Lobster Pot Pie, The Perfect Cure for the Winter Blues — Or Is It?

I bumped into a friend this week who said, despite NYC’s blissfully mild winter, she was in the midst of a mid-winter malaise.

You, too?  Why not try the cure of a lobster pot pie?  Steaming a couple of live lobsters will fill your kitchen with a scent that evokes misty harbors, picnic tables, and cotton sweaters.  And the homey pot pie crust should impart some measure of comfort to help you make it to summer…

Lobster lovers should also take heart in Maine’s record haul of lobster in 2011.  According to the recent announcement by the Department of Marine Resources, Maine’s lobster population has benefited from the rise in conservation activities and the decline in water temperatures and predators.

And so prices are down, too.  At Fairway in NYC this weekend lobster was $10.99/pound.  That clinched our decision to try the recipe for lobster stew with a pastry lid that appeared in the New York Times.

First of all, this recipe helps avoid tough lobster meat by recommending parcooking the lobsters for only six minutes and then plunging them into ice water.

Our two lobsters, totalling about three pounds, yielded enough meat for a thick stew.

With a flavor base emanating from celery, leeks, thyme, and lemon zest, the stew was prepared separately from the pastry lid to avoid sogginess.

In addition to lobster, my kitchen smelled of freshly chopped celery leaves, chives, and dill.  Sprinkled on the pie crust, these herbs offset the richness of the crème fraiche in the stew.

We served our lobster pot pie with simply steamed asparagus and had strawberries for dessert – good choices because these were very generous portions.

I’m just a little depressed that we didn’t make it as four servings to have some for today.

 

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