Lobster Pierogies Recipes

Steps:

• Combine the flour, milk and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Pulse until the dough forms into a ball.
• Roll out the dough on a floured board and cut into 2 1/2- by 2 1/2-inch squares. Drop about 2 teaspoons of mashed potato in the center of a dough square. Dip a finger in water, run it around the edge of the square, fold the potato inside and pinch the edges to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough and potato filling. Place the finished pierogies onto floured sheet pans.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and drop the pierogies in. When they all float to the top, they are done, 3 to 4 minutes. Strain and place in a bowl.
• While the pierogies are cooking, in large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and saute until medium brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Pour over the pierogies, gently toss and serve.

Steps:

• For the pierogi dough: Add sour cream, salt, eggs and 1 cup water to a 4-quart or larger mixer with a dough hook attachment. Mix on medium to low speed until thoroughly combined.
• Turn speed to low and slowly add the flour in 1-cup increments. Push down dough on sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Allow each cup to thoroughly mix in before adding the next cup. Add last cup slowly.
• Dough should begin to pull away cleanly from the sides and bottom of the bowl. If it doesn't, slowly add more flour until it does. If your dough is too dry, add a little water to moisten. Once dough pulls away cleanly from the sides and bottom of the bowl, allow the dough hook to knead the dough until lightly tacky and soft, about 4 minutes.
• Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
• For the duck confit: Mix salt, both sugars and sumac in a large mixing bowl by hand until thoroughly combined.
• Pat dry duck legs and rub with crushed juniper berries and crushed garlic. Set legs aside.
• Cover the bottom of a deep-walled baking dish large enough to hold the legs in a single layer with 1 quart of the salt-sugar mixture, ensuring that the bottom of the dish is covered (add more mixture if necessary).
• Put half of the fresh thyme sprigs down on top of the mixture. Snugly fit the rubbed duck legs in the mixture in a single layer. Cover with any remaining garlic or juniper berries that may have fallen off during placement. Cover the duck legs with the remaining fresh thyme. Pack with remaining salt-sugar mixture until meat of the dug legs is completely covered. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Remove duck legs from refrigerator and gently rinse each leg over a sink running cold water. Pat dry with paper towels and set aside.
• Place duck legs in a pot on stovetop and cover with schmaltz. Simmer on low heat until the meat pulls easily from the bone, about 2 hours. Pull duck legs from pot and allow to cool. Reserve oil.
• Pull the meat from the bone and rough chop the duck leg meat. Reserve the bones.
• For the duck stock: Place reserved bones in a 4- to 6-quart stockpot with the carrots, celery and onion. Add enough water to cover the bones and vegetables (about 4 quarts), then add the bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring just to boil and immediately adjust heat to low. Allow to simmer on low for 3 to 4 hours. Strain off bones and vegetables, reserving the dug leg stock.
• For the pierogies: Cover potatoes with 1 quart duck stock or enough stock to cover. Bring potatoes to a boil, then immediately lower heat to medium. Simmer the potatoes until they are fork tender, about 20 minutes. Strain and spread on a sheet tray.
• Sprinkle potatoes with 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt and allow to cool. Place potatoes and chopped duck leg meat in a mixing bowl. Add 1/4 cup reserved oil from the duck leg confit and fold in green onions. Taste filling and adjust seasoning if necessary.
• Remove dough from refrigerator and allow to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Unwrap and quarter the dough with a bench scraper. Cover the remaining 3 quarters of dough with a towel while you work on the first quarter.
• Roll the dough on a floured surface into an even sheet about 1/8-inch thick. Cut out dough discs using a 3- to 4-inch biscuit cutter.
• Combine cornstarch and 1 cup water in a bowl. Moisten each disc with a thin layer of the cornstarch slurry. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each disc. Gently pick up each disc by the sides, then pinch the dough around the filling. Pinch dough closed, sealing the filling inside. Place filled pierogies on a generously-floured sheet tray.
• Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Working in batches, gently place the pierogies in the boiling water. Return water to a boil and allow pierogies to boil until floating and warmed through, 10 to 15 minutes. Pull pierogies from the water and allow to dry slightly. (At this point you may refrigerate or freeze any pierogies you aren't planning on using.)
• Prepare a saute pan over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of the reserved oil from the duck leg confit. Carefully fry the pierogies until the sides are light brown and crusty.
• Serve with Pierogi Sauce.
• For the roast tomato ketchup: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Toss tomatoes with oil, garlic, salt, basil, oregano and pepper and place on a sheet tray. Roast until tomatoes are half their size and browned, about 1 hour.
• Puree tomatoes and any remaining liquid in a food processor with tomato paste until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• For the sauce: Prepare a large saucepan at medium-high heat. Add duck fat to saucepan.
• Saute mushrooms in saucepan until browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons roast tomato ketchup (save the remainder for another use) and lightly brown the ketchup, 3 minutes. Add blanched carrots, celery, onion and duck stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat until reduced by half. Season to taste.

