Lobster Mousse Puff Pastry Bouchees Recipes

Steps:

• Place the livers in a bowl and add the milk to cover. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. Drain well and pat livers dry.
• In a large skillet cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp and all of the fat is rendered, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove the bacon and transfer to paper towels to drain. Set bacon aside. Reserve the bacon drippings. Add the livers and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic, thyme, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and the pepper and cook until the livers are just slightly pink and the shallots are soft, about 1 to 2 minutes longer. Add the cognac and cook until the liquid has evaporated and the livers are cooked through but still tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a large shallow bowl to cool.
• Once cooled, place the liver mixture together with any drippings in the bowl of a food processor and add the cream cheese and 1/2 pound butter and process until smooth. Add salt to taste if necessary.
• Spoon the mixture into small ramekins or serving bowls and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, 4 to 6 hours.
• While the mousse is chilling, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a large skillet and add the onions. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and the sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 20 minutes. If the onions begin to toughen or get too dark around the edges before they are soft and caramelized, add a bit of water, as necessary. Season the onions with salt and pepper, to taste, transfer to a small bowl and set aside until ready to serve the mousse.
• Crumble the crisp-cooked bacon into a small bowl.
• To serve the mousse, place the ramekins on a plate and serve with the toasted croutons. The caramelized onions and crumbled bacon should be nearby in small bowls for guests to garnish their mousse-spread croutons. (Alternatively, spread the mousse on the croutons and garnish with the onions and crumbled bacon and pass the assembled hors d'oeuvres on a platter.)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cut puff pastry into 2 equal size pieces slightly larger than your salmon. Place 1 piece of pastry on oiled or parchment paper lined cookie sheet and set side of salmon on top. Sprinkle with parsley. Lay sliced black truffles over salmon like scales trying to cover entire fish. Sprinkle the chopped hard boiled eggs over truffles and season with salt and pepper.
• Place other piece of pastry on top and seal edges and crimp with your fingers. Brush with egg wash and bake until pastry is golden brown, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and then slice into 6 equal size pieces, garnish platter/plate with watercress and serve.

Steps:

• For the steamed lobster meat and lobster stock: Fill a large bowl with ice and cold water, and set it aside.
• In a 4- or 6-quart cast iron Dutch oven, or other heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid, combine the tomatoes, 2 cups of the wine, the 1/2 cup of the water, sliced onions, peppercorns and tarragon. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes.
• Raise the heat back to high. Add the lobsters to the pot; cover the pot immediately with a heavy, tight-fitting lid. Steam the lobsters until they are bright red and you can pull out the long feelers on the head with no resistance, about 13 minutes. Using tongs, immediately plunge the lobsters into the bowl of ice water and let cool for 5 minutes.
• Remove the lobsters from the ice water and set on a rimmed baking sheet. Using kitchen shears, remove the lobster meat from the tails and claws. Use a knife to chop the meat into bite-size pieces. You should have about 1 pound of lobster meat, set aside.
• Rinse the lobster shells, including the heads, and place all the shells back into the pot with the lobster poaching liquid. Add 2 1/2 quarts of water and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour. Strain the lobster stock through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth. Transfer the stock to a clean saucepan and return to a simmer. Reduce the stock until you have about 6 cups remaining.
• For the pappardelle with lobster: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the papardelle and cook until al dente, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove 1/2 cup pasta cooking water from the pot and drain the pasta through a colander. Transfer the pasta to a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, cover and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until soft and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the garlic and continue to cook and stir for another minute. Add the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes have released most of their liquid, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute longer.
• Add the wine, 1/2 cup of the lobster stock and some of the pasta cooking liquid to the pan and continue cooking over medium heat until half of the liquid has evaporated. Add the lobster meat to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add the cooked papardelle and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the chives. Toss the pasta with the sauce and cook for 1 minute longer so it will heat through.
• Divide the pasta between 4 bowls, garnish with the chives and grated cheese and serve immediately.

Steps:

• In a small skillet, combine the first nine ingredients. Cook and stir over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until lobster is firm and opaque; set aside. , Unfold puff pastry. Using a 4-in. round cookie cutter, cut out four circles. Place on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pastries. Spoon 1 tablespoon lobster mixture in the center of each circle. Brush edges with egg; fold dough over filling. Press edges to seal. , Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes or until puffy and golden brown. Serve warm.