Luxe Seafood Pie with Rosti Topping

The original recipe called for individual pies…which would be great except I didn't have 6 - 2 cup oven proof dishes so I made 1 pie and it worked just fine.  I just used my cast iron frying pan.  I like the Arctic Char, Trout and Lobster are all sustainably caught species and the combination of the three is rich and delicious.  From Food and Drink Autumn 2011.

FILLING
1 medium onion
2 cups whole milk (I used 1% and it was still rich)
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
500g Arctic char or pickerel fillets
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
250 g smoked trout or mackerel fillets
250 g cooked, shelled lobster meat
1/3 cup all purpose flour
Pinch cayenne
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 cup frozen peas, thawed and drained
1/4 cup each finely chopped parsley and chives
1 tbsp drained capers
4 small cornichons, drained and finely chopped
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

ROSTI TOPPING

4 yukon gold potatoes, each 3 inches, peeled
1/4 cup unsalted butter; melted
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1/4 tsp each kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. For filling, cut a thick slice from onion and finely chop remainder.  In a medium saucepan, combine onion slice, milk, peppercorns, bay leaves and nutmeg.  Bring milk to a simmer over medium high heat.
2. Cut Arctic char fillets into large pieces sized to fit the saucepan, and add to simmering milk.  Reduce heat to low and poach, covered, 5 to 10 minutes or until fish is opaque throughout.  Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a small skillet, heat 1 tbsp butter over medium heat.  Add chopped onion and cook, stirring often for 5 to 7 minutes or until softened but not browned.  Add garlic and cook, stirring for 30 seconds or until fragrant.  Add wine and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes of until wine has reduced by half.  Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Strain Arctic char, reserving milk but discarding flavourings.  Flake Arctic char into bite size pieces, discarding any skin and bones.  Put in a medium bowl.  Flake trout into bite-size pieces, discarding any skin and bones.  Cut lobster into bite size pieces.  Add trout and lobster to Arctic char.
5. In a large saucepan, heat remaining butter oer medium heat.  Add flour and cayenne and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes or until the flour and butter roux looks dry and is fragrant (do not brown). Gradually whisk in reserved milk, then cream.  Cook for about 2 minutes, whisking constantly, until sauce thickens and is smooth.  Remove from heat.
6. Stir onion mixture into sauce, then add fish mixture, peas, parsley, chives, capers, cornichons and Worcestershire sauce.  Stir gently.  Season with salt, pepper and more cayenne if necessary.  Divide mixture among six 2 cup individual baking dishes.  If you're not completing the pies immediately, cover and refrigerate them until ready to proceed, removing them from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before adding the topping.
7. For rosti topping, preheat oven to 400F.
8. Put potatoes in a large saucepan and add enough cold water to cover them.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered for 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside until cool enough to handle.
9. Using the large holes on a box grater, grate potatoes into a large bowl.  Add butter, parsley, salt and pepper and mix with a fork until well combined.
10. Spoon potato mixture on top of seafood filling to cover it completely, dividing evenly.  Put dishes on a large baking sheet.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until potato is starting to brown and filling is bubbling.

Serves 6

Corn Chowder with Lobster

My lovely husband helped me with this one as I was working that day and didn't have time to make the stock.  It is absolutely worth it to make this stock…although it is a bit time consuming.  Serve with a nice bread and a green salad. From Food and Drink Winter 2001

750-1kg live lobster
1 stalk celery
1 carrot
1 sprig parsley
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 cups lobster or fish stock
1 lb (500g) potatoes, peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups frozen kernel corn
1/4 to 1/22 tsp salt
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Place live lobster in a large pot of boiling water.  Cook 8 to 10 minutes then remove lobster.  Ladle 5 cups cooking water into a large saucepan.  Add celery, carrot, parsley and bay leaf.  Remove meat from lobster and discard tomalley and coral.  Add shells to cooking water.  Slice lobster and refrigerate.  Bring cooking liquid to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 1/2 hours.  Reserving broth, strain out and discard solids.  This can be done a day ahead and refrigerated.  Measure out 3 cups for chowder.  Freeze any remaining liquid to use as fish stock in another recipe.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in onion, mustard and paprika.  Cook 2 minutes or until onion has softened.  Sprinkle with flour.  Stir until absorbed.  Slide pan off heat.  Add cool stock in several batches, stirring until smooth before adding more.  Return to heat.

Add potatoes.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat.  Cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally or until potatoes are tender.  Add corn and simmer 5 minutes or until hot.  Taste and add salt as needed.  Stir in milk and green onions.  Heat until very hot, but do not boil.  Ladle into warmed soup bowls and top with sliced lobster.  Garnish with black pepper.

Serves 4 as a main course, 6 as a starter.

Lobster

I cooked my first live lobster this summer.  I was a little worried about it I have to say, but I needn't have been.  I got these tips from Food and Drink magazine 2000.  I bought my lobsters from the local Zehrs and they were just fine.  It must be more common now as most grocery stores carry live lobsters. My family would never have cooked this when I was a kid!  Of course that was when meat and potatoes was the norm.

BUYING LOBSTER

• Buy and cook alive.  
• The supplier should have a good sized tank.
• The lobster should put up a fight when taken from the water.  The better the fight, the fresher the lobster.  Don't buy submissive lobsters, they are old and tired.
• Try to get a 1 1/2 lb (750 g) lobster
• Female lobsters are sweeter, while males have larger, meatier claws (any surprise here people).
• Females will also have roe inside if you like that.
• Keep the lobster in a paper bag or box in the refrigerator until cooking time.
• Cook the lobster the day you buy it.

COOKING LOBSTER

• I have a good sized pot, but still only cooked them one at a time.  Do not over crowd the pot.
• Fill an 8 to 10 qt pot with 6 qt of water and add 3 tbsp of salt.  
• Cover and bring to a full rolling boil.
• Take the lobsters from the fridge, pick them up by the body, turn them belly side up and plunge them head first into the boiling water.  When you do this they die within seconds.  Make sure they are both submerged in the water.  Cover. When the water returns to a boil, remove the lid and reduce heat just enough to keep the water at a steady boil without boiling over.  Cook for 10 minutes.  Remove the lobsters from the pot.  
• To double check they are cooked, insert an instant read thermometer 1 inch into the lobster meat via the vent hole at the base of the tail.  165F (75C) means the lobster is cooked.
• Serve with sauce

WHITE WINE BUTTER

1/3 cup finely diced shallots

2 tbsp dry white wine

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

2 tbsp whipping cream

1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces at room temperature

salt and freshly ground pepper

• Place shallots, wine and vinegar in a pan over low heat.  Cook until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 7 minutes.  The shallots will be just glistening.  Add cream and heat until boiling.  Remove from the heat.  Using a whisk, whisk in butter, piece by piece until totally incorporated.  Season to taste.  Do not reheat.  The sauce can be kept if necessary in a thermos previously rinsed with hot water or in hot water bath.