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By Request
LOBSTER bisque, by its very name and nature, is a rich, luxurious dish, but downing a bowl shouldn't make you feel that you have a jug of heavy cream weighing down your insides. Luscious lobster bisque
Eric Leterc, executive chef at the Pacific Beach Hotel, designed a lobster bisque for Neptune's Garden restaurant that is definitely rich, but smooth and never, ever pasty.
"I think it's very important that the bisque is not very thick," Leterc said. He uses no cornstarch, flour or other thickener. His recipe depends on the pure taste of the stock, extracted from lobster heads, a touch of tomato paste for color and, of course, cream. Each bowl is garnished with a spoonful of sauteed portobello mushrooms.
Maryann Roylo celebrated her recent birthday at Neptune's Garden, particularly enjoying the soy bean salad and "the out-of-the-world lobster bisque."She asked for the recipes so she could make the dishes for the holidays.
Leterc said the salad was created in collaboration with Alan Wong when the two chefs opened Wong's Hawaii Regional Cuisine Marketplace. The salad became a mainstay of the deli case.
When Leterc moved to the hotel, he gave the salad a place on his new menu. It's currently been rotated off the menu, but is available on request. He suggests using frozen, shelled soy beans because their size and quality are more consistent than fresh-in-the-pod.
Kona Lobster Bisque with Portobello Mushrooms
4 ounces (2/3 cup) diced shallots
4 ounces (2/3 cup) diced carrots
8 ounces butter
5 pounds Kona lobster heads
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) brandy
1 to 2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 quarts heavy cream
3 sprigs fresh thyme
4 to 5 ounces portobello mushrooms, sliced (about 2 cups)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh herbs
Salt and pepper to tasteSaute the shallots and carrots with butter. Break the lobster heads apart and add to the pot. Saute for about 5 minutes. Deglaze with brandy, then add tomato paste, heavy cream and thyme. Season and cook for about 20-minutes; the color of the bisque should be pink. Strain.
Slice and saute the mushrooms with olive oil and garlic; finish with fresh herbs.
Pour bisque into bowls and garnish each with mushrooms. Serves 4.
Approximate nutritional information, per serving (not including salt to taste): 1,440 calories, 148 g total fat, 92 g saturated, 525 mg cholesterol, 400 mg sodium, 9 g protein, 15 g carbohydrate.*
Fresh Soy Bean Salad with Feta Cheese
6 ounces shelled soy beans
2 ounces diced feta cheese
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 tablespoon diced red tomatoes
1 tablespoon diced yellow tomatoes
1 tablespoon finely sliced basil
1 teaspoon cracked coriander seed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch black sesame seeds
2 ounces grilled calamari, sliced
Juice from half a lime
Salt and pepper to tasteCombine all ingredients. Adjust seasonings, balancing the flavors of the lime, vinegar and olive oil. Let sit about 20 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Serves 2.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving (not including salt to taste): 510 calories, 40 g total fat, 9 g saturated, 105 mg cholesterol, 440 mg sodium, 21 g protein, 18 g carbohydrate.*
Food Stuffs: Morsels
Send queries along with name and phone number to:
By Request, Honolulu Star-Bulletin Food Section,
P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Or send e-mail to bshimabukuro@starbulletin.com
Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the
Body & Soul section indicates calculations by
Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts,
a nutritional consulting firm.
