by Julia Child
For about 2 quarts, serving 6 to 8
1) Preliminaries
1 cup mirepoix (equal parts finely diced onions, carrots, and celery)
1½ Tb butter
A heavy, 3-quart stainless or enameled saucepan with cover
1½ cups chopped, fresh tomato pulp (3 to 4 medium tomatoes peeled, seeded, and juiced)
The chest parts with the shells and the legs from 3 or 4 fresh, raw, 1¼- to 1½-lb. lobsters
Cook the mirepoix slowly in the butter, in the saucepan, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until vegetables are tender but not browned. Meanwhile, prepare the tomatoes. Cut lobster chests in half lengthwise. (See illustrated directions for cutting lobster.)
2) Sautéing the lobster
2 or more Tb olive oil or cooking oil
A heavy, 10- to 12-inch no-stick or enameled casserole (or chicken fryer or deep frying pan)
Cooking tongs
Film the bottom of the casserole with 1⁄16 inch of oil; set over moderately high heat until oil is very hot but not smoking. Add the lobster chests cut side down and the legs. Do not crowd pan: sauté in 2 batches if all will not fit easily in one layer. Toss and turn frequently until shells are a deep red (4 to 5 minutes in all). Color is important here, as it is the shells that tint the soup.
3) Simmering the lobster and removing the meat
Salt and pepper
⅓ cup Cognac
Either 1½ cups dry white wine;
Or 1 cup dry white vermouth
2 Tb fresh tarragon or 1 Tb dried tarragon
1 bay leaf
The mirepoix and tomatoes from Step 1
1 clove mashed garlic
Large pinch of cayenne pepper
A cover for the casserole
When the lobster is sautéed, lower heat slightly, salt and pepper the lobster, and pour on the Cognac. Ignite by shaking pan vigorously or tilting it into heat source, or use a lighted match. When flames have died down, pour on the wine, mix in the tarragon, and add the bay leaf and other ingredients. Cover casserole, and simmer slowly for 20 minutes.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: May be simmered a day in advance; let cool uncovered, then cover and refrigerate (or freeze).
2 medium-sized bowls
A food mill with medium disk, or a sieve and a wooden spoon
An electric blender
(Before proceeding, you may wish to start the rice in the next step, so that it will be done by the time you are through here.) Remove the pieces of lobster from their cooking sauce and extract the meat from the shells following illustrated directions. You will have about 1 cup; place in one of the bowls. Purée the cooking sauce through food mill or sieve into the other bowl, and scrape into jar of blender; reserve for Step 5. Chop shells into ½-inch pieces and reserve in a bowl for Step 6.
4) Simmering the rice
3 cups fish stock or canned clam juice
2 cups beef stock or canned beef bouillon
The saucepan from Step 1, in which the mirepoix cooked
¼ cup plain, raw, white rice
Bring the fish stock or clam juice and the beef stock or bouillon to a boil in the saucepan; sprinkle in the rice. Stir up once, and simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside for Step 5.
5) Puréeing rice and lobster meat
The saucepan of boiled rice
A large, fine-meshed sieve set over a 2½- to 3-quart bowl
A rubber spatula
The blender jar containing the puréed lobster-cooking sauce
Half the lobster meat
Drain rice through sieve, reserving its cooking liquid in the bowl. Scrape rice and the half portion of lobster meat into the blender. Purée, adding a little of the rice-cooking liquid if mixture is too thick for easy blending in the machine. Scrape the purée out of the blender and into the rice-cooking saucepan.
6) Shellfish butter for final enrichment—lobster butter
6 Tb butter
The casserole in which the lobster cooked
The bowl of chopped lobster shells
The electric blender
The sieve from Step 5
A wooden spoon
A rubber spatula
A small bowl to hold the butter
Heat butter to bubbling in casserole, stir in the chest and leg shells, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, tossing and turning, to heat thoroughly. Immediately scrape into blender and purée, flicking switch on and off and scraping shells down into blades as necessary. Scrape purée into sieve, and mash vigorously with spoon to extract as much butter as possible. Scrape all butter off bottom of sieve with rubber spatula and pack into bowl. Set aside for Steps 7 and 8.
The bowl of rice-cooking liquid from Step 5
The saucepan containing the puréed rice and lobster from Step 5
To extract all remaining flavor from blender jar, shells, and sieve, pour rice-cooking liquid into the casserole in which you just sautéed the shells. Heat to the simmer and pour liquid into blender to rinse it, then pour liquid back into casserole. Scrape shell debris from sieve into casserole, and swish sieve about in the hot rice-cooking liquid to dislodge all debris. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes; strain liquid through the sieve and into the saucepan of puréed rice and lobster.
7) The lobster garnish
2 Tb of the lobster butter from Step 6
A small frying pan
The remaining lobster meat from Step 3
Salt and pepper
2 Tb Cognac or dry white vermouth
Heat the butter to bubbling in the frying pan; stir in the lobster meat, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté over moderate heat for 2 minutes, tossing and turning. Pour on the Cognac or vermouth, and cook for a moment until liquid has evaporated. Scrape the lobster into the saucepan containing the rest of the soup mixture from Step 6, and you are finally almost ready to serve.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: Recipe may be completed to this point; let cool uncovered, then cover and refrigerate or freeze.
