So a funny thing happened on the way to the cottage…. We stopped for some food and of course wine. My wine guy (that is his real name) asked where Shawn was. I replied “he went to buy lobsters.” My wine guy said “you can never have to many” I shot back “we already have lobsters in the cooler… for some reason we need more!” I now regret my misgivings.
This week, we decided to invite someone who has been missing singing beside Shawn, and may want to convince him to join Pax again… Jaymar! We met our guest with a little tipple of wine , so we could get caught up. Then we sat round the table to sample our first course, Lobster Bisque.
The lobsters are boiled and shelled. The shells were then combined with some shrimp shells that we happened to have in the freezer and simmered with a mirepoix, to make a seafood stock. This makes the base for the bisque. The finished bisque is blended smooth, then lobster chunk are added back in, with a hint of cayenne. Lobsters may have been harmed in the making of this bisque, but their sacrifice was oh so worth it. The bisque was decadent, but with a bit of heat on the finish. I can’t say enough about this dish!!!
So after that start everything else will be a let down, or so we thought. It turns out Shawn has a few tricks up his sleeve. He came up with a Hachis Parmentier, made with braised short ribs and waffle fries. The waffle fry has a special story all its own check here, if you want recap.
The mix was slightly loose, to hold the shape, but the flavours and textures were so lovely. creamy mashed potatoes, braised short ribs, and roasted squash, with fresh rosemary, from the garden. Fall never tasted so good. our wine for the evening was a Cave Springs La Penna. We had done our prep ahead, to had a nice moment for a chin wag before dessert. With our herbal tea, we served chocolate and raspberry Napoleons.
This was a last-minute substitution. I like that this is a lighter dessert, but give the wow factor at the table. It did take a moment to figure out how to eat it though. I believe I saw at least 3 different eating methods going on. The chocolate shortbread was lovely, with the creamy filling and fresh raspberries. This is one of those times when the end product is more than the sum of its parts.
Steph reminded us that we only have 2 more rehearsals before our fundraising performance of Mahler’s Symphony number 2, so we knew we could not slack off tonight. As we headed out, I heard the voice of my wine guy in my head “you can never have too many lobsters.” It turns out he is very wise.
