Boiled Lobster

Seasonality is a wonderful thing. Along with all of the fantastically fresh local veggies this time of year, there are a few other things that are at their peak and lobster is one of them. Lobsters shed their shells in the spring and form newer, softer shells which are much easier to crack.

Fortunately for my family, summer is a big birthday season, which coincides perfectly with lobster season. It’s a tradition in my family to gather this time of year for birthday feasts of boiled lobster, grilled or boiled local sweet corn, potato salad and a nice green salad with fresh local vegetables.

For size, I like to stay within the 1 -1 1/2 lb. range, as lobster meat can get a bit tough once it hits the 2 lb. mark. Apart from being a healthy, low fat source of animal protein, rich in B vitamins and omega-3s, lobster is also incredibly easy to prepare. It’s literally as simple as boiling water.

Don’t be intimidated by lobster. My personal preference is to give them as much space as possible to cook, by either boiling them one at a time or in two separate pots, to ensure that they meet their end as quickly as possible. The water temperature drops with each lobster added to the pot, so if the pot is over-loaded, it will take longer to get back up to a rolling boil. Also, and this is just my own neurosis, if cooking one at a time, I like to place the cooked lobster on the opposite side of the room from the one about to go into the pot. Yes, I cook and eat lobster, but I’m not that heartless.

Once cooked, there is the issue of getting the meat from the shell. Again, don’t be intimidated. I recommend cracking the claws and knuckles with the dull end of a knife in the kitchen before serving. This helps excess water to drain from the shell and it also makes the meat easier to remove with a cracker and a pick at the table, just be careful of shards. For the tail meat, simply twist the tail off and open the shell by cracking the under side. Arguably, the best meat is in the claws and tail, though some meat can be found in the little legs and joints on the lobster’s body.

Lastly, don’t wear a bib for goodness sake!

Boiled Lobster - serves 2

2 – 1 1/2 lb lobsters
water
2 T salt per pot
1/4 C drawn butter

Fill one or two large stockpots about three quarters full with water and add the salt. Cover and bring to a rolling boil. Drop the lobster in head first, one per pot, and cover immediately. Boil for 15 minutes, lowering heat to medium halfway through. Remove the lobster from the water and allow 5 to 10 minutes to cool.

Remove elastic bands. To reduce the amount of water released when the lobster is served, crack the claws before serving. Place the lobster on a cutting board and using the dull end of a knife crack each claw and the two knuckle joints. Lift the lobster and allow to drain.

Serve with drawn butter.

Summer Couscous Salad

It’s late August and fresh, ripe veggies are being picked in gardens and on farms across New England. The sun and the rain have done their thing, and now the year’s very best peppers, radishes, zucchini and tomatoes are ready to leap from their vines (or soil as the case may be) and onto a table near you.

It’s lovely really, but it can be tough to tell what can be done with so many veggies all at once. What is a good dish to utilize such a great combination and bring out the best notes in each vegetable? There are obviously plenty of options, but the following Couscous Salad is a dish that I’m fond of this time of year because it can be served warm or cold.

Zucchini absorbs a little butter flavor while it sautés with the pepper. Tomato and radishes add a little sweetness and tang. Feta rounds out the bunch with a little brininess and the couscous keeps things under control.

Summer Couscous Salad – serves 2 – 4

1 C dry couscous
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 bell pepper (purple adds a nice color)
1 zucchini
1 tomato
5 radishes
3 ounces feta cheese

Prepare couscous as directed.

Cut the zucchini lengthwise into quarters and then into 1/4 inch pieces. Cut the pepper 1/4 inch pieces. Melt butter over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When the butter begins to foam add the zucchini and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes until softened and lightly brown, adjusting heat accordingly.

Meanwhile, halve the tomato and remove the membrane and seeds. Dice into 1/4 inch cubes.

Halve the radishes lengthwise and finely slice.

Dice the feta.

Remove the zucchini and peppers from heat. Toss all vegetables with the couscous and feta. Serve warm or cold.

Double Complete Rainbow Cake (or Double White Chocolate Ganache Cake)

I live in a coastal community, which is peaceful and serene 9 months out of the year. During the 3 months of summer, however, our fair community is inundated with tourists. Absolutely lovely individuals, but this mass onslaught of summer folk increases our community’s population by at least tenfold.

The most interesting phenomenon occurs on the roads during this season, when those, who perhaps have never seen the ocean before, which I can totally respect, tend to stop – not slow down, but come to a complete stop – at every cove and glimpse of the horizon.

“Whoa. That’s a full horizon,” I imagine them saying as they hit the breaks. “Whoa. Whoooooooa! All the way across the sky! Whoooooa!” they exclaim. “Whoooooa! That’s intense!”

