Jack Pot Pie

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saturday mornings

november 21

Jack Pot Pie

" Mr. Deeds" Jack Pot Pie

Claud’s “Jack Pot Pie” is one dish you’ll want to inherit. Don’t let the fancy ingredients deter you.

Ingredients:

2 fully cooked, 1 ½ pound Lobsters
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 head garlic, sliced crosswise
2 bay leaves
1/3 cup cognac
1 cup good quality champagne
2 cups clam juice
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons softened butter
2 morels, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1 bulb fennel, diced
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
As much shaved fresh truffle as you can afford
1 package frozen puff pastry
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Directions:
1. Place each lobster on its back and cut in half, lengthwise, from head to tail. Remove tail meat; twist off claws, then crack and remove claw meat. Chop lobster meat into large bite-sized pieces and refrigerate. Chop the shells and set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan, on a medium-high heat, until shimmering. Add the chopped lobster shells, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and bay leaf; sauté 5 minutes. Add the cognac and ignite, shaking the pan to burn off the alcohol. Add champagne and clam juice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.

3. Cream together the tomato paste, flour, and softened butter; set aside.

4. Strain the simmered lobster shell mixture into a saucepan, bring to a boil and reduce until about 2 cups remain. Add the cream and whisk in the flour-butter-tomato paste mixture until smooth. Return to a boil, whisking often. When the sauce thickens, reduce heat to low until needed.

5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

6. Sauté the shallots, morels and fennel in olive oil until fragrant. Add chopped reserved lobster meat, truffle shavings, chopped tarragon, and the warm lobster-cream sauce; season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle the lobster mixture into four 10 ounce (or eight five ounce) ovenproof ramekins and seal the top of each with a piece of puff pastry. Cut a few vents for steam to escape and brush the pastry top with egg wash; bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling bubbles around the edges. It’s rich and delicious!