Lobster and Tomato Bisque

Recipe: Lobster and Tomato Bisque
Page: 66
Date Cooked: October 29, 2012

Though I enjoy lobster bisque, I tend to find the dish to be a bit on the heavy side. This recipe tries to balance the heaviness of a typical lobster bisque with the inclusion of tomatoes - both red and yellow.

Ingredients: Lobster, red onion, garlic olive oil, red tomatoes, dry white wine, heavy cream, onion, yellow tomatoes, yellow bell peppers, salt, and pepper

I brought a large pot of water to a boil and steamed the lobster for 10 minutes. I removed the lobster, let it cool, extracted the meat, and reserved the shells. I also reserved the cooking liquid. I diced the lobster meat and placed it in the fridge.

Steamed lobster

This recipe required making two tomato soups - red and yellow. I first prepared the red tomato soup. I put the lobster shells in saucepan along with olive oil, minced red onion, and minced garlic. I sauteed the mixture for a few minutes. I then added the diced red tomato, white wine, and reserved lobster liquid to the saucepan.

Basis of lobster and red tomato soup

The soup simmered for 45 minutes. I strained the mixture into another saucepan and stirred in the cream and diced lobster meat; and seasoned with salt and pepper. Quick note: the redness of the soup was incredibly apparent before the addition of the cream, which later turned it a red-orange color.

Left: Lobster and red tomato soup
Right: Lobster and red tomato soup with cream and lobster

Then it was on the yellow tomato soup. I diced the onion, yellow bell peppers, and yellow tomatoes. I sauteed the onion and remaining garlic with olive oil in a saucepan. I then added the yellow bell pepper and tomatoes to the mixture and let the soup simmer for 45 minutes.

Prepping the yellow tomato soup

I then strained the soup into another bowl and seasoned it with salt and pepper. Again, here the yellow color of the soup was apparent and quite striking.

Yellow tomato soup

This bisque can be served hot or cold. I opted for the hot version and reheated both components. It was upon plating that I realized the error in Jonathan Waxman's instructions. He says to divide the yellow soup into bowls and swirl in the red soup, making a decorative pattern. However, there was much more red tomato soup than yellow. Furthermore, the picture in the book seems to indicate pieces of red tomato in the soup, which doesn't make much sense - because he instructs you to strain both soups.

Jonathan Waxman's stock photo of the lobster and tomato bisque

Given the discrepancies of the cookbook, I had to change my plating plan. I divided the red tomato soup into bowls and swirled in the yellow tomato soup. The color differential isn't as stark as the picture in the book, but I think much of that has to do with the addition of the cream as well.

Lobster and Tomato Bisque

If you look closely, you can see the yellow tomato soup swirled in there. Aside from the picture and instruction discrepancy, the soup was good. I enjoyed the acidity of the tomatoes and bell peppers in the bisque, which both lightened and brightened a typically rich soup. The flavors worked, but it wasn't the best lobster bisque I've had. I felt that a better soup could have been made with those ingredients. I guess I am a bit iffy on the final verdict of the this recipe. Good but maybe not worth all the fuss. However, I may make the yellow tomato soup portion again - it just looked so beautiful.

Enjoy!

Vidalia Onion and Sweet Corn Soup

Recipe: Vidalia Onion and Sweet Corn Soup
Page: 59
Date Cooked: July 5, 2012

It seems that the last few JW recipes I have gravitated towards involve onions and corn. This recipe is no exception. But hey, it's summertime and both items are in season - so why not?

Ingredients: Vidalia onions, unsalted butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, white corn, chicken broth, parsley, tarragon, heavy cream, and serrano chile

I sliced the onions. I also heated the butter and olive oil in a pan. I added the onions to the pan, seasoned with salt and pepper, and cooked until the onions became soft.

(1) Sliced onions (2) Olive oil and butter in pan (3) Onions in pan with salt and pepper

While the onions cooked, I sliced the kernels off the corn. I added the corn to the soft onions and allowed it all to cook through. I then added chicken broth to the onion-corn mixture, brought it all to a boil, and then let it simmer for about half an hour.

Left: Onion and corn mixture
Right: After adding broth

Finally, I stirred in the parsley tarragon, heavy cream, minced serrano chile, and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Added heavy cream, herbs, and salt and pepper to soup

The soup was then ready for consumption.

