Soup Sunday Recipes: Delicious Lobster Bisque Slow Cooked in Clay

Last weekend I took a day trip into San Francisco with a few friends. It’s a nice, relaxing way to spend an afternoon: we went to Lombard Street, Chinatown, Union Square and Ghirardelli Square. Then we finished up our time walking around Fisherman’s Wharf: Pier 39.

I really like to visit Fisherman’s Wharf, if just to get away and be a tourist for a little while. It doesn’t even matter that I lived in San Francisco for a few years not too long ago (because even then I rarely made it to the tourist spots—too much traffic!) We even rode the trolley cars to and from the Wharf (an expensive form of public transit, but super fun!)

My favorite part of visiting the Wharf is the clam chowder in a bread bowl that you can buy anywhere along the walk: from the street vendors to loads of sit-down restaurants: best clam chowder ever in authentic SF sourdough bowls. Best meal ever.

This time, however, I ventured away from my beloved chowder and tried a lobster bisque that was behind the chowder in a couple of the stalls. It’s something new; why not right?

And it was really delicious. I vowed to learn how to make this delicacy at home so I could have it a little more often than my trips to San Francisco’s busiest tourist district. So here’s what I came up with, and I really like it. It’s not exactly the same as those up-scale restaurants, but maybe I can tweak it a little more as I make it more often.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 c mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 3 cups broth
• 1/8 t salt
• 1/8 t cayenne pepper
• 1 c heavy cream
• 1/2 c dry white wine
• 1/2 pound cooked lump lobster meat

1. Add veggies, butter and broth to the VitaClay pot.
2. Set on “soup” and cook for 1 hour.
3. Using a hand-immersion blender, puree everything until smooth.
4. Add half of the lobster meat and puree again.
5. Stir in heavy cream, wine and the rest of the lobster meat, shredded.
6. Stir and seal again, allowing to cook for another 15 minutes, then stir.
7. Push “warm” button and let it rest on warm for 15-20 minutes, or until ready to serve.
8. Garnish with cilantro, parsley or other herbs.