LOBSTER CAKE with Lemon-Infused Cream Cheese (a la Emmanuel)

LOBSTER CAKE with Lemon-Infused Cream Cheese (a la Emmanuel)

[Six cakes]

1 lb lobster meat

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

2 teaspoons red bell pepper, finely chopped

2 teaspoons green scallions, chopped

½ teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

2 egg yolks

½ cup plain bread crumbs

½ cup heavy cream

1 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tablespoons of butter

1 cup cream cheese

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Orange reduction 

Some purdie goosefoot.

For this recipe I am indebted to my good friend and coworker at the Sabor Restaurant in Grand Bahama, my Chef de Cuisine, Emmanuel Smith.

Place the meat of the lobster in a medium-sized saucepan along with one cup of orange juice, the cloves of garlic and the butter. Cover the saucepan with foil and cook the lobster for three minutes before removing the saucepan from the heat and leaving it to cool. Once cool, remove the lobster and chop it into medium-sized bits.

In a bowl make a paste of the garlic, red pepper, green scallions and the egg yolks. Mix the chopped lobster in with the paste along with the bread crumbs, which will firm up the mixture, and then spread it out onto a piece of plastic wrap forming a square about one half inch in thickness.

Put the cream cheese in a separate bowl along with the lemon juice and mix these ingredients completely until the mixture is thoroughly smooth. Put a string of the cream mixture on top of the layer of lobster mixture, reaching across it from side to side. Then wrap the lobster mixture around the string of cheese, covering it completely, so that only the ends of the string of cheese are visible. The plastic wrap is used to facilitate the roll-ing. Keep the roll in the plastic wrap, and, when ready, put it in a refrig-erator to cool and firm.The final stage in the preparation of this exquisite delicacy consists in cutting the cool and firm roll of lobster and cheese into bits about one and a half inches in length. If the roll has been cut while still in the wrap, remember to remove the plastic from each bit. The bits are put in an oven, cut end up, and baked for seven to ten minutes at about 400° F, or until they are softly golden in color.

For the arrangement on the plate, Chef de Cuisine Emmanuel recommends a pool of orange reduction. The baked lobster cake is placed in the middle of the pool and the arrangement decorated with some purdie goosefoot.

It was only around the middle of the last century that Icelanders came to appreciate lobster, but they are quick learners. I have tried Chef de Cuisine Emmanuel’s recipe for lobster cake on a few of my countrymen who have been guests at the Sabor Restaurant and I can truthfully say that they thought it marvelous – and then, why not you, too.

SAUTÉED WOLF FISH in Parma Ham and Spinach with Tomato and Scallion Risotto

 

SAUTÉED WOLF FISH in Parma Ham and Spinach with Tomato and Scallion Risotto

[Serving four]

1.5 lb wolf fish fillet

1/2 lb Parma ham

8 oz spinach, preferably rather large leaves, blanched

Tomato and scallion risotto

1 tablespoon grape seed oil

2 tablespoons butter

4 sprigs of chives

Salt and pepper

Wolf fish is fished quite a lot in Icelandic waters. It certainly is not pretty to look at, and has to be handled with care when caught. Its jaws are fiercely strong and if for example a booted foot is caught between them when the fish has been brought into the boat, quite some injury to the wearer of the boot is well-nigh certain. In spite of this the wolf fish is a favored catch among fishermen, since it is a great delicacy, its meat being soft and pleasantly fat.

Blanch the spinach and then squeeze it a bit to remove excess water. Cut the fillet of wolf fish into strips about an inch or a bit more in diameter and about four inches in length and season them with salt and pepper. Spread thin slices of Parma ham out in a square about four inches in width and long enough to be rolled around the strip of wolf fish, with a bit to spare. Put a layer of spinach on top of the slices of ham, covering the width completely, but leaving uncovered about half an inch at the far edge. Place the strip of wolf fish across the width of spinach and wrap the ham and spinach around it covering the fish entirely. The edge of ham with no spinach is used to close up the roll.

When the roll of ham, spinach and wolf fish is ready, wrap aluminum foil, brushed with oil, around it, closing the foil wrapping at the ends by twisting them slightly. Then put the roll in a pan with the grape seed oil and roll it in the pan for a minute. This is done so that the ham does not curl off the roll. Next remove the aluminum foil, put the butter in a clean pan and sauté the roll of ham and wolf fsh for about four minutes. The roll should be rolled constantly in the pan while it is being sautéed.

To serve, cut the ham and wolf fish roll into pieces about an inch and a half to two inches in length, make a bed of tomato risotto in the center of a plate and arrange the cut pieces, one or more, on top of it. Finally, decorate the arrangement with some pieces of chives.

The taste of this dish is a most pleasant blend of the flavor of the ham, the spinach and the fish, which go most satisfyingly together. The tomato and scallion risotto, being mellow in taste, enhances the combination, so in its entirety here is a most savory dish.

MOTHER’S PAN-SAUTÉED HADDOCK

 

MOTHER’S PAN-SAUTÉED HADDOCK with Mashed Potatoes

[Serving four]

The Haddock

1.5 lb fillet of haddock, skinned

1 red onion, sliced

4 oz butter

½ cup flour

2 eggs

1 cup bread crumbs

2 limes

2 tablespoons sugar

Salt and pepper

The Mashed Potatoes

1 lb peeled potatoes

½ cup cream

2 oz butter

Salt and pepper

This course is dedicated to an excellent cook: my mother, Halla Loftsdóttir. It may seem somewhat simple and even primitive, and hence hardly fit to be included in a cookbook, but I can assure you that it is most splendid. Also, when one comes to think of it, where, really, is most of the world’s cooking done, but in mother’s kitchen, where she invariably and consistently works her wondrous everyday magic?

