The team made lobster bisque on Wednesday 11./12/2020. This bisque reminds me of the lobster sauces that we make for the Richmond French Food Festival. We are going to talk about a creaming technique. Creaming is something done after your stock and/or soup has fully developed flavor. What does this mean? It means that the mixture you are about to add cream to could be eaten without cream. So why cream a perfectly good soup or stock? It will provide a luscious texture. In order to learn how to make a great stock, please refer to this Stock Tip post for the technique. Now for the lobster stock: we want to roast lobster shells using white wine, tomato paste and spices. In contrast, one would roast whole chickens to make chicken stock. For this event, we are using Minor’s Lobster base. We are also using Minor’s Culinary Cream, which contains emulsifiers that keep heavy cream from separating the whey and solids. This product ensures that this lobster bisque will stay together just like it was the day we made it.

Lobster Bisque ingredients

2 pints Minor’s Lobster base

8 gallons water

1 case heavy cream

3 cups Minor’s Culinary cream

1/4 cup nutmeg

2 cups brandy

4 cups white roux

2 cups corn starch

1 gallon white wine

1/4 cup white pepper

1 number 10 can of tomato paste

Lobster bisque preparation

In a large stock pot, fill with water until 80% full and place over medium heat. Let it come to a boil.

Add Minor’s Lobster base, white wine and white pepper. Stir the stock thoroughly as to mix the lobster base to the point where no base is visible.

Stock pot with Lobster base. water, white wine and tomato paste

After lobster base is thoroughly combined, add the tomato base by whisking it in until combined.

In a separate large stock pot over low heat, add the heavy cream and Minor’s Culinary cream. Begin to bring the temperature up slowly to keep from breaking.

Continue letting the cream cook until the whole top creates a frothy residue. Once this residue forms, remove from the heat.

Taste your lobster stock, make sure that it has the flavor you intend. It should be on the salty side due to lobster base being really salty. Since we are about to cream it, the stock should have some very intense flavors because the cream will reduce the flavor intensity.

Typically, when creaming a stock, you want to reduce the temperature in order to keep the cream from curdling, but since we treated it with the Minor’s Culinary cream, we can add it to boiling stock. This is a huge time saver because these large stock pots take lots of time to bring up to temperature.

After the cream mixture is thoroughly combined, add the brandy, nutmeg and final salt and pepper.

Check the thickness of the bisque with a spoon by dipping it into the bisque, then on the back of the spoon, run your finger from stem to tip. How long the mixture stays in place tells you the thickness. If it runs immediately, then it’s very thin, if it doesn’t move, then it’s very thick.

Keep adding roux until you get to the thickness you’re looking for. You can also use corn starch to thicken the mixture further. Use a whisk to ensure that the lumps are broken up in the soup. This can take up to 20 minutes depending on the size of the pot.

As rule, use a roux when the soup or sauce is transparent. When the sauce is opaque, then use corn starch or arrowroot.

After the bisque is the proper consistency, let it cook for 15-20 minutes in order to cook the thickener. How do I know when it done? When you taste the bisque, it will have a smooth creamy texture.

Finished bisque with cream, mixture and roux

Continue letting the cream cook until the whole top creates a frothy residue. Once this residue forms, remove from the heat

Bon Appetit!