8) Final flavoring and serving
If needed: more fish stock, clam juice, or bouillon
Salt, pepper, cayenne, and tarragon
½ to 1 cup heavy cream
The lobster butter from Step 6
2 to 3 Tb minced fresh chervil, tarragon, or parsley
Croûtons (diced bread sautéed in butter); or Melba toast; or your own French bread
Shortly before serving, bring the bisque to the simmer. It should be quite thick, but if it needs thinning, stir in a little stock or bouillon. Carefully correct seasoning. Just before serving, stir in the cream, then remove from heat and stir in the lobster butter by tablespoonsful. Pour the bisque into a hot tureen or soup cups, and decorate with the fresh herbs. Pass the croûtons, Melba toast, or bread separately.
VARIATIONS
Because all of the other shellfish bisques follow almost the same pattern as lobster bisque, you can really substitute shrimp, crab, or crayfish for lobster in the Master Recipe every time you see the word “lobster.” To account for the very slight differences in method, here is a paragraph of special instructions for each.
Bisque de Crevettes
[Shrimp Bisque]
You must have shrimp in the shell for this recipe because the shells give the bisque its characteristic color and flavor. It is of prime importance, therefore, that you use only the freshest smelling and finest quality of shrimp, whether they are live and whole or frozen, raw, and headless. If the shrimp are whole, meaning with head and shell, simply wash and drain before sautéing them; if frozen, thaw in cold water until you can separate them, then sauté. Since they need only 5 minutes of simmering, cook the tomatoes and other ingredients called for in Step 3 for 10 minutes before adding the shrimp; after their simmer, let them cool 10 minutes in the cooking sauce before draining and peeling them. Use the shells and several whole, cooked shrimp for the shellfish butter in Step 6, and if the shrimp are very large, slice in half lengthwise those you are reserving for the garnish in Step 7. You will need 1¼ to 1½ pounds of raw shrimp for 2 q
uarts of bisque.
Bisque de Crabes
[Crab Bisque]
Crab bisque is even more one of love’s labors than lobster bisque, but it is so marvelously rich and deeply flavored that if you pick the right guests your reward will be in watching their pleasure, as well as relishing your own. Clean and cut the crabs as illustrated, then substitute crab for lobster in the Master Recipe, with the following slight modifications. Because crab pieces will bulk larger than lobster chests, you will need 2 big casseroles for the sautéing in Step 2, but may combine all together for the simmering in Step 3. You will not have enough liquid to cover all of the crab pieces in this step, and should toss the pieces several times during the 20 minutes of cooking; do not forget to add the liquid from the carapaces and the tomalley to simmer here, along with everything else. Note that it is only the chopped-up lower legs that go into the shellfish butter in Step 6, but add as well all the debris from the chests, claws, and upper legs to simmer at the end of the step, allowing a good 10 minutes of cooking to extract every bit of flavor. For 2 quarts of wonderful soup, you will need 6 to 8 live crabs measuring 3 to 4 inches across the top of the shell.
Bisque d’Écrevisses
[Crayfish Bisque]
Fresh-water crayfish, crawfish, or écrevisses, as they are variously called, are miniature lobsterlike crustaceans 4 to 5 inches long. They are considered a supreme delicacy in Europe as well as in the southern Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Midwestern states where they are gathered. With the few minor differences noted here, substitute the word “crayfish” for the word “lobster” in the Master Recipe. To clean live crayfish, drop them headfirst in a basin of very hot water and leave for 2 to 3 minutes or until bubbles cease to rise. After draining them, pull out the central flap at the base of the tail to draw out along with it the intestinal tube. (This action of removing the intestine is called châtter in French recipes.) Sauté and simmer the crayfish whole, as directed in the Master Recipe, but they need only 10 minutes of cooking in Step 3. To shell them, remove the tail meat only, and use all of it for the garnish in Step 7; the chests and shell debris go into the butter, Step 6. If you wish to be very haute cuisine, have a dozen extra crayfish and make a small amount of a simple fish mousse, using the raw tail meat. Then remove chest-leg sections (but not claws and feelers) from covering shell, and fill the shells with the mousse. Poach 5 minutes in stock or bouillon before floating them in the bisque at serving time. You should have 24 to 30 live crayfish for 2 quarts of soup, plus 12 or so extra if you are doing the mousse.
TWO SCALLOP SOUPS WITH A CRAB OR LOBSTER VARIATION
Scallops are so easy to come by, fresh or frozen, that we feel they should have their place in the soup repertoire. Although scallops are rarely so used in France, they are delicious as the unique fish in a bouillabaisse or bourride, and they make a marvelous velouté or cream soup.
LES SAINT-JACQUES EN BOUILLABAISSE
[Bouillabaisse of Scallops]
This heady Mediterranean brew of leeks, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and herbs plus scallops can be a complete meal when served with plenty of fresh French bread and followed by fruit and cheese.
