New Year’s Eve dinner? Combine the Champagne with lobster in a salad

For years I’ve started New Year’s Eve dinner with a terrific, if time-consuming shrimp bisque from Emeril Lagasse. I’ll share that next week, after I make it for Thursday night’s first course. OK, full disclosure, I was going to write about it today, but forgot to take a picture of the finished dish when I made some a week or two ago.

But if seafood is a favored tradition for New Year’s, may I humbly suggest the anything but humble Champagne-poached lobster salad, also from Emeril. It’s a bit of work, and involves boiling an entire bottle of champagne down to a few tablespoons, but MT and I (and Nanner) agree, it’s worth the effort if you’ve got the time.

Emeril being Emeril, he calls for live lobster and homemade Champagne vinegar. Long-time readers may remember the time MT decided to do the “cook a live lobster” thing in our kitchen after a co-worker brought her one. I won’t go into details. If that’s your thing, be my guest. It’s something I’m sure neither of us will do again.

Indeed, I’ll spare you the lobster cooking instructions from the original recipe. I opt for a cold water lobster tail or two from Valley Seafood since this is a rare treat, though there are cheaper alternatives. The important thing is to par cook it by your preferred method, then finish it in the Champagne poaching liquid.

And don’t believe the time given for reducing the champagne. Professional chefs must have one of those super-boiler burners on their stove tops, we have antique electric burners. Odds are you should plan on at least doubling the time of reduction, and maybe then some.

The suggestion of home-made champagne vinegar is interesting, but I’ve never tried it. As the photo shows, I just bought a bottle of the pre-made stuff. The picture also shows I did my usual substitution of an onion for a leek. And it includes the avocado, which I love, but forgot to slice up for the finished salad. There’s also a suggestion of adding caviar, which is just too over-the-top for me. I actually think it would detract from the other flavors, even if I was a caviar kind of guy.

Dobru Chut!

Champagne Poached Lobster (Emeril Lagasse)

Ingredients

• 1 pound or more of fresh lobster, par-cooked (boiling for three minutes or so is a simple method)

• 1 (750 milliliter) bottle extra-dry Champagne

• ½ cup sliced shallots, plus 1 tablespoon minced shallots

• 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon orange zest

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

• 5 sprigs fresh tarragon, plus 1 tablespoon chopped

• 2 teaspoons olive oil

• ½ cup fresh orange juice

• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar

• ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 to 3 teaspoons caviar

• 6 ounces salad mix

• 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes

• 1 ripe avocado, diced

Par cook the lobster meat and plunge into ice water bath. Once cool enough to handle, set meat aside.

In a 3-quart saute pan, add the Champagne, sliced shallots, 1 teaspoon of garlic, the bay leaf, peppercorns, lemon juice, orange zest, kosher salt, and tarragon sprigs. Bring the contents of the pan to a boil, and reduce to a very low heat (bubbles forming on the bottom of the pan that rise slowly and gently will indicate the proper temperature). Place the lobster meat in the poaching liquid and cook, partially covered, until the meat is cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove the lobster from the pan and chill until ready to serve the salad. Increase the heat to high under the poaching liquid, and bring it to a boil. Cook until the liquid is reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 10 minutes (it tastes great if you don’t reduce it quite so thoroughly). Strain the poaching liquid through a fine-meshed sieve into a medium-sized mixing bowl and reserve.

Place a small saute pan over medium heat and add the 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the minced shallots to the pan and cook until translucent, about 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the orange juice. Once the juice has almost evaporated, pour the mixture into the bowl with the reduced poaching liquid. Using a whisk, combine the liquid with the shallots and add the mustard, honey, Champagne vinegar, and pepper. Continue whisking vigorously while you slowly drizzle the extra-virgin olive oil into the bowl. Add the caviar and chopped tarragon to the vinaigrette.

Combine the salad mix, tomatoes and avocado in a large mixing bowl. Chop the reserved lobster meat into bite-sized pieces and add to the salad. Drizzle about 6 to 8 tablespoons of the dressing over the salad, and toss to combine. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary. Plate the salad on 4 salad plates and serve immediately.

Homemade Champagne Vinegar

Place 1 cup Champagne in a 1 cup glass measuring cup or other wide-mouth glass container and cover with plastic wrap. Poke several holes in the plastic wrap and leave the Champagne at room temperature for 4 to 6 weeks. The natural spores in the air with turn the Champagne to vinegar.