LOBSTER

EL BIZCOCHO RESTAURANT

Lots to talk about on this dish. It all started out with trying to prefect a Chinese shrimp and lobster chip. The same kind you can find in the Asian markets. "Why" you ask, "why not", we have had these kinds of snacks for years but have you ever made them. It pretty easy and the end results make you feel a little more connected. The shrimp and lobster roe paste is combined with the tapioca starch, rolled into a sticky dough ball and wrapped in cheese cloth, then steamed. It’s removed from the steamer and removed from the cheese cloth. Let the reddish pink log dry in a refrigerated environment for a few days. Once hardened it can be cut and dehydrated to a clear chip. Or you can cut it into strips and dehydrate. Once dehydrated it is fried in 400 degree oil until it puffs.
Stone fruit was coming in beautiful when this idea was born so I decided to slow pouch a peach in Pernod, white balsamic and lemon oil. What resulted was a liquorish, tart but sweet peach with vibrant red and white flesh. It was a match made in heaven with the Pernod slow poached lobster tail, but one question remained, "what was the sauce base for the dish going to be"? Then it hit me "CURRY", spicy, sweet, aromatic blend of spices. Lobster, peach, curry....yes!
We added sweet corn blanks, finger potatoes, zucchini, zucchini flowers, pistachio crumbs, caviar and tapioca lobster crispy.

SHRIMP CHIP:
1 lb Net weight of shelled-shrimp, prawns or lobster , 1 lb Tapioca flour, 1 oz Salt , 1 ts , White pepper powder, 1 c Water, I think there is one step left out of the process. If I were making this I would pound the shrimp to a paste before adding them to the rest of the ingredients. This book is quite interesting, but the translation leaves a bit to be desired. The recipe intrigues me, but I've never actually gotten around to trying it out. You can make your own home made shrimp chips with which no one can compare. Here is the recipe for non-commercial shrimp chips. Bring water to a boil and dissolve salt and pepper powder. Pour boiling water onto the tapioca flour in a large mixing bowl and stir quickly with a cooking spoon. Add in the shrimp and knead as dough. As the water content of the shrimp is unpredictable, you may adjust it by adding more boiling water. The dough should be on the hard side. Now shape into a cylinder about 1 inch in diameter. If you do not have the proper steamer for this process, a bamboo rack or cake cooling rack will do. Lay cheesecloth underneath and on top of the dough and place it on the rack. Make sure the cylinders of dough are far enough apart (at least 1 1/2 inch if space permits) to prevent them from sticking together. Steam at a high temperature for 45 minutes. Make sure there is plenty of water in the steamer to avoid having to open it to add more water. After steaming, bring out, remove the cheesecloth, and cool the dough on another rack. Keep in a cool place to dry. The time varies from 1 day to 2 or 3 days. If you can cut it with a very sharp knife, then start to cut it in thin slices (about the thickness of a penny). Now lay the slices on a piece of cardboard and dry in the sun until brittle. Don't hurry the drying before you cut them. You can store them indefinitely in a can. When you want to use them, calculate 2 or 3 chips per person. Deep fry in oil at 400F temperature. If the process has been done correctly, the chips will be done in a matter of seconds. They will increase their size several times. Drain and serve.