Chilled Lobster Salad With Lemon Thyme Madeleine

Serve lobster salad dressed with herbed vinaigrette and aromatic
madeleines for an elegant lunch.

This sweet and savory lobster salad arrives from Executive Chef Tom Devine at Linwood's in Owing Mills, Maryland.

Servings:4

Ingredients

• Herbed Vinaigrette
• 4 tablespoons mint
• 4 tablespoons cilantro
• 4 tablespoons basil
• 4 tablespoons dill
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 cups extra virgin olive oil
• Lemon Thyme Madeleines
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup ground almonds
• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 2 tablespoons thyme, chopped
• Lobster And Salad
• 2 (1 1/2 pound) lobsters, cooked and cooled
• 1 head hydroponic bibb lettuce
• 12 slices avocado
• 16 segments red grapefruit
• herbed vinaigrette
• 8 lemon thyme madeleines

Directions:

For the herbed vinaigrette:

1. Blanch all the herbs in boiling salted water for 5 seconds, shock in ice cold water and chop.

2. Place the eggs, cheese and lemon juice in a blender on medium speed. Slowly add the oil in a steady stream to emulsify the vinaigrette.

3. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Chill.

For the lemon thyme madeleines:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and cook until nutty and brown but not burned. Set aside to cool.

3. Sift together the powdered sugar and flour, then stir in the ground almonds.

4. Whisk the egg whites until frothy.

5. Stir in the almond mixture until thoroughly combined.

6. Add the brown butter, thyme and lemon zest.

7. Spoon batter into a greased madeleine pan. Bake for 5 minutes, until golden brown. Flip out of the pan while still warm.

For the lobster and salad:

1. Remove the lobster meat from the shells.

2. Chop the tail and knuckle meat; reserve the claws.

3. Toss the chopped lobster meat with herbed vinaigrette to coat lightly. Season with salt.

4. Lay out two leaves of bibb lettuce in the center of each plate. Top with lobster salad.

5. Arrange avocado and grapefruit segments on the outside edge of the lettuce leaves.

6. Garnish with lobster claws and two warm madeleines.

Servings:4

Level of Difficulty: Difficult

Prep Time: 1 hour plus time for the lobster to fully cool

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Making A Mousse Out Of A Juicy Fruit: Strawberry Mousse

In many locations, the peak season for strawberries is right in the middle of April, so it only seems fitting to share with you a great strawberry dessert recipe.

Strawberry mousse is a perfect spring dessert that has a wonderful, smooth texture and is filled with the freshest fruit you can find.

Making a mousse out of a juicy fruit like strawberries can be tough. The sweet juice can interfere with the smooth texture all while providing a flavor that is far too subtle. to fix this, we processed the berries with a little sugar and salt before cooking them into a syrup. This intensified the flavor while limiting the moisture that got into the mousse. Keep reading below for this great recipe...


Ingredients

2lbs strawberries, hulled
1/2 cup sugar
a pinch of salt
1 3/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
4oz cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces and softened
1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Cut some of the strawberries into 1/4" pieces until they can fill up 1 cup. Refrigerate until ready to be used for garnish. Pulse the remaining strawberries in a food processor or blender in 2 batches until most pieces are 1/4" to 1/2" thick. Transfer the strawberries to a bowl and toss with 1/4 cup sugar and the salt. Cover the bowl and let stand for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Strain the processed strawberries through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Measure about 3 tablespoons of juice into a small cup. Sprinkle the gelatin over the juice and let sit until the gelatin softens (about 5 minutes). Place the remaining juice in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to 3 tablespoons (about 10 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat, add the softened gelatin mixture, and stir until the gelatin has dissolved. Add the cream cheese and whisk until smooth.

While the juice is reducing, return the strawberries to the food processor and process until smooth. Strain the puree through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing on the solids to remove the seeds and pulp. Discard any solids in the strainer. Add the strawberry puree to the juice-gelatin mixture and whisk until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whip together the heavy cream and vanilla extract and whisk until foamy (about 1 minute). Whip harder until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Whisk the whipped cream into the strawberry mixture until no white streaks remain. Portion into dessert dishes and chill for at least 4 hours. Serve, garnished with diced strawberries.

Enjoy!

Orzo with Grilled Shrimp, Summer Vegetables, and Pesto Vinaigrette

Ingredients

8 ounces orzo (about 1 1/3 cups)
6 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar, divided
2 medium zucchini or summer squash (about 9 ounces total), cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 red or yellow bell pepper, quartered
3 tablespoons purchased pesto
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
2 heirloom tomatoes (8 to 10 ounces total), cored, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves plus sprigs for garnish
1 8-ounce ball fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

preparation

Cook orzo in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Transfer to large bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon oil.
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Whisk 2 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons vinegar in small bowl. Brush zucchini and bell pepper with oil mixture, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Whisk pesto, lime juice, remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons oil, and remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar in small bowl for pesto vinaigrette. Place shrimp in medium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons pesto vinaigrette; toss to coat.
Grill zucchini and bell pepper until crisptender, about 3 minutes per side for zucchini and 4 minutes per side for bell pepper. Transfer to work surface. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper; grill until charred and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Place shrimp in bowl with orzo. Chop zucchini and bell pepper; add to bowl with orzo. Add remaining vinaigrette, tomatoes, sliced basil, and mozzarella; toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover; chill.
Garnish with basil sprigs and serve cold.
Servings: Makes 6 servings