The first time I made lobster pot pie, I was flying by the seat of my pants. It was Sunday afternoon, we were expecting six for dinner and I wanted to make something new. I couldn't shake the memory of summers spent in Sag Harbor and how I loved bringing home frozen lobster pot pies, to enjoy when I got back home and my vacation seemed like nothing more than a dim memory.
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Ina Garten has a great recipe for lobster pot pie in her amazing book, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, but it always seemed demasiado complicada. Too complicated. Still, I was jonesing for lobster pot pie so I pulled the book out.
It turns out that the recipe for lobster pot pie filling is very easy, it's making it from scratch that's a kick in the pants. So I dispatched the hubby to Costco where you can get cans of lobster meat and frozen pie shells at a reasonable price. And as soon as he got home, I got to cooking.
I had purchased extra ingredients in case something went awry. But as it is, everything went off without a hitch. So I made two extra pot pies, which my guests ended up taking home.
Which is what I suggest you do if you decide to make this recipe for your Mama. Make one for dinner, then make one for her to take home and freeze. She can enjoy it at a later date when she's too busy to cook.
Happy Mother's Day!
Veronica's Lazy Contessa Lobster Pot Pie
4 to 5 servings
1 and 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 chopped fennel bulb
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups fish stock or clam juice
1 tablespoon Pernod (Pernod is an anise flavored liquer, you can also use Ricard)
1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 lb cooked fresh lobster meat
1 and 1/2 cups frozen peas (not baby peas)
1 and 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions
1/2 cup minced flat leaf parsley
2 frozen 9-inch pie crusts, thawed
egg wash (1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water.)
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. To make the sauce, cook the chopped onion and fennel in the butter in a large saute pan, over medium heat until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Add the flour and cook on low heat for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Slowly add the stock, Pernod, salt, pepper and simmer for five more minutes. Add the heavy cream.
5. Cut the lobster meat into medium size cubes. Place the lobster, peas, whole onions, and parsley in a bowl (no need to defrost the peas and onions). Pour the sauce over the lobster mixture and taste. Adjust seasonings accordingly.
6. Fill one pie crust (already in tin) with the lobster and sauce mixture. Top with the second crust. Crimp the crusts together and brush with the egg wash. Make 4 to 5 slashes in the top crust.
7. Bake for one hour and 15 minutes until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.