Trim the skinned fillet of haddock and cut it into pieces about two to three inches in width. Roll the pieces in flour seasoned with some salt and pepper, immerse in beaten eggs and finally coat the fillet pieces thoroughly in bread crumbs. Sauté the prepared pieces of fillet in butter in a medium hot pan until they are golden brown and the bread-crumb crust has become somewhat crispy. Sauté the slices of red onion in the pan along with the fillets. Cut the lime in half, dip it in sugar and sauté it in butter in a separate pan (cut side down) until the sugar has caramelized. Boil the potatoes in water until they are soft. Drain the water off and mash the potatoes in the pot with a potato masher, adding the cream and butter. Keep the pot on low heat to melt the butter. Mix thoroughly until the potatoes are completely smooth, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, arrange a bed of mashed potatoes on a plate, and place the fillet of haddock on top. Rest the caramelized lime on the fi llet. Its juice is to be squeezed on the fillet when it is eaten. Ladle some of the butter and sautéed onions from the pan the fi llets were sautéed in on top of the arrangement, keeping some on the side along with extra mashed potatoes.

There you have it, my mother’s recipe. The only thing added is the caramelized half of lime.

WHITE WINE-STEAMED MUSSELS

WHITE WINE-STEAMED MUSSELS in Herb and Lemon Grass Sauce

[Serving four]

24 mussels

3 oz butter

2 cups white wine

1 stem of lemon grass

½ red onion, diced

Juice from two lemons

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon of grape seed oil

2 tablespoons of chopped chives

Salt and pepper

Mussels abound along the Icelandic coastline, where they thrive beautifully in the cold semi-arctic waters. They were used somewhat for food in former times in some areas of the country, and nowadays they have been universally accepted as an integral part of fine cuisine.

Begin by cutting the lemon grass in half and beating it with a meat mallet to bring out the flavor. Then put the beaten grass and the grape seed oil in a pot along with the onions and sauté these a bit with the garlic. Add the mussels, squeeze some lemon juice over them, add the two tablespoons of chopped chives and finally the white wine. Turn on the heat, cover the pot and steam the mussels until they open, at which time they should be removed from the pot and one of the shells removed, leaving the fish in the other. Next, remove the lemon grass from the broth, add the butter to it and stir until it has completely melted. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange the shells with the fish in them in a long and narrow dish, six shells for each serving, and pour the sauce into each shell. It is excellent to served French baguettes with this course to soak up the extra sauce on the plate. In this course a great deal depends on the sauce. The fish should be almost floating in it in the shells. They are picked up between the fingers and the fish along with the sauce sucked out of them. This may sound a bit crude, but be assured; it is fun and most certainly very satisfying.

OLIVE-OIL-POACHED HALIBUT

OLIVE-OIL-POACHED HALIBUT with Lemon Scented Potato Puree and Kalamata Olive-Tomato Vinaigrette

[Serving four]

3 cups olive oil

1 lemon, quartered

4 basil leaf stems

2 tsp fennel seed

4 3-oz portions of halibut, skin and bones removed

2 tablespoons of olive oil

12 pitted Kalamata olives, sliced in 6 pieces

2 tomatoes, skinned, deseeded, and finely diced

2 teaspoons Lemon juice

16 tiny basil leaves

Salt and pepper

Zest of one lemon, finely julienned

Lemon scented potato puree

I love halibut, especially when you can get the larger fish from very cold waters. The rich cooking method of poaching in Olive oil goes well with the delicate texture of the fish. Tomatoes and olives are readily available in the warmer months, the basil adds a Mediterranean feel to our local products and the acidity of the lemon balances well with the creamy potato puree.

In a medium sauce pot, place the olive oil, lemon, basil stems, and 1 tsp of fennel seed. On very low heat bring the temperature of the oil to 150° F. Next, place the halibut in the oil, nestling it on top of the basil stems for support. Cook for 12 -15 minutes until the flesh is starting to take on a white, opaque color. Remove the pan from the heat and let rest. Once the oil is slightly cooler remove the halibut and season with salt and pepper. In a small sauce pan on medium heat toast the remaining fennel seed until you can smell the aroma from the seeds. Next, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the seeds are coated in oil, add the sliced olives, tomatoes, and lemon juice. Swirl the pan until the lemon juice and olive oil are emulsified. Season with salt and pepper and at the last minute add the small basil leaves. Place one nice dollop of lemon scented potato puree in the middle of the plate. Rest the halibut directly on top of the puree. Next, spoon the vinaigrette over the fi sh and let the juices drip down over the puree. Lastly, garnish the plate with the Julienne lemon zest.

CITRUS SHRIMP SALAD with Sesame Seed Oil

CITRUS SHRIMP SALAD with Sesame Seed Oil

[Serving four]

12 oz shrimps

½ onion

½ avocado

1 blood orange, segmented and diced

1 grape fruit, segmented and diced

1 tablespoon chives, chopped

1½ tablespoons quality sesame seed oil

Pinches of red orach for decor

Icelandic shrimps are quite small, but exceptionally full in flavor and pleasantly juicy. They were not fished much in former times, but nowadays they are greatly favored by exacting gourmands all over the country.

For this salad chop the onion, avocado, blood orange, and grapefruit segments into small cubes. Mix thoroughly with the shrimps, sesame seed oil and chives. Care must be taken not to crush the avocado cubes, as they tend to be somewhat soft. Because of this, it may be advisable to add the avocado only when all the other ingredients have been mixed together, gently folding it in. Season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper.This dish is really fine for starters. It is served in rather small portions and therefore ideally in small vessels, such as Chinese porcelain spoons, which can contain the appropriate amount of salad and are also very satisfying to the eye. Sprinkle a pinch of red orach on top for décor.