Happy Thomas Keller Day!

Often I let my mind wander decades into the future…  What will I name my first-born? When driving through well-to-do neighborhoods, I see a beautiful home and think to myself, “that will do.”  All of these notions about my future life frequently change.  There is one thing I’m fairly certain of though, and that is that I will retire somewhere in the Napa Valley.

I once overheard someone say that per capita, Napa Valley has the most Michelin stars than any other place in the world… pretty groovy. There are a plethora of tremendous restaurants run by some of the world’s most renowned chefs. But of them all, for me one name in particular stands out above the others: Thomas Keller. 

As E previously mention, I recently had a chance run-in with the guy... and what a gentleman he is!  For someone who has accomplished so much, he was incredibly humble and down-to-earth. Although I received a signed copy of Ad Hoc, I was still bummed I didn't get to meet him in person.  It truly must have been fate that I bumped in to him at The Grand Hotel. I'm pretty sure I blushed and grinned like a school girl when I saw him, but he didn't seem to notice.  He was engaging and lovely. Upon telling him that I recently dined at Ad Hoc, he dove into a series of questions. What did we eat?  Wedge salad, tenderloin of beef, and an espresso panna cotta!  How did we like it?  Everything was perfectly cooked and seasoned... excellent! Was the service up to par?  Above and beyond!

Looking through the Ad Hoc cookbook literally forces you into hunger. The photography is beautiful and showcases each recipe wonderfully. The recipes are approachable and reflect the theme of family and home.  This made it pretty hard to settle on something to cook.  But when I saw the Maine Lobster Rolls, I remembered what my parents said this past fall when they returned from a truly epicurean vacation to New England: one of the best things they ate the whole trip were the lobster rolls. The deal was done; I had to try it. Tommy's version was absolutely delicious. The mayonnaise dressing was cut with lime juice and plenty of herbs, so it was not too heavy. 

Living in California, I quickly realized the New-England-style buns are difficult to find.  I found La Boulange’s brioche hot dog buns, unsliced, at Whole Foods work perfectly for this recipe. If you can’t find them, top slit buns or regular hot dog buns are perfectly acceptable (just make sure to brown the sides).

Another note is the size of the lobster meat: Tommy recommends to leave the chunks of lobster large, ¾ inch or so. This is to appreciate its texture and give a juicy, luxurious feel (which is why I love the guy so much!). For this quantity of lobster meat, you will need five 1 ¼ pound lobsters. Lobsters that have grown too big are not as tender.  Even going to a high-end grocery store, I was unable to find whole Maine lobster. I had to use lobster tails, which I was worried about, but the results were just as great.

Per his suggestion, we made corn on the cob with lime salt to eat with the lobster rolls. The extra lime salt is definitely worth keeping (try it on popcorn!). We enjoyed these in the backyard in the warmth of the early evening sun.  Meeting him or not, I hope your experience with this meal was as good as mine.

Happy eating,
Lindsay

Maine Lobster Rolls

Serves 4 to 6

1 ½ pounds (about 4 cups) cooked lobster

3 to 4 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons minced red onion

2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled celery

2 teaspoons finely chopped tarragon

2 teaspoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 teaspoons finely chopped chives

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

½ lime

6 New England-style (top-split) hot dog buns or other hot dog buns, preferably unsliced

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 celery stalk

1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated, rinsed, dried, and torn into pieces

Pickled Red Onions (optional)

Put the lobster meat in a large bowl, add the mayonnaise, and stir gently to coat.  Add the onion, celery, tarragon, parsley, chives, and salt and pepper to taste and stir gently to mix. Squeeze the lime over the salad and fold in the juice. Cover and refrigerate.

If using top-split buns, brush butter on both outer sides of each bun. If using unsliced buns, split them open from the top, then trim each long side to create a flat surface and brush with melted butter. If using regular hot dog buns, open the buns and brush with butter. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Just before serving, put the rolls in the pan and brown the buttered sides.

To serve, peel the strings from the celery with a vegetable peeler. Using a Japanese mandoline or other vegetable slicer, or a sharp knife, slice the celery lengthwise into thin ribbons. Line each bun with a couple of small pieces of lettuce. Mound the lobster salad in the buns and garnish with the celery.

To cook the lobster…

Fill a large pot with water, and bring to a boil. Cook 1 or 2 lobsters at a time. Add the lobsters headfirst and cover the pot to return the liquid to a gentle boil, then remove the lid and boil for 1 minute. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let the lobster(s) steep for 10 minutes.

Transfer the lobster(s) to a tray to cool for 15 minutes. Remove the meat from the shells: Working over the tray, twist off and remove the tail from each lobster body. Then twist and pull off each of the claws.

To remove the tail meat…

Hold each tail flat, back shell facing up, and using a sharp chefs knife, cut lengthwise in half.  With a pair of tweezers, pull out and discard the vein that runs the length of the tail.  Cut the tail meat into pieces about ¾” in size.  If there is any roe (bright red coral), it can be finely chopped and added to the lobster salad.

To remove knuckle and claw meat…

Twist off each knuckle from the claw. Hold the claw in your hand and pull down to loosen the lower pincher. Then, push it to either side to crack it and pull it straight off. Still holding the claw, crack the top of the shell with the heel of a knife, about ¾ inch from the joint where the knuckle was attached, and wiggle your knife to loosen and crack open the shell. Shake the claw to remove the meat.

Cut off top joint, the one that was attached to the body, of each knuckle. Use scissors to cut open the shell along the smooth outside edge of each knuckle. Pry open the shell and remove the meat. Cover all lobster meat and refrigerate until completely chilled.

To remove leg meat…

Pull of the legs from the cooked lobster. Cut off the wider end of each leg. Lay the legs down on the counter, with the pincers facing you. Using a rolling pin, roll from the pincers toward the cut end: the pressure will cause a strand of lobster meat, “spaghetti,” to emerge from each leg.

*For more information of the anatomy of a lobster visit this site. The knuckle is the part of the lobster that connects the claw to the body.

Corn on the Cob with Lime Salt

Serves 6

6 ears supersweet white or yellow corn, shucked

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature

Lime Salt (recipe follows)

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

Cut both ends of each ear of corn, and cut the ears in half.

Bring a large pot of well-seasoned water to a boil. Add the corn and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the corn in tender.

Meanwhile, transfer about 2 tablespoons of cooking water to a large wide heatproof bowl. Add the butter and swirl the bowl over the heat to emulsify. Add the lime salt to taste, swirling the bowl to maintain the heat emulsification. Set aside in a warm spot.

Drain the corn well and add to the butter. Sprinkle in the chives. Swirl the bowl to coat the corn evenly. Sprinkle with additional lime salt, and serve the remaining salt on the side.

Thanks for the Christmas gift E!

Lime Salt

Makes ¼ cup

¼ cup Maldon sea salt or fleur de sel

Grated zest of 1 lime (use a Micropane)

Put the salt and lime zest in a small jar. Put on the lid, and shake to combine.  Extra salt can be stored in the freezer.