Lobster Macaroni And Cheese
Marinated Shrimp With Champagne Beurre Blanc
Oysters Rockefeller
Crab Cakes
Manhattan Clam Chowder
Lobster Rolls
Coquilles St.-Jacques With Beurre Blanc



Lobster Macaroni And Cheese

1 1 3/4- to 2-pound live lobster

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
12 large shrimp, peeled, deveined, shells reserved
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped peeled carrots
3/4 cup chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, peeled, flattened
1 Turkish bay leaf
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup Cognac or brandy
3 cups water

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, divided
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 cups grated Fontina cheese (about 6 ounces)

8 ounces shell or gemelli pasta
6 ounces fresh crabmeat, picked over
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Plunge lobster headfirst into pot of boiling water; boil 4 minutes.
Using tongs, transfer to cutting board. Cut off tail and claws. Crack
tail and claws and remove meat. Cut meat into 1/2-inch pieces. Cut body
and shells into 2-inch pieces. Chill meat; reserve shells.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add
lobster body, lobster shells, and shrimp shells to skillet and saute 4
minutes. Add onion and next 4 ingredients; saute 6 minutes. Add tomato
paste; stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in Cognac. Add 3 cups
water; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.

Strain mixture into bowl, pressing on solids to extract liquid; discard
solids. Set stock aside. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in same skillet over
medium-high heat. Add shrimp; saute until just opaque in center, about
3 minutes. Cool slightly. Coarsely chop shrimp.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add
flour; stir 1 minute. Add stock and cream; simmer until sauce is
reduced to 2 cups, about 5 minutes. Add cheese; stir until smooth.
Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just
tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Stir lobster, shrimp, pasta,
crab, and 2 tablespoons butter into sauce. Stir over medium-low heat
until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve topped with chives.

Makes 6 first-course servings.



Marinated Shrimp With Champagne Beurre Blanc

The classic - and amazingly easy - French sauce made with butter
and wine gets a glamorous makeover with Champagne. Feel free to use
less-expensive sparkling wine for cooking, but keep the blanc de blancs
flowing as an accompaniment.

Sauce base
2 cups Champagne or other dry sparkling wine
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar or other white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Shrimp
1 cup Champagne or other dry sparkling wine
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons minced shallots
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
24 extra-large uncooked shrimp (about 2 pounds), peeled with tail left
intact, deveined
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces

For sauce base:
Combine Champagne, shallots, vinegar, and peppercorns in heavy medium
saucepan. Boil until reduced to 1/4 cup liquid, about 20 minutes. (Can
be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)

For shrimp:
Combine Champagne, olive oil, shallots, and ground pepper in resealable
plastic bag. Add shrimp to bag and seal; shake bag to coat shrimp
evenly. Marinate shrimp at room temperature at least 30 minutes and up
to 1 hour, turning bag occasionally. Mix chives, tarragon, and parsley
in small bowl.

Preheat broiler. Spray broiler pan with nonstick vegetable oil spray.
Drain shrimp; discard plastic bag with marinade. Arrange shrimp on
prepared pan in single layer. Broil shrimp until just opaque in center,
about 2 minutes per side. Stand 3 shrimp, tails upright, in center of
each plate.

Rewarm sauce base over medium-low heat. Whisk in butter 1 piece at a
time, just allowing each to melt before adding next (do not boil or
sauce will separate). Season beurre blanc to taste with salt and
pepper.

Spoon warm sauce around shrimp. Sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve.

Market tip: Champagne and sparkling wines labeled extra dry are
actually slightly sweeter than those labeled brut. The latter works
best for this dish.

Makes 8 first-course servings.




Oysters Rockefeller

Oysters Rockefeller were created in 1899 by Jules Alciatore of
Antoine's restaurant, in New Orleans, to make use of local shellfish
and greens. Named for John D. Rockefeller, this classic first course is
likewise rich.

Though Louisiana oysters tend to be quite large, it's best to use small
ones, such as Kumamoto or Prince Edward Island, for this recipe. The
oysters themselves (not the shells) should be no more than 1 to 1 1/2
inches in diameter.

3/4 cup firmly packed watercress sprigs (2 oz before discarding coarse
stems), finely chopped
1 1/3 cups firmly packed baby spinach (1 1/3 oz), finely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped scallion greens
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons minced celery
3 tablespoons coarse fresh bread crumbs (preferably from a day-old
baguette)
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon Pernod or other anise-flavored liquor
Pinch of cayenne
3 bacon slices
About 10 cups kosher salt for baking and serving (3 lb)
20 small oysters on the half shell, oysters picked over for shell
fragments and shells scrubbed well

Toss together watercress, spinach, scallion greens, parsley, celery,
and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon bread crumbs in a bowl. Melt butter in
a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, then add watercress mixture
and cook, stirring, until spinach is wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in
Pernod, cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste, then transfer mixture to
a bowl and chill, covered, until cold, about 1 hour.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450 F.

While watercress mixture chills, cook bacon in cleaned skillet over
moderate heat, turning, until crisp, then drain on paper towels and
finely crumble.

