Cooking Lesson #222 Easy Lobster Bisque

… from the California Kitchen

An Homage to Hamburger Hamlet and Marilyn & Harry Lewis

How you doin’? Hamburger Hamlet was a very creative chain of upscale restaurants (for their time) that mainly served hamburgers—all kinds of burgers.  The Hamlet was most popular in Southern California during the ‘50s, 60’s and 70s. It was founded by Marilyn and Harry Lewis.
 
Now you might think that serving lobster bisque in a hamburger joint would be a bit strange, but it resonated across California, Chicago and Washington, D.C.  Yes, one little place and one wonderful cup of soup did all that and more—it created a small chain of restaurants known for Thick and Juicy Burgers, “Those” Potatoes (hash browns layered with cheddar cheese and sour cream) and Lobster Bisque.

Harry (who was an actor, certainly not a cook) spent hours making this magical broth every night in the back of their home so that no one would ever have the recipe. The way Harry made it, it took 2 days, but with the magic of Better Than Bouillon Lobster Base you can have this totally simple, delicious tasting lobster bisque in less than 30 minutes. Perfect for impressing your Valentine!
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Yield:  4 servings
 
Ingredients
2 cups half & half or milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons lobster base (I prefer Better Than Bouillon brand base)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste (I prefer the tomato paste that comes in a tube)
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup minced lobster meat (optional)
2 tablespoons dry sherry
Garnish with flat leaf parsley or dill and a few pieces of lobster meat
 
Directions

1. In a saucepan over medium heat add the half & half, water, white wine, lobster base, flour, tomato paste, paprika and cayenne.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring, reduce heat and add lobster.  Let the bisque simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Top with the sherry and serve immediately.

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ChefSecret:  Use this very same recipe to make a shrimp bisque, just substitute the lobster meat with less expensive cooked shrimp meat.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “I’ve noticed that some people have stopped shaking hands because of the Coronavirus. I’m not shaking hands because so many people are out of toilet paper.”
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