Serving 4 as a main course, 6 as a soup course
1) The soup base
1½ cups combination finely sliced leeks and onions, or onions only
¼ cup olive oil
A heavy-bottomed stainless or enameled 3-quart saucepan with cover
2 large cloves minced or mashed garlic
1¼ to 1½ cups chopped fresh tomato pulp (4 medium tomatoes peeled, seeded, and juiced)
4 cups liquid: white-wine fish stock, or equal parts clam juice, water, and white wine or vermouth
The juice from the tomatoes
2 large pinches saffron threads
The following tied in washed cheesecloth: 6 parsley sprigs, 1 bay leaf, ¼ tsp thyme, ½ tsp basil, 4 fennel seeds, and a 2-inch piece of dried orange peel or ¼ tsp bottled dried peel Salt and pepper
Cook the leeks and onions slowly with the oil in the covered saucepan for 5 to 6 minutes until tender but not browned. Add garlic and tomatoes, raise heat slightly, and cook 3 to 4 minutes more. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to the boil, and simmer partially covered for 30 minutes. Carefully taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed.
2) Preparing the scallops
1 lb. (2 cups) bay or sea scallops, fresh or frozen
A large bowl and sieve
Soak the scallops in cold water for 2 or 3 minutes if fresh, until completely defrosted if frozen. Lift out and drain, looking over each for sand; wash again if necessary. Leave bay scallops whole. Cut sea scallops into ⅜-inch chunks.
3) Finishing the soup
The soup base
The scallops
2 to 3 Tb coarsely chopped fresh parsley
French bread
Optional: a bowl of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Bring the soup base to a rapid boil, add the scallops, bring to the boil again and boil slowly uncovered for 3 minutes. Check seasoning again. Serve either from a warm tureen or in soup cups or plates, and decorate with parsley. Pass the bread and optional cheese separately.
(*) Soup may be cooked several hours before serving. Let cool uncovered, then cover and refrigerate. Bring to a full boil for 2 or 3 seconds before serving. Note that a full boil is necessary to redistribute the olive oil into the liquid.
Other ideas
For a more nourishing soup, you can add 2 cups of diced “boiling” potatoes or a handful of pasta to the soup base 10 minutes before the end of its simmering. You could enrich the soup with an egg yolk and oil liaison, as for the soupe aux poivrons, or with a rouille, as for the bouillabaisse in Volume I, page 52. See also the recipe for bourride with its aïoli enrichment.
VELOUTÉ DE SAINT-JACQUES
[Cream of Scallop Soup—hot or cold]
This deliciously creamy soup is a cousin of the Breton mouclades, mussel soup, and you may serve it either hot or cold.
For 6 to 7 cups, serving 4 to 6
1) The court bouillon
4 cups liquid: 2 cups dry white wine or 1½ cups dry white vermouth plus water
1 cup thinly sliced onions
¼ cup thinly sliced carrots
¼ tsp each: fennel seeds, thyme, and curry powder
4 peppercorns
1 clove mashed garlic
1½ bay leaf
6 parsley sprigs
½ tsp salt
A heavy-bottomed stainless or enameled saucepan with cover
A sieve set over a bowl
Simmer the ingredients for the court bouillon in the partially covered saucepan for 20 minutes. Strain, pressing liquid out of ingredients, and return the court bouillon liquid to the pan.
2) Cooking the scallops
1 lb. (2 cups) scallops, fresh or frozen
Soak the scallops in cold water for 2 or 3 minutes if fresh, until completely defrosted if frozen. Lift out and drain, looking over each for sand; wash again if necessary. Cut into ¼-inch dice. Bring the court bouillon to a boil, add scallops, bring again to just under the boiling point, and simmer uncovered for 3 minutes. Drain the liquid into the bowl, leaving scallops in sieve. Rinse and dry the saucepan.
3) The velouté soup base
3 Tb butter
4 Tb flour
A wooden spatula or spoon
The court bouillon
A wire whip
1½ to 2 cups milk
½ to ¾ cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks
The scallops
Salt and white pepper
Melt the butter in the saucepan, stir in the flour, and cook slowly for 2 minutes without browning. Remove from heat and let cool a moment, then pour in all the warm court bouillon at once, beating vigorously with a wire whip to blend thoroughly. Bring to the boil for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring to reach all over bottom of pan. Thin with milk as necessary; soup should not be too thick, since the egg yolks to come will also thicken it. Remove
from heat. Pour ½ cup of the cream into the bowl, blend in the egg yolks with a wire whip, and gradually dribble in about 2 cups of the hot soup, beating. Return mixture to the pan and stir in the scallops. Carefully correct seasoning.
(*) Soup may be prepared to this point several hours in advance. Clean off sides of pan with a rubber spatula and float a spoonful of cream on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. When cool, cover and refrigerate.
4) Finishing the soup, and serving
3 to 4 Tb soft butter
2 to 3 Tb minced fresh parsley, chervil, or chives
Shortly before serving, set soup over moderate heat and stir continually with a wooden spoon until soup comes to just below the simmer. Remove from heat and stir in the butter, a tablespoon at a time. Serve in a warm tureen or soup cups, and decorate with the minced herbs.
To serve cold