With fall in full swing and Thanksgiving coming up in a few weeks, I thought this Pumpkin-Lobster Bisque Soup would be an ideal recipe to feature now. I actually came up with this recipe a few years ago by chance when making preparations for an Opus Wine dinner menu with Michael Silacci. I needed a first course that paired well with the only white of the evening, a Mondavi Fume Blanc. I initially started to make a traditional pumpkin soup, but it just seemed boring to me. So, to solve that, I blended in some of my lobster sauce and really liked how the two went together. The finishing touch was to butter poach some lobster and add it to the dish to really round it out. This is a great soup to enjoy on cold autumn evenings.
Yield: 1 gal.
Lobster, culls - 4 pounds
Celery, diced - ½ stalk
Plum tomatoes, quartered - 2 each
Shallots, sliced - 3 each
Garlic, crushed - 2 cloves
Fennel tops, diced - 2 each
White peppercorns - 10 each
Coriander seeds - 5 each
Thyme - 4 sprigs
Tarragon - 2 sprigs
White wine - ½ cup
Brandy - ¼ cup
Heavy cream - 1 quart
Cheese pumpkins - 3 each
Onion, sliced - 1 each
Granny smith apples - 2 each
Ginger, ground - 2 tsp.
Chicken stock - 1 quart
Chervil - as needed
1. Bring salted water to boil, add lobsters, bring back to boil and simmer 2 minutes
2. Shock lobsters in ice bath
3. Remove meat from lobsters and reserve
4. Remove outer shell from lobster and remove gills from body
5. Sweat body, celery, tomatoes, shallots, garlic and fennel for 10 minutes
6. Add peppercorns, coriander, thyme and tarragon
7. Deglaze with brandy and wine and reduce by half
8. Add cream, bring to simmer, turn off heat and let cream infuse for 20 minutes
9. Meanwhile, quarter pumpkins, brush with melted butter and roast until tender
10. In another pot, sauté onions, pumpkin meat and apples
11. Add ginger and stock; simmer for 20 minutes
12. Puree pumpkin mix until smooth
13. Strain lobster mix and combine lobster sauce with pumpkin puree
14. Adjust seasonings and consistency
15. Slowly reheat lobster meat in melted whole butter
16. Ladle soup into bowl, add lobster meat and garnish with chervil
In selecting a wine to pair with soup, it's all in how the dish is seasoned. As a straight-up sweet, starchy, cream soup, it goes great with a Viognier or Gewurztraminer. However, if you add a little more sweetness, it pairs strangely well with some Italian whites that have a bit of a nutty characteristic, like Vernaccia and Gavi. If you season the soup more towards a spicy sweet end, like curry, then a Gruner Veltliner might be best. In this case, I'm going to go with a buttery Chardonnay from California to complement the richness. Bon Appetit!
2008 Newton Chardonnay Napa County Unfiltered $33.99 - 93WS
"A very distinctive and exotic style that's well-executed. Ultrarich and creamy, offering a medley of butterscotch, fig, roasted marshmallow and honeysuckle flavors, ending with a lingering finish. Drink now through 2015. 12,000 cases made." - Wine Spectator
2008 Alta Maria Vineyards Chardonnay $22.99 - 93RP
"The 2008 Chardonnay is a classic example of Santa Maria viticulture. Lovely tropical fruit, honeysuckle, lychee, and floral notes along with some background minerality jump from the glass of this full-bodied, nicely concentrated, impressive wine..." - Robert Parker
2006 L'Angevin Chardonnay Laughlin $44.95 - 93RP
"Another winner is the crisp 2006 Chardonnay Laughlin Family Vineyard. It offers hints of white peaches, apricots, honeysuckle, and candle wax, a restrained oak component, full body, good acidity, and a long finish..." - Robert Parker