There was a brief moment on Sunday where I genuinely considered taking a shot of clarified butter. It was only the company of strangers that stopped me. Don’t ask me why I picked this weekend to show any sort of restraint; it normally is not my style.
This weekend, Aunt LifeSaver hosted her annual Lobster Fest. Yes, lobster fest. It is the most wonderful of all the festivals. Gluttinous behavior abounds. The beer floweth. The children runneth.
Everything was fantastic. Aunt LifeSaver is a great cook and I was happy to be at a party where I was not the one preparing the meal. (Though I did bring one special sweet treat that will go up later this week.) I was appropriately mocked by a roomful of people for my white sundress. Sometimes, I don’t think, but I did look darn cute. It was the perfect way to kick off the summer.
The lobsters were ordered from Three Sons Lobster and Fish in Maine. Aunt L steams them simply, which is really the only way to do it. Some recipes call for celery, bay and dill in the water used for steaming, but why would you want to interfere with the flavor of the lobster meat? She is right on this, as she is about most things.
I just wish she would have supported me on my butter shot scheme.
Spectacular photo by RA
Steamed Lobster
Technique from Aunt LifeSaver
3-4 Cups of water and 1/4 cup of kosher or sea salt. Steam for 11-15 minutes until bright red.
Clarified Butter
From O Chef
Melt the butter slowly. Let it sit for a bit to separate. Skim off the foam that rises to the top, and gently pour the butter off of the milk solids, which have settled to the bottom. A stick (8 tablespoons) of butter will produce about 6 tablespoons of clarified butter.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Poor little guys. I hope they were dead before steaming.
They were quite alive. Bad bad news to steam a dead lobster…it will make your guests very sick.
[Reply]
Yum! What a picture that is! I steamed clams this weekend but that’s about as big as I go. I never go as big as lobster. I get them from the fish counter at Giant where they steam them for you while you shop! I bet Aunt Lifesaver’s home-cooked tasted a lot better!!
Yeah, this picture is fab. Of course I didn’t take it! And the home cooked was phenomenal.
[Reply]
MMMM Lobster….MMMM.
Right!? Who doesn’t love lobster? The terrorists, that’s who.
[Reply]
The wearing of the white sundress is defiantly fearless – I love it. I, however, am also the guy that wore a cream linen suit to lead a wine tasting last weekend.
I somehow only managed to get one spot of butter on my lap, which came out easily. I also was sticking napkins down my cleavage to create a makeshift bib, but that is neither here nor there. And cream linen?! How dapper.
[Reply]
Between the clutziness/spill factor, the virginity jokes and the bad wedding memories, I wouldn’t be caught dead in a white dress. More power to anyone who can pull one off, though.
I am a huge klutz, but love white. I might own 15 white shirts and I pray for warm weather to bust out the white pants. Thank Allah for bleach.
[Reply]
White dress at a lobster fest is no biggie. Butter, after all, is white-ish. Now, white dress at a barbecue and I’d tip my hat to ya.
Aw man…will my risks never be good enough for you?
[Reply]
Lots of beer, butter, chowdah and friendship – a perfect Sunday afternoon.
“I just wish she would have supported me on my butter shot scheme.” I don’t remember such a request. It is certainly not anything I would discourage. In fact, I’ve actually done a shot of Mrs. Butterworth and whiskey – surprisingly delicious. You’ve clearly mistaken me for someone else. SassE, where you impersonating again?
I swear it was you who killed my clarified butter shot dreams. I would not make something like this up. I was sitting at the end of the table, having just finished, and said “What would people do if I just drank this?” You shot me down! And butterworth and beam shots are yummy.
[Reply]
Holy shit look who’s got a blog! About cooking! Well heall yeah.
here’s a couple things I learned about lobster cooking while visiting Hupper Island in Maine: First before you put the lobster in the pot turn it upside down, head down and tail in the air. Within seconds it will fall asleep and go limp, making the process seem more humane. Second, you can tell if it’s done cooking if you pull on one of the whisker thingies and it comes off. If you pull and it doesn’t come off, it needs a little more time in the pot.
Why thanks for the tips….very helpful.
And I feel like a terrible person, but who is this? Email me at culinarycouture@gmail.com…
[Reply]
It’s known that cash makes people free. But how to act if someone doesn’t have money? The only one way is to try to get the loan and just secured loan.
[Reply]