Vidalia Onion and Sweet Corn Soup

The simplicity of this cannot be stressed enough. There wasn't much to it, but the flavor was bold and light all at the same time. The sweetness of the onion and corn definitely came through. But the addition of the herbs and serrano chile balanced it all out. Both the heavy cream and the serrano chile were listed as optional ingredients. In my opinion the heavy cream truly is optional. I tasted the soup prior to adding the heavy cream and it was quite delicious. However, I think the serrano chile was a bit necessary. Without it, there would be no spice. Overall, it was simple and really good.

Chilled Eggplant and Roasted Pepper Soup

Recipe: Chilled Eggplant and Roasted Pepper Soup
Page: 54
Date Cooked: April 6, 2012

This soup seemed to be the perfect dish for the somewhat spring like weather we are having here in Central Pennsylvania. And heck the last time I made a cream for a soup (Corn Soup with Saffron) in a JW recipe, it was pretty amazing.

Ingredients: Eggplant, olive oil, salt, pepper, red bell pepper, white onion, garlic, butter, chicken broth, bay leaves, tarragon sprigs, fresh ginger, heavy cream, and thyme

I cut the eggplant in half and scored the flesh. I tossed the eggplant in some olive olive and seasoned it with salt and pepper. I put the eggplant in the oven to roast until it was soft.

Roasting eggplant halves

I then did the ol' blacken and blister technique with the red bell peppers. I put them under the broiler till the bell peppers were blackened and blistered. I then placed them in a bowl, covered it with plastic wrap, and let them steam. Upon steaming, I peeled the pepper with the my hands. I stemmed, seeded, and cut the peppers into 1 inch squares. Finally, I tossed the red bell peppers in some olive oil.

(1) Blackened and blistered red bell pepper (2) Red bell peppers steaming (3) Cut into 1 inch squares (4) Tossed in olive oil

I thinly sliced the onions and minced the garlic. I melted some butter in a pan and added the onion and garlic until the onions became translucent. I then added the peppers and cooked for a few additional minutes.

Cooking onions, garlic, and red bell peppers

I coarsely chopped the eggplant and added it a Dutch oven with olive oil. I cooked the eggplant with salt and pepper until the eggplant turned golden brown. I then deglazed the pan with the chicken broth. I stirred in the onion mixture, bay leaves, and tarragon. The soup was brought to a gentle simmer and cooked for a bit. Once the soup was done, I pureed it with an immersion blender, adding a little water, poured it into a bowl, and placed it in the fridge.

Simmering soup

Then it was on to the ginger cream. I put minced ginger in a small saucepan with some water and brought it to a simmer. Once the ginger became tender, I drained it reserving both the liquid and the ginger. The cooking liquid went back into the saucepan and I reduced it down. The reduction was combined with the ginger and let it cool.

Ginger and ginger reduction

Finally, I added the cream to the ginger and beat it until the cream held soft peaks. I seasoned the cream with salt, pepper, and thyme.

Ginger cream

The soup is supposed to be served cold (or at the very least room temperature). I ladled the soup into some bowl and topped it with the ginger cream.

Chilled Eggplant and Roasted Pepper Soup

The soup was delicious. Amazing depth of flavor and I think I can attribute that to the roasting of the eggplant and red bell pepper. The consistency was quite good as well. It felt really hearty even though it was served cold. It had a great richness to it. Furthermore, the ginger cream was the cherry on top - an additional layer of flavor as well as a hint of spiciness from the ginger. The soup was relatively simple and had some big rewards at the end.

Enjoy!

Cod and Calamari Stew

Recipe: Cod and Calamari Stew
Page: 65
Date Cooked: January 15, 2012


It sounds strange saying that cod has an interesting place in my heart, but it does. I went to Portugal a few years ago and went a little cod crazy. Salted cod, or bacalhau, is a staple in Portugal and I ate it in many forms. So whenever I see cod on a menu (or in this case, a recipe), I fondly recall my trip and remember why I like this fish so much.

Ingredients: Fish bones and head, cleaned squid, garlic, red onion, cilantro, orange, olive oil, red pepper flakes, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, dry white wine, tomato, cod fillet, salt, and pepper

I have never gone to the seafood counter and asked for fish bones before. Never really thought about getting them. Well, that just added to another "first" for this project. I even decided to get more than the recipe required to keep in my freezer for later. I rinsed the fish bones and removed any gills. I used kitchen shears to cut the bones and head into smaller pieces. While I would normally put a picture right about here, I'm going to pass. I'm not particularly affected by it, but it isn't the prettiest picture.

With the mess of the fish bones out of the way, I proceeded to mince the garlic, chop the onion, and remove cilantro leaves while keeping the stems. I also zested and juiced the orange.

Left: Minced garlic
Right: Chopped onion

I sauteed the garlic with some olive oil in a pot, until the garlic softened. I added the onion and cooked that for a bit. I stirred in the red pepper flakes, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, white wine, orange zest and juice, and the cilantro stems. Finally I added the fish bones and enough water to cover all the ingredients. I brought the broth to a boil, and reduced the heat to simmer for some time. After said time, I strained the broth.

The makings of fish broth

While the fish broth simmered, I diced the tomato, cut the cod into cubes, and sliced the squid bodies into rings. I want to make note here that JW advises to definitely and only use fresh squid. His exact words are "fresh squid is essential here, so if you can't find it, either leave it out or try another recipe."

1. Diced tomato 2. Squid rings 3. Cubes of cod

I heated some olive oil in a Dutch oven and tossed in the squid and cod. I then added the strained broth, cilantro leaves, and tomato. 

Squid + Cod + Broth + Tomato + Cilantro leaves

The stew simmered gently until the cod was cooked through. I seasoned the stew with some salt and pepper and it was ready to be eaten...

Cod and Calamari Stew

At first I was a bit taken aback. When you hear the word stew you expect something on the heartier side and this definitely was not that. But, it was delicious. The fish broth had an incredibly depth of flavor. I really enjoyed the citrus notes and loved the coriander flavor coming through. I can see why JW makes a big fuss about using fresh squid - the texture and taste were just perfect! In the future, I would just add more seafood - either more cod and squid or even experiment with other seafood in general. It was a pretty simple and straightforward recipe. I'm pretty sure I will be making this one again. And it did make me miss Portugal...

Enjoy!

Corn Soup with Saffron

Recipe: Corn Soup with Saffron
Page: 56
Date Cooked: July 21, 2011

I love the time of the year where you walk into the produce section and see that large table full of corn. There are a number of items that make me think of summer and ears of corn happen to be one of them. With the inspiration of corn in mind, I immediately decided that this was the recipe to make. I don't think Waxman has many "purely" vegetarian recipes in this book, but this is one of them. Heck if you replace the butter and leave out the heavy cream - it's even vegan friendly.

Ingredients: Corn, dried red chile, parsley, garlic, sweet onion, butter, cilantro, saffron, heavy cream, salt, and pepper

The soup stock was purely corn. It consisted of the corncobs, the dried red chile, parsley, and garlic. I placed all these items into a pot with some water and let it simmer for a few hours. After it was done, I strained the stock and placed it on a side.

Corn stock - corn cobs, dried red chile, parsley, and garlic.

With the stock done and out of the way, I proceeded to focus on the other components of the soup. I thinly sliced the onion and cooked it with half the corn kernels and some butter just until the onions were tender. I placed all the stock (except for about 1/2 cup) into the pan with the corn and onions. Finally, I added cilantro and let the whole thing simmer.

Left: Onions, corn, and butter
Right: Onions, corn, corn stock, and cilantro simmering

While the soup simmered, I combined the reserved 1/2 cup of corn stock and a few saffron threads into a small pan and it simmered for a few minutes. I then removed it from the heat and let it cool completely. With the aid of an electric mixer, I beat the heavy cream until soft peaks were visible. Then on a lower setting, I slowly drizzled the saffron stock into the cream mixture. The saffron cream was then placed in the fridge.

From Left to Right: 1.Saffron stock 2.Heavy cream + saffron stock 3.Saffron cream

I put the remaining corn kernels and some butter in a skillet to cook over medium-low heat. The kernels were seasoned with salt and pepper.

Corn kernels cooking on low heat

Finally, I pureed the soup with an immersion blender and strained it into a clean saucepan. The cooked corn was added to the soup and the entire thing was brought to simmer and seasoned with additional salt and pepper. I placed the soup into a bowl and topped it with the saffron cream.

Corn Soup with Saffron

The verdict...it was good...not great, but good. The recipe took some time and had I made the stock in advance the whole thing may not have felt soo tedious. Having said that, I have to acknowledge the fact that I think the corn stock is THE reason why the corn flavor is soo intense in the soup. You consistently taste corn and not only that but multiple dimensions of corn flavor. Layer one is the corn stock. Layer two is the soup itself. And layer 3 are the additional cooked kernels of corn in the soup. It just keeps coming back to you and your taste buds. When I ate the leftover soup the following day, I thought the flavors accentuated even further.

What about the saffron cream, you ask? Well that was pretty amazing! Not sure how you can go wrong with heavy cream and a saffron infused stock. For me, saffron immediately brings to mind Indian cooking, so I somewhat felt that the soup was a strange infusion of Southwest America + India. But it worked.

All in all, it felt a bit tedious. I'm not sure if I would make the recipe again in its precise form...but it definitely gave me a few good ideas.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Soup

Recipe: Black Bean Soup
Page: 62
Date Cooked: March 26, 2011

Black bean soup is one of those incredibly rich and hearty soups. To be honest, I don't eat it often and rarely make it. So I was kind of excited to see what Jonathan Waxman had in store. Though this recipe calls for ham hock, Jonathan Waxman makes note that it can be removed to make this a vegetarian recipe, while not compromising the flavor.

Ingredients: Dried black beans, red onion, jalapeno chile, garlic, olive oil, ham hock, bay leaves, spicy store-bought salsa, cilantro, pepper, salt, lime, sour cream, and chives

Of course since the recipe called for dried black beans, the first step was to soak them overnight. The next day it was on to mincing the onions and jalapeno chile; also separating the garlic head into whole peeled cloves.

From Left to Right
1.Beans soaking 2.Minced onions 3.Cloves of garlic

Olive oil was heated in a saucepan. The onions, garlic, and ham hock were added to the pan until the ham hock was browned and onions light gold.

Onions, garlic, and ham hock being cooked

Next, the beans, bay leaves, jalapeno, salsa, cilantro stems, and black pepper were all added to the pot. Finally after adding some water, the soup was placed to simmer for almost 2 hours.

Black bean about ready to simmer

After the said time, the soup was removed from the heat and the bay leaves and ham hock were fished out. The meat was removed from the bone and diced. The soup was seasoned with additional salt and pepper and the ham meat was added back.

Diced ham meat

The soup was reheated and ladled into bowls and topped with sour cream. Mined onions, chives, and cilantro were sprinkled on top. Finally, the soup was finished off with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Black Bean Soup

I think when you have a number of complimentary flavors and ingredients and you have the opportunity to cook them all together for a long period of time - it's just hard to go wrong. I really enjoyed the soup. It was definitely rich and without a doubt hearty - especially with the pieces of ham mixed in. Of course the garnishes (sour cream, onion, cilantro, and chives) added the freshness and lightness to the soup, which was well needed. Also, it is a hassle free soup. The most time consuming portion is the time it takes to soak the beans. Looks like another soup recipe success.

Enjoy! 

Wild Mushroom and Leek Soup

Recipe: Wild Mushroom and Leek Soup
Page: 61 and 78
Date Cooked: January 23, 2011

Being as it is freezing here in Central PA, making soup sounded like an excellent idea. The "Wild Mushroom and Leek Soup" happens to be the third soup (Butternut Squash and Jonathan Apple Soup and Mussel and Littleneck Clam Chowder) I've made from "A Great American Cook." The ingredients appeared simple and the combination was intriguing. All in all, I was looking forward to the soup.

Ingredients: Mixed mushrooms - crimini, shitake, and oyster, leeks, garlic, onion, olive oil, thyme, bay leaves, salt, black pepper, parsley, white wine, sourdough bread, and rosemary

The recipe required making a stock from the mushroom stems and dark green tops of the leeks. Accordingly, the mushroom were cleaned and stems removed; the leeks were sliced; and both the onion and garlic were minced.

Top Left: Trimmed mushrooms - caps and stems separated
Top Right: Sliced leeks, separated green tops
Bottom Left: Minced onions
Bottom Right: Minced garlic

With some olive oil, the mushroom stems, dark green leek tops, garlic, onion, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper were heated in a large pot. After a few minutes, the parsley, wine, and some water were added. The contents were brought to a simmer for 1 hour, during which foam was consistently skimmed from the top.

From Left to Right: 1. Initial ingredients for stock 2. Addition of wine, water, and parsley 3. Watching to skim foam

While I continued to watch the stock simmer, I went on to make the garlic croutons (page 78). Cubes of sourdough bread were placed in the oven and baked. Meanwhile garlic and rosemary were chopped. The croutons were placed in a bowl and sprinkled with olive oil and rosemary. Finally, the garlic was tossed in.

Garlic Croutons

After the hour, the stock was strained into another saucepan and kept warm. The diced mushrooms caps, leek whites, garlic, and olive oil were added to a Dutch oven. The ingredients were seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked till tender. The stock was then added and the soup simmered for another 30 minutes.

From Left to Right: 1. Mushroom caps, leek white, garlic, and olive oil 2. Tender mushrooms and leeks 3. Soup simmering

Additional, salt and pepper was added after tasting. The soup was then served with the garlic croutons.

Wild Mushroom and Leek Soup

Jonathan Waxman introduces the soup as a "forcefully flavored vegetarian soup" and I would have to disagree.I wanted to like this soup soo badly, I mean I skimmed foam from the stock for 1 hour. I wanted the time to be worth it. But quite honestly, it just fell flat. It had no dimension at all. It tasted fine. Just not good.

The best part of the soup were the croutons, which were quite delicious. Rosemary and garlic are both components that are near to my heart. But only when I got bits of rosemary and garlic with the crunchy texture of the croutons in my spoon (along with the soup) was a I satisfied. I re-read the recipe a couple of times after eating, trying to see if I missed something. I didn't. Unfortunately, I would have to say this soup is my least favorite recipe thus far.

Enjoy!

Mussel and Littleneck Clam Chowder

Recipe: Mussel and Littleneck Clam Chowder
Page: 63
Date Cooked: December 19, 2010

First off, this is not your traditional clam chowder and as you read this it will become increasingly apparent. To me, it was a really great update on the classic. Not at all what I was expecting. Instead it was just better.

Ingredients: onions, garlic, serrano chilies, ginger, coconut, littleneck clams, mussels, olive oil, dry white wine, orange, saffron, potatoes, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, cilantro, sage, lime, heavy cream, salt, and pepper 

As usual, I began with getting everything in place. Onions were thinly sliced; garlic and chilies were minced; and the ginger was peeled and cut into strips. The olive oil, onions, garlic, and chilies were cooked together until the onions got soft. Wine, orange zest, ginger, and saffron were then also added to the pot.

Olive oil, onions, garlic, chilies, white wine, orange zest, ginger, saffron cooking

In the meantime, the mussels and clams were cleaned and placed in the fridge. Additonally, the shredded coconut was toasted in the oven.

Toasted coconut

Once the onion mixture was cooked to time, the mussels were added to the pot. After about a minute the littleneck clams were also added to the pot. This specific part of the instructions struck me as interesting. I never knew that mussels took longer to cook and open up than clams. Once the mussels and clams opened up, they were removed with a slotted spoon.

Left: mussels and clams cooking in the onion mixture
Right: opened mussels and clams

The meat was removed from all the shells, placed in a container, and kept in the refrigerator. The onion mixture was also placed through a strainer and the cooking liquid was reserved. Then it was on to round two of the chopping and simmering. Potatoes were peeled and sliced; carrots and zucchini were diced; tomatoes, cilantro, and sage were chopped. The potatoes, carrots, zucchini, and tomatoes were then added to the strained cooking liquid and simmered. Once the vegetables got tender, the cream, coconut, herbs, saffron, mussels and clams were added.

1. Strained cooking liquid
2. Cooking liquid with potatoes, carrots, zucchini, and tomatoes
3. Simmering vegetables
4. Cream, coconut, herbs, saffron, mussels, and clams added

Once the chowder was cooked through it was time to eat.

Mussel and Littleneck Clam Chowder

Though I may have given the punch line away in the intro, I think it is necessary to state once again: This is not your typical clam chowder. The vegetable combination and the saffron lend an exotic flavor to this chowder. Ever bite I took I enjoyed it more and more. I think it would be safe to say that this is another recipe I plan on making again. Another thing that struck me as I enjoyed this chowder was how simply it would be to make for a vegetarian - just nix the seafood. Heck make one batch, split it into two and add your desired meat in the chowder. All in all it was just good.

Enjoy!