Steps:

• Combine flour and salt in an electric mixer for 30 seconds. In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil, and 3 cups of water. Put electric mixer on a slow speed and add sour cream and egg mixture to the flour mixture. Mix for about 2 1/2 minutes. At this point check the dough and make sure it is creamy and pliable, if it is too sticky, add a bit of flour, if it is not pliable add more water. When dough reaches desired texture, remove from the mixer and let rest on a floured table, covered with plastic wrap, for about 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, begin working the dough with a floured rolling pin. Roll dough out to a rectangular shape that is 1 to 1 1/2-inches thick. Cut this into quarters. Take 1 sheet and roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. If dough begins to stick, sprinkle it with a bit of flour. Using a 2 to 3-inch cookie cutter, cut dough into circles.
• Once circles are cut, roll the circles to 1/8-inch. Place 1 tablespoon of the desired filling in the center of each circle. Lightly wet 1/2 of the edge of the circle with water, fold over and crimp together.
• Gently place pierogi into hot salted water that is just under boiling point, about 190 degrees F, and cook for 3 minutes or until pierogi float. Drain.
• Melt butter in a large frying pan. Add pierogis and cook until golden brown. Serve with Sauteed onions, a dollop of sour cream and chopped chives.

Steps:

• To make Pierogie Dough: Combine all ingredients and mix well. Knead dough on flat surface for approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Let dough rest for 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight; the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
• Roll out dough into a thin sheet, approximately 1/4-inch thick. Then cut in circles: 2 inches for small pierogies and 3 1/2 inches for large pierogies. Fill circles with desired filling. Pinch the edges well and cook them in rapidly boiling water for approximately 10 minutes. Drain and serve immediately with butter. If you decide to store them, dip them in cold water, drain, and let them cool on a cookie sheet. When completely cool, store them in refrigerator.
• To make Jalapeno Filling: Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Add salt, bring to a boil over high heat, and cook until potatoes are soft. When potatoes are done, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft; you can continue cooking until onions are caramelized if you so desire. Drain the potatoes and mash them. Add the cooked onion and jalapeno and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Continue mashing until blended. Let filling cool. Use 1 tablespoon of filling to fill the circles of dough as directed above.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Salt the water and add the lobsters. When the water comes to a second boil, cook the lobsters for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the lobsters from the water and let cool. Crack the tails, knuckles and claws. Pick out the meat from the shells over a bowl to hold the juices. Reserve the tomalley. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat and add the tomalley and lemon juice. Remove from heat and stir in the crushed snack crackers. Add enough reserved lobster juice so the mixture is thick like turkey stuffing. Divide lobster meat among 4 individual casserole dishes. Cover each dish with the cracker mixture, patting it on evenly. Bake until the top begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the dishes from the oven and garnish each with a parsley sprig and a lemon wedge.