoupSwappers


Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm kicked off this group: Soup Saturday Swappers. And, this month, she is also hosting. She asked us to share our favorite chowders as there are so many options out there.

So, my first question was: What defines a chowder? I was pretty sure it needed to be cream based, but then I realized there's Manhattan Clam Chowder that's tomato based. Then I found this, rather broad definition that made sense to me...

chow·der  / ˈCHoudər/ noun - a rich soup typically containing fish, clams, or corn with potatoes and onions

I decided that was the definition I was going to follow. But, first, here's the Soup Swappers' Souppots...



Beurre Noisette-Poached Lobster Chowder

So, here's my offering. "Contains fish, clams" = this version includes lobster and prawns. Check. "Potatoes and onions." Check. "A rich soup" = anything with beurre noisette qualifies. Check. Okay, I'm good. 

Browned butter - also known as beurre noisette - is one of those magical ingredients that transforms the flavor of just about anything be it sweet or savory. Its nutty taste and aroma are out of this world. And it can add a creative twist to any recipe that includes butter.

Ingredients
  • 8 T butter*
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 2 shallots, peeled and diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
  • 1/2 C diced organic celery
  • 2 C organic potatoes, cubed
  • 1 pound large shrimp or prawns, peeled and deveined
  • 2 lobster tails, shelled and cut into large coins
  • 3 C vegetable stock
  • 1 C lobster juice
  • 1 C organic heavy whipping cream
  • toasted baguette slices for serving
  • salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
*To make beurre noisette: place butter in a pan over medium heat. Swirl the pan occasionally to be sure the butter is cooking evenly. As the butter melts, it will foam and begin to darken. The color will progress from a pale lemon yellow to golden straw hue and, finally, to a hazelnut brown. Once you achieve the color and aroma you want, pour the beurre noisette into a glass container. The milk solids will continue to brown - and eventually burn - if you leave it in the pan.


In a large souppot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil. Stir in shallots, garlic, and celery. Cook over low to medium heat until the shallots are softened and translucent. 

Stir in the potatoes and pour in the vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, approximately 10 minutes. In the meantime, cook your shellfish.

Poach the prawns and lobster coins in the browned butter. Set aside 1 to 2 pieces of lobster per bowl for garnishing.

Spoon the prawns and lobster into the pot. Scrape in the browned butter and pour in the lobster juice. Heat to warm through. Then, in batches, process until smooth. You can use a blender or a food processor. Return the soup to the pot and pour in whipping cream. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat and ladle into individual bowls. Float a toasted baguette slice in the bowl and top with a lobster coin. Serve immediately.

Comments

  1. This sounds amazing Cam. What a lovely presentation.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Perfect for a dinner party! Lovely chowder.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This sounds so decadent and sophisticated! I must find this lobster juice!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love this, will have to try it sometime, but where do you find lobster juice?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce

Aloo Tiki {Pakistan}

To start off our Pakistani culinary adventure, I started us off with aloo tiki - potato cutlets. I'm always game for tasty street food. I found a couple of different recipes and incorporated those together for this version. Ingredients 6-8 small red potatoes, scrubbed 1 T cumin seeds 1 T fresh chopped parsley 1/2 t ground coriander 1 t minced garlic Procedure Boil the potatoes until they are tender. Drain and let cool. Mash the potatoes. Traditionally they are mashed without their skins. I left the skins on. In a small pan, toast the cumin seeds on high heat until the begin to give off an aroma and begin to darken. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate to keep them from cooking any more. Blend all of the spices into the mashed potatoes, then shape into small patties. If you wet your hands, the potato mixture won't stick to them. Heat a splash of oil in a large, flat-bottom pan. Dip each patty into beaten egg and carefully place in the oil. P

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir