Frozen Lobster tail - surf & turf anniversary dinner tips?

[Silver]

So for our 4 year anniversary tonight, I've decided to go with a surf and turf theme.

I don't have a problem with the steak (it's kind of my specialty) but I've never cooked lobster tails before. Tips? What do I need to know?

I was going to pick up the tails (they're on sale 2 for $9) and maybe some prawns and some garlic butter for dipping.

I'll be grilling the steaks (probably just some sirloins).

Side dish recommendations would be great as well. I was thinking asparagus and maybe putting the prawns into an alfredo linguine dish. Dunno, haven't thought that far ahead yet. I have about four hours (kinda last minute...woops!) Gonna go pick up the tails/steaks/veg shortly.

 

[thumpershere2]

So how did the lobster turn out? Happy Anniversary.

 

[Silver]

Well, she ended up being a bit late from work, so we went out for dinner and are having lobster for lunch instead. This was fine as the lobster hadn't thawed yet anyhow.

I think it'll be good, or I hope so, anyhow.

 

[Chef_Jimmy]

I'm doing a "surf and turf wellington" I made up for a special......Whole beef tenderloin seared and stuffed with lobster tails and duxells and wrapped in puff pastry, painted with egg wash and baked to medium. I think it will be great

 

[Silver]

Sounds good, Jimmy.

I'm not that brave

 

[Chef_Jimmy]

It's really not that hard at all. Nothing is too hard if you try, ****, if i didn't screw up trying new things, i'd never be where i am now. Never be afraid of something new, after all, if you don't try, how are you really going to know.

 

[ironchef]

It's really not that hard at all. Nothing is too hard if you try, ****, if i didn't screw up trying new things, i'd never be where i am now. Never be afraid of something new, after all, if you don't try, how are you really going to know.

Exactly. Hey, post a pic of your finished special if you can.

 

[Chef_Jimmy]

I'm doing it Sunday for Mother's Day. I'll try to remember to take a pic.

BTW, sorry about the h*** word, just to let others know it was an h word and not f or s. won't happen again.

IC, I haven't decided on a sauce or if i will just let it be. suggestions? I really don't want to over power it, and a sauce to fit both is tough, I may do a demi or other wine/stock reduced sauce for beef and a butter/w.wine sauce for seafood, but i think the dish should speak for itself

 

[ironchef]

IC, I haven't decided on a sauce or if i will just let it be. suggestions? I really don't want to over power it, and a sauce to fit both is tough, I may do a demi or other wine/stock reduced sauce for beef and a butter/w.wine sauce for seafood, but i think the dish should speak for itself

I think the challenging part is that the lobster and filet will be combined in the Wellington together. Is it going to be made a la minute or buffet style? If it's buffet style then the holding of the sauce will be important too. Looking at the rest of your menu, something that you could do is make a truffle infused bernaise sauce with white truffle oil since truffles goes well with both the filet and lobster. The bernaise should hold if you're doing buffet style too. If you do that though I would probably omit the tarragon and just use chives and chervil instead.

 

[Chef_Jimmy]

that sounds, good, i agree that the tarragon would over do it, but chervil and chives are nice and i have some great truffle oil that i haven't used in a while.hmmmmm you got my wheels spinning, thanks. I'll let you know what i'm going to do. It will not be buffet style. It is for a "40 top" And they are friends of mine also in the industry so i'm doing this for them, so i don't have to worry about holding it. It will go out immedietely which is sooooo convienient. They have a prie fix menu so this will serve most of them, i'm doing 2 so if there is any left over, i'll use it for a dinner special. If it turns out good, I would love to do it again. I will use a large tenderloin that is larger on one end than the other so i can have medium and mid rare. I am just waiting for the person that says "hay, that there piece of meat is still mooin' put 'er back in the oven till it's burnt up" Or my personal favorite (this is not about this but) When someone orders a steak Pittsburg Medium.

 

[ironchef]

Chef Jimmy, so what did you end up doing for Mother's Day?

 

[Chef_Jimmy]

IC, It turned out pretty good, I flash seared the lobster tail, put it in the middle and then roasted the tenderloin. Cooked it mid rare and it was perfect, the lobster didn't over cook (my biggest fear) and every one enjoyed it. I did "steal" your advice about infusing truffle oil in the bearnaise (thanks for the idea, hate to steal, but i guess every idea starts somewhere) It really rocked, it brought everything together very nicely. I really liked the idea of the wellington style, but i have to figure out another way to do it if i do it for regular service, if it didn't all go out at once, i don't think it would have held well with all of the components. I used the claw meat to make a lobster and avocado salad on mesclun with citrus viniagrette (tangerine and lime) and even topped it with a thin slice of black truffle and it was a definate hit. I will make that again for sure. It would be great for a lunch, but were not open for lunch..oh well. Sous chef made a "pink peppercorn fume blanc" for lobster that night that was incredible (lobster stock for the lobsters, pink peppercorns and fume blanc wine with some other great seasonings and reduced it slightly. It was all in all a good day. Thanks for the truffle idea. P.S. I got some beautiful skate for the fish special tommorrow night. That should sell well

 

[ironchef]

Hey we all "steal" (I prefer the word "borrow") ideas from other chefs. I borrowed the idea from Harold on Top Chef about using the sunchokes to "cream" the spinach in. That never occured to me to use something like that.

Here's an idea for your surf 'n turf Wellington for ala carte service. You could make puff pastry tuiles or boats, then cook off the lobster, steak, mushrooms, etc. seperately, and plate it together at the end. You could even make puff pastry tops and place the top on the finished product, or off-set the top so that it's leaning on one side. Of course this would actually be more like Steak and Lobster en Croute, but it would have pretty much the same flavor as your Wellington and you wouldn't have to worry about the individual components as much.

 

[Chef_Jimmy]

I was thinking about making it "en croute" just wrap a fillet, but then it would be hard to incorporate the lobster, but tuilles would be nice, i make almond laced tuilles to serve ice cream and berries in they are a very nice presentation. Tuilles (for the people who don't know, are cups mady by lapping pastry, thin cookie ect... over a cup in the oven so the sides fall down and make a little cup....for the most part) filled with the itens, would be like a deconstructed wellington, maybe i could leave the mushrooms a little larger than the normal tiny duxells size. I really liked the bearnaise though, i would like to use that idea again. I love to cook fish, but as far as the sauces, i keep them very simple as to not overpower the fish. After all, thats why i pay so much for the best, it doesn't need to be heavily sauced. The fish needs to speak. For instance, i have some skate and will probable just do a buerre noisete (hazelnut, or brown butter) or maybe an orange butter, something simple that compliments the fish in a light manner.

 

[ironchef]

With fish and seafood, I guess I'm more of a "push the envelope" type in regards to sauce and seasonings. But even if I might have a ton of different flavors on the plate, the flavor of the fish doesn't get lost. Certain things though I'll keep simple. Skate would be one of those things, but I don't really work with skate very often, if at all.

 

[Chef_Jimmy]

I really envy the asian flavors you use, i really wish i could, but it doesn't fit into my restaurants style (french) I think it is great that you get to use the ingredients but with classic fusion style. If i do private parties or cater or something of that nature, i get wild myself. I love to do totally unothadox things. sometimes they are great, sometimes not as good. If I cook somewhere else i am definately going to look for a place like yours. I love fusion cooking. I have noticed the pics and recipes you post and have really been experimenting with different cuisines on the side. I got on a Carribbean kick for a while and it was fun. I love making sauces, I remember being a saucier at another restaurant with no restraints.

 

[ironchef]

I think most of us in the industry have worked in places where menu constraints have hindered our cooking strengths, creativity, etc. I worked in a steakhouse where we did not have any ginger in the entire restaurant. Probably 1/4th of my Asian and/or fusion dishes have ginger in them in some capacity.