Another phenomenon that occurs along our shoreline during the summer months, after an evening storm clears away, is (Yes. I’m going to say it.) the Double Complete Rainbow. As a tribute to the wonderful estival-loving folks who are awestruck by the our shoreline – the very thing that strikes me every time I see it too – I bring you, the Double Complete Rainbow Cake.

I think you know what I’m referring to here, but if not, I implore you to search Bing for the term “double complete rainbow”, for a supremely fun and, I thought, inspiring, video made by a gentleman who is just beside himself with the beauty of a rainbow and its reflection that appear in front of his home. It’s such an adorable video, I was inspired to bake a cake.

This is simply a Double White Chocolate Ganache Cake, of course, which can be decorated with anything really. Double complete puppy dogs? Go for it. Double complete antique cars, anyone? All the better.

I chose to paint mine with edible homemade “paint”. As you can imagine, actual paint – the non-edible stuff artists use – consists of two parts: the pigment (like burnt sienna or ultramarine blue, for example) and the vehicle (oil, acrylic, water, etc.). In this case the pigment is food coloring and the vehicle is excess ganache. I mixed each color, using an empty egg carton as a palette and a fresh unused paintbrush to paint the rainbow onto the cooled ganache.

On a side note, I mentioned to my husband that the cake looks like something out of the 80’s. He agreed and added, “It does. It looks like the back of a Freaky Freezies Glove.” Nice.

For the double complete white chocolate effect, in addition to the ganache, the cake is also made with white chocolate, which is essentially cocoa butter. What does this meeean? A sweet, and dare I say, inspiring cake.

White Chocolate Cake - serves 6 – 10

2 eggs
1/2 C butter
1/2 C sugar
1/2 t vanilla
1 C flour
a dash of salt
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 C buttermilk
3.5 oz. white chocolate

Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour an 8″x8″ square metal cake pan or line with parchment paper.

Separate the eggs. Using a stand mixer or electric beater, cream the butter, yolks, sugar and vanilla. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Mix in the flour mixture and then the buttermilk.

Melt the chocolate in double boiler or a metal bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Allow to cool slightly and mix into the batter until well combined.

Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form – you may have to transfer the batter to a different bowl. Fold the beaten egg whites into the batter. Pour batter into the baking dish and bake for 20 – 25 minutes.

Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan and topping with the ganache.

White Chocolate Ganache

10.5 oz. white chocolate
3/4 C heavy whipping cream

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or a metal bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Once completely melted, gradually stir in the cream until smooth.

Remove from heat and allow to cool for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to help it cool evenly. Pour about 1/4 of the ganache over the cake – enough to cover the top and drip down the sides a bit. Even out the sides with a rubber spatula.

Cool the cake in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Spoon another layer onto the top of the cake and allow to cool again in the refrigerator. Repeat once more to create three layers so that the cake no longer appears through the ganache.

There should be about a cup excess ganache, which will be used to make the “paint”

Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Rainbow  “Paint”

White Chocolate Ganache (above)
food coloring

Combine 2 tablespoons of ganache with 2 drops of food coloring for each color (i.e., 2 drops of red to make a vibrant red) and 1 drop each for mixed colors (i.e., 1 drop red +1 drop blue = violet).

Using a clean, unused #1 paintbrush, dab the “paint” to create the first rainbow. Mix about a tables spoon more per color of the excess ganache into the “paints” to create a lighter color for the rainbow’s reflection.

Chicken Parmesan

As you know, tomatoes are at their peak this time of year. As wonderful as they are served freshly sliced in a caprese salad, per esempio, it’s really not a tragedy to simmer them into a thick marinara sauce. In fact, doing so concentrates their already sun-condensed sugars even more to create a lusciously sweet tomato sauce that you would swear had a teaspoon of sugar tossed in for good measure. But there’s not. Tomatoes are running the show here and they wouldn’t stand for it. In this case, I used two pints of grape tomatoes, which are very sweet – the perfect foil for the Parmesan breaded chicken.

Eggplant Parmesan is a dish that I often helped my mother make when I was growing up. By high school I’d mastered the Parm and it became a frequent go-to dish when I lived on my own in college. Though we rarely made Chicken Parmesan when I was a kid, I ventured to make it on my own.

I recently asked my mother why it was that we mostly stuck to eggplant, and her response was quite logical, “I hardly ever make Chicken Parmesan, nor did my Mother make it often.  I always felt that chicken can be done so many ways more than eggplant.” Excellent point, Mom.

For the chicken pieces, I use chicken tenderloins, pounded to one quarter inch in thickness. This allows the meat to cook quickly so that the breading doesn’t get too dark as it fries.

