bisque | Catalyit or The Bezos Letters.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 (1 1/2 pound) live lobsters
1/2 cup water, plus 3 cups
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 cups white wine
8 sprigs parsley
8 sprigs cilantro
1 bay leaf
8 white peppercorns
2 roasted poblano peppers, peeled, seeded and pureed
Salt
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons honey
Freshly ground white pepper

Toasted Corn Relish, recipe follows

Preparation
Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook until soft. Do not allow them to obtain color.

Plunge a knife between the eyes of the lobsters to dispatch them. Then split them in half lengthwise, and remove the sand sack. Separate into tail, claw, and chest pieces and add the sections to the vegetables. Add 1/2-cup water and cover the pan with a lid for 4 minutes. Remove lid and allow the water to evaporate, then turn off the heat. Remove the lobster pieces from the pan and set aside. When cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the tails and claws, and reserve the meat.

Chop the shells into smaller pieces and return to the pan. Add the sherry and ignite. When the flames subside, add the wine and reduce by half. Add the water, parsley, cilantro, bay leaf, white peppercorns, poblano puree, and salt, to taste and cook over low heat for 20 minutes.

Remove most of the shells and pass the soup through a sieve into a clean medium saucepan, add the reserved lobster meat and cook until reduced to 2 cups. Blend the soup in a blender in batches then strain through a sieve into a clean, medium saucepan over medium low heat. Place the cream and milk in a small saucepan and reduce by half. Add the cream and cook until just heated through and season with honey, salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and garnish with Toasted Corn Relish.

Toasted Corn Relish

Ingredients

2 ears fresh corn, silks removed and ears soaked in cold water for 5 minutes
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1 roasted poblano, peeled, seeded and finely diced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Preheat grill to high. Remove ears from water. Roast corn for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and grill in the husk for 15 to 20 minutes.

Peel the husk away, and cut corn away from the cob. Combine the corn kernels in a medium bowl with the red onion, roasted poblano, lime juice, olive oil, and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients
Shrimp shells contribute a lot of flavor to the bisque, so be sure to purchase shell-on shrimp. Large 21- to 25-count shrimp are a good size to use. If your food processor is small and your shrimp are extra large, process them in two batches. For straining the bisque, if you do not own a chinois, use a china cap or large sturdy mesh strainer lined with a double layer of damp cheesecloth.

2 pounds shell-on shrimp, preferably Gulf or Mexican Whites
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup brandy or cognac, warmed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small carrot, chopped fine (about 3 tablespoons)
1 small rib celery, chopped fine (about 3 tablespoons)
1 small onion, minced (about 6 tablespoons)
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
11/2 cups dry white wine
4 (8-ounce) bottles clam juice (4 cups)
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 small sprig fresh tarragon
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon juice from 1/2 lemon
Pinch ground cayenne
2 tablespoons dry sherry or Madeira
Salt and ground black pepper

Preparation
Peel 1/2 pound shrimp, reserving shells, and cut each peeled shrimp into thirds. With paper towels, thoroughly pat dry remaining shrimp and reserved shells.

Heat 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat until very hot, about 3 minutes. Add 11/2 tablespoons olive oil and swirl to coat pan bottom. Add half of shell-on shrimp and half of reserved shells; sauté until deep pink and shells are lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer shrimp to medium bowl and repeat with remaining oil, shell-on shrimp, and shells. Return first browned batch to skillet. Pour warmed brandy over shrimp and wave lit match over pan until brandy ignites, shaking pan. When flames subside, transfer shrimp and shells to food processor bowl fitted with steel blade and process until mixture resembles fine meal, about 10 seconds.

Heat butter in large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat until foaming. Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and ground shrimp; cover and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are slightly softened and mixture is fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until combined thoroughly, about 1 minute. Stir in wine, clam juice, and tomatoes, scraping pan bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, if any exist. Cover, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to boil; then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened and flavors meld, about 20 minutes.

Strain bisque through chinois into medium container, pressing on solids with back of ladle to extract all liquid. Wash and dry now-empty Dutch oven; return strained bisque to Dutch oven and stir in tarragon, cream, lemon juice, and cayenne. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat; add reserved peeled and cut shrimp and simmer until shrimp are firm but tender, about 11/2 minutes. Discard tarragon sprig; stir in sherry, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve hot.

Makes 6 cups, serving 4 to 6