{"id":110927,"date":"2022-06-06T08:35:01","date_gmt":"2022-06-06T12:35:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/?p=110927"},"modified":"2022-06-06T08:35:01","modified_gmt":"2022-06-06T12:35:01","slug":"lobster-newburg-2019-ashbrook-estate-chardonnay-or","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/?p=110927","title":{"rendered":"Lobster Newburg & 2019 Ashbrook Estate Chardonnay, OR…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Here\u2019s the issue.  I am no longer able to hold up my part of the joint lobster dinner at 71 Woodbury Hill.  And this is after<\/em> Sandy and I had reached an amicable settlement wherein I trade my lobster thorax (home to the nuisance little feelers, and the various digestive and reproductive components) for Sandy\u2019s lobster tail and claws.  After this exchange, which many would regard as landing in lobster heaven, I have a plate of two tails, and four claws of delicious, succulent lobster meat & a small side of melted butter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sandy has no trouble polishing off with unrestrained enthusiasm the contents of the two carapaces.  I, on the other hand, can only handle one tail and one claw without crossing into uncomfortably full territory.  What to do with the surplus lobster?  A year ago I put into play a pasta recipe I stumbled upon: Lobster Cacio e Pepe; and it proved to be an excellent repurposing of the extra lobster meat.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have made that dish three times since.  And each time I make it, I love it.  But<\/em> I was in the mood to find an alternate dish to prepare.  Then I saw a recipe on the Allrecipes internet feed that caught my eye: Lobster Newburg. I scanned the details: prep \u2013 10 minutes; cook \u2013 20 minutes; total \u2013 30 minutes.  Ingredients included egg yolks, butter, sherry, wonderful spices and heavy cream.  And then in the introductory text to the recipe, this concluding sentence: \u201cServe hot, over buttered toast slices.\u201d Pure poetry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the wine choice.  I see one to two strategies to pursue.  With the richness of the dish, go with a wine built along similar lines (Chardonnay).  OR<\/em>, contrast the richness of the dish with a wine that is fresh & pointedly crisp (Pinot Blanc or Muscadet).  I chose a Chardonnay from a tasting I hosted a few weeks back.  I had a dozen Chards to select from; and went with a wonderful Aussie from the Perth side of the continent.  Southeastern Australia maybe home to the country\u2019s most recognizable wine zones, but I prefer the wines from the Margaret River in the west.  Always dangerous to paint with too broad a brush, but I find the wines from the Margaret River have better balance of fruit and structure, more restraint, more \u201cold world\u201d sensibility<\/em>, than the opulent \u201cshow ponies\u201d seen in the east.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those who \u201cwant their cake & eat it, too\u201d<\/em> there is another wine option that offers both richness, and <\/em>crisp freshness: French Brut Champagne.  And more specifically, Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne, which is straight Chardonnay\u2026 and in my opinion, it is the most robust<\/em> style of Champagne.  Richly flavored and the delightful bubble adds an airy degree of fresh zest to each and every sip.  Rich & fresh together.  Go ahead\u2026. Have your cake and eat it, too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ashbrook Estate Chardonnay \u201919 (Margaret River, Australia)
<\/u><\/strong>Ashbrook Estate is one of the oldest established wineries in the Margaret River region, located in the heart of Wilyabrup. Truly family owned and operated since 1975 by the Devitt family,  Ashbrook produced its first commercial wine in 1979. Australia\u2019s pre-eminent wine authority and critic, James Halliday, has awarded Ashbrook Estate a five red star rating, an accolade afforded to only Australia\u2019s top 8% of wineries. As per tradition, half the Chardonnay underwent primary fermentation in brand new, premium French oak barriques and the remaining half in stainless steel. Both portions were matured on undisturbed lees for eight months. Then further matured for 12 months in an underground, climate-controlled cellar. The 2019 Chardonnay is perfectly integrated, delicious and complex and will age gracefully for many years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delavenne P\u00e8re & Fils Brut Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs (Champagne, France)
<\/u><\/strong>Blanc de Blancs is produced with Chardonnay grapes from the Estate\u2019s  Grand Cru vineyards in Cramant, on a slope in the C\u00f4te des Blancs. It has a light yellow robe, with light green reflections. A delicate sparkle brings this champagne to life, accentuating its aromas and elegance. Delicate nose and sparkling elegance. Aromas of fresh fruit and citrus. Great harmony and balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LOBSTER NEWBURG<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ingredients
<\/strong>6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
\u00bd ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
3 olives stuffed with blue cheese
2 egg yolks, beaten
\u00bd cup heavy cream
\u00bc cup of butter
2 tbsp dry sherry
\u00bd tsp salt
\u215b tsp cayenne
\u215b tsp ground nutmeg
\u00bc tsp paprika
\u00be lb of cooked lobster meat
2 slices of good sized toast<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Directions
<\/strong>1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, \u201cYou who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!\u201d Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of admirable size.  Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords, place in glass. Immediately begin consuming.  Now you can begin the food prep, and the cooking!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks and heavy cream until well blended.  Set aside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat.  Stir in the egg yolk mixture and sherry.  Cook stirring constantly until the mixture thickens slightly.  DO NOT BOIL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Remove from heat, and season with salt, cayenne, nutmeg and paprika.  Add lobster.  Return pan to low heat, and cook gently until heated thru.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Serve hot over slices of buttered toast. Garnish with fresh parsley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

n.b. <\/strong>I have already prepared this dish twice.\u00a0 On my second go I sourced fresh picked lobster meat from Stew Leonard\u2019s.\u00a0 A great time saver (although I was deprived of viewing Sandy\u2019s demolition of lobster bodies)!\u00a0 Don\u2019t breeze over your choice of bread for the toast.\u00a0 I used thick slices from a good sized Tuscan boule.\u00a0 A bakery Rye would also be a great choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s the issue.  I am no longer able to hold up my part of the joint lobster dinner at 71 Woodbury Hill.  And this is after Sandy and I had reached an amicable settlement wherein I trade my lobster thorax … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-110927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sandys-table"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=110927"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110927\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110929,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110927\/revisions\/110929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=110927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=110927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=110927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}