As nice as it is to try new things and experiment with different flavors in cooking, sometimes a classic comfort food is nice too. And to me, Chicken Parmesan fits the bill.

Chicken Parmesan - serves 3 – 6

1 lb chicken tenderloins
1 C buttermilk
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed and diced
2 T tomato paste
1 – 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
1 t finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 pints grape tomatoes, halved
1 C plain bread crumbs
3/4 C finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 C flour
1 T dried oregano
1 egg
1 – 8 ounce ball of fresh mozzarella
1 lb cooked pasta
Grapeseed or canola oil

Start by pounding the chicken tenderloins with the flat side of a meat tenderizer (or the bottom of a pan) until they are about 1/4 inch in thickness. Place in a shallow bowl or marinating dish. Pour buttermillk over the chicken, being sure each cutlet is coated. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, start on the sauce by heating the diced garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Stir in tomato sauce and paste. Bring to a simmer. Add diced tomatoes, cover and bring to a low boil. Lower heat slightly and allow to simmer for 2 hours, covered.

Beat the egg in a small bowl. In a large, shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, flour and dried oregano. Working one piece at a time, dip the marinated chicken cutlets into the egg. Allow excess egg to drip off before dredging in the bread crumb mixture. Press each cutlet between both hands to help the moisture from the egg absorb into the bread crumbs. Allow the the pieces to rest for 5 minutes. Doing so allows gluten strands to form between the moisture and gluten in the crumbs, which will help the breading to stick to the chicken and not fall off.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pour the oil into a saute or frying pan to 1/4 inch depth. Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Carefully place the the cutlets into the oil, two pieces at a time. Fry for 2 minutes on either side until the crumbs turn golden brown. Drain on a dish or cooling rack lined with paper towels.

Arrange the chicken cutlets in a baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese slices and a little bit of the tomato sauce.

Bake for 10 minutes until the cheese is melted. Toss the pasta with the sauce and plate with one to two pieces of chicken per person.

Gazpacho

Hot. Humid. Availability of fresh, local vegetables. Yup. Perfect conditions for gazpacho.

As you may be aware, tomatoes are best served fresh from the vine at the height of summer, because they taste like – brace yourself – tomatoes! Sweet, juicy, luscious tomatoes. Freshly picked summertime tomatoes are completely different from the crimson, grainy guys found in supermarkets. Fresh local tomatoes have that deep, almost gleeful magenta color throughout the fruit and a happy-go-lucky sweetness too. They’re just joyous little beings, like doughnuts ready to be snacked.

Fortunately, it is now the height of summer. If you have a garden, great. I advise that you check for plump red tomatoes. Go now. I’ll wait. If not, perhaps you live in an urban area, make friends with the nearest neighbor with an urban garden or one of those upside-down hanging tomato planters. Do what you need to do in order to get in on freshly picked perfectly ripe tomatoes while their hot – or still warm from the afternoon sun.

Gazpacho is a great way to showcase the sweetness of fresh tomatoes. I also used fresh local cipollini onions, garlic, green peppers and a cucumber, all of which were generously bestowed upon us by a friend whose cup runneth over with CSA produce. Always happy to help a fellow locavore, we gladly accepted the veggies. Thank you, if you are reading this!

Some like to blend gazpacho. I do not. Because a blended soup is a wonderful, light treat. A cold soup is a wonderful, refreshing treat. A blended cold soup is a cold vegetable smoothie eaten with a spoon. Not my idea of a fabulously satisfying meal. If it is going to be served chilled, the least it can do is provide a little tooth.

Tomatoes contain plenty of vitamin C, vitamin K and lycopene. Onions and garlic – originally consumed for medicinal purposes – also contain vitamin C and are said to offer antibacterial and cardiovascular benefits. Despite the heavy glug of olive oil in this recipe and the bread, I consider gazpacho to be a supremely light. Refreshing, light and nutritious – the perfect food for summer.

Gazpacho - serves 2 – 4

4 fresh medium tomatoes
1 green bell pepper
1 clove garlic
1 cipollini onion (small to medium in size)
1 t ground cumin
1 t balsamic vinegar
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C water
3/4 C cubed baguette
1/2 t salt

Finely dice all of the vegetables. Combine in a large, non-reactive bowl. Add cumin, vinegar, olive oil, bread, and salt. Salt is important because it will draw the liquids out of vegetables to make the  gazpacho more soupy.

Refrigerate for one hour. Using a masher or the back of a slotted spoon, mash the soup until the bread bits are broken up and the juices are rendered from the vegetables.

Serve cold.