Spread 5 cups kosher salt in a large shallow baking pan (1 inch deep)
and nestle oysters (in shells) in it. Spoon watercress mixture evenly
over oysters, then top with bacon and sprinkle with remaining
tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons bread crumbs. Bake oysters until edges of
oysters begin to curl and bread crumbs are golden, about 10 minutes.

Serve warm oysters in shells, nestled in kosher salt (about 5 cups), on
a platter.

Cooks' note:
Watercress mixture can be chilled up to 1 day.

Makes 10 hors d'oeuvre servings.




Crab Cakes

These crab cakes are amazingly tender and moist because of the generous
proportion of meat. The restaurant uses a combination of claw and
backfin meat from Atlantic blue crabs.

1 tablespoon finely chopped scallion
1 tablespoon finely chopped red bell pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/4 sticks (5 oz) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Sriracha hot chile sauce
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
8 slices firm whole-wheat sandwich bread, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 lb jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425 F.
Cook scallion, bell pepper, and garlic in 2 tablespoons butter in a
1-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, 1 minute, then
whisk in flour and cook roux, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add cream
and bring to a boil, whisking. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking, 2
minutes. (Mixture will be thick.) Remove from heat and whisk 1 minute,
then whisk in yolk, basil, mustard, chile sauce, lemon juice, and salt
and chill, uncovered, until cooled, about 15 minutes.

While sauce is cooling, line a tray with wax paper and butter a shallow
baking pan. Pulse bread, chives, parsley, and pepper in a food
processor until finely chopped and transfer mixture to a plate.
Stir crabmeat into sauce and form into 12 (3-inch) patties, arranging
them on tray.
Gently coat each crab cake with crumb mixture and place in baking pan.
Drizzle with remaining melted butter and bake until golden and hot, 8
to 10 minutes.

Makes 6 main-course servings.



Manhattan Clam Chowder

Treat yourself to fresh clams for this recipe - they make all the
difference. This dish originated in Rhode Island during the late 19th
century, when, as story has it, Portuguese immigrants added tomatoes to
their chowder. British New Englanders believed their creamy chowder to
be superior and named the Portuguese version after Manhattan, presuming
that New Yorkers were the only people crazy enough to add tomatoes.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 45 min

2 bacon slices, cut into 1/2-inch squares
1/3 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons diced (1/3 inch) green bell pepper
3 tablespoons diced (1/3 inch) celery
2/3 cup diced (1/3 inch) peeled boiling potato (1 small)
1 (8-oz) bottle clam juice
1 cup canned diced tomatoes (8 oz), including juice
1 1/2 dozen small hard-shelled clams (1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter; 2
lb total), scrubbed well
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Cook bacon in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat,
stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to moderately low,
then add onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook, stirring, until
softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in potato, bottled clam juice, and
tomatoes (with juice) and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Stir in clams
and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until clams open wide, 8 to
10 minutes. (Discard any clams that after 10 minutes have not opened.)
Remove pan from heat.

Remove most of clamshells with tongs, then detach clams and return them
to chowder. (Keep a few in their shells for garnish.) Stir in parsley
and salt and pepper to taste.

Cooks' note:
Chowder, without clams or parsley, can be made 1 day ahead. Bring to a
simmer before adding clams and proceeding.

Makes 1 serving.




Lobster Rolls

Owner Dick Varano knows a thing or two about traditional New England
lobster rolls: He sells about 20,000 of them a year. His customers love
this dish so much that it's the only recipe he hasn't changed since he
bought the restaurant 13 years ago.

8 ounces cooked lobster meat, torn into bite-size pieces
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
2 hot dog rolls
1/2 head of butter lettuce, thinly sliced

Combine lobster meat and mayonnaise in medium bowl. Season to taste
with salt and pepper.
Butter outside surfaces of hot dog rolls. Heat medium skillet over
medium-high heat. Place rolls, 1 buttered side down, in skillet; cook
until browned slightly, about 2 minutes per side. Open rolls. Fill with
lettuce, then lobster mixture, and serve.

Makes 2 servings.




Coquilles St.-Jacques With Beurre Blanc

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

1 1/2 lb medium sea scallops (24 to 28), tough muscle removed from
sides if necessary
1/4 cup dry vermouth
1 1/2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 1/2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 tablespoon cold water
9 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon

Marinate scallops in vermouth 15 minutes.

Make beurre blanc: Simmer shallot in vinegar and wine in a small heavy
saucepan until liquid is reduced to about 1 tablespoon. Remove from
heat and add water. Reduce heat to low and cook, whisking in 6
tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon at a time, adding each new piece before
previous one has melted completely and occasionally lifting pan from
heat to cool mixture. (Sauce must not get hot enough to liquefy; it
should be the consistency of a thin hollandaise.) Remove from heat and
whisk in tarragon and salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm off heat,
covered.

Cook scallops: Drain scallops and pat dry between paper towels. Heat 1
1/2 tablespoons of remaining butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over
moderately high heat until foam subsides. While butter is heating,
season half of scallops with salt and pepper. Saute scallops, turning
once, until just cooked through, about 4 minutes total. Wipe out
skillet and saute remaining scallops in remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons
butter in same manner.

Serve scallops with beurre blanc.

Makes 4 servings.

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