Simple, hearty foods can be turned into gourmet treats with one simple addition: lobster. Fold in some lobster meat to such comfort-food favorites as macaroni-and-cheese or mashed potatoes or risotto or pot pie and everyone wants to eat!

An elderly customer told me yesterday, “I bought a live lobster and while I was driving home, it broke out of the paper box and started crawling around the car. Luckily, I was close to home and so I stuck the knife into it. Killing the lobster is my favorite part!” Most lobster-eaters do not feel that way, but purchasing live and frisky lobsters mean that the lobsters are fresh.

Lobsters are sold alive because toxins develop if they die and are not cooked. To use lobster meat in a dish, do not overcook (which toughens the meat) but steam the lobster for about 3 minutes. The shells will be red, but the meat still raw. Shell the meat. I don’t use traditional lobster tools, but crack the shells with a meat pounder. Be sure to remove the vein in the lobster tail. The sweetest meat is the knuckle, which is best removed with Joyce Chen scissors. Each lobster leg has one bite of meat; to remove, roll each leg under a rolling pin and the one bite will pop out.

Smaller lobsters have more tender meat; buy 1-pound or 1 1/2-pound lobsters for the best taste.

Lobster Twice-Baked Potatoes

• one 1 1/2-pound lobster 
• 8 baking potatoes
• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 2 tablespoons minced chives
• salt and pepper

Bring an inch of water in a stock pot to a boil. Add the lobster, cover, and steam for 3 minutes. Remove and place in ice water. Shell the meat, cut in pieces, and reserve.

Bake the potatoes at 400 degrees for an hour. Cut off the top 1/4-inch piece. Scoop out the insides, leaving a 1/4-inch shell of potato. Mix the potato insides with cheese, butter, tarragon, chives, salt, and pepper. Fold in the lobster meat, stuff back into the potatoes and bake until hot, about 10 minutes.

Can’t get enough lobster? Join us for these cooking classes:

• lobster tostadas on March 12
• lobster and scallops on linguine in cream sauce on March 19
• lobster empanadas on March 26
• an all-lobster class on April 7
• lobster-mango salad with citrus-vanilla dressing on April 19
• asparagus soup with lobster on June 5

Cooking from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking is a joy. We just finished a four-week class, “The Best of Julia Child” (next session starts on May 6 and only a few spaces are still available) and the hands-down-most-favorite-recipe was soubise. None of the classtakers had ever heard of this fabulous side dish, but they all went home and made it. I don’t know why soubise is not better known; it is so delicious. I call it “French risotto,” but it’s much easier to make than risotto because soubise does not need minding. The moisture from the onions provides the liquid for cooking the rice and the thinly-sliced onions melt into the rice. Plus, leftover soubise is really delicious for breakfast with a poached egg on top.

Soubise

• 1/2 cup rice
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 pounds onions
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and boil the rice for exactly 5 minutes. Drain immediately. Peel the onions and thinly slice on a mandolin. Melt the butter in a stove and oven-safe casserole (such as a 4.5-quart Le Creuset dutch oven) and briefly saute the onions. Stir the rice and seasonings. Cover and bake at 300 degrees for an hour, stirring once or twice while cooking. Remove from the oven, stir in the cream and cheese, and taste and correct the seasonings.

Hot air is dramatic, especially when caught in a web of custard. This beautiful, thrilling sweet souffle is the easiest and fastest dessert to get a “wow” response.

First, make a sabayon sauce (egg yolks, sugar, and alcohol cooked in a double boiler). You could stop there and just eat the delicious sauce on berries. But fold the sauce into whipped egg whites, bake, and get a delicious, “wow, you baked a souffle!?” Be sure to serve immediately for the greatest impact.

Souffle au Grand Marnier

• 8 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup sugar
• zest of one orange
• 1/2 cup Grand Marnier
• 10 egg whites

In a copper bowl, whisk together the yolks, sugar, orange zest, Grand Marnier, and a dash of salt. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened. Let cool. Butter 12 six-ounce ramekins and place on a sheet pan. Whip the egg whites until stiff. Fold into the orange mixture. Using a #10 disher, spoon the mixture into the ramekins. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until puffed. Serve immediately.

To brush up on your Grand Marnier souffle skills, join chef Jim Jackson of Truffles for a hands-on cooking class on March 8 at 6 pm.

Our Spring 2010 cooking class schedule is now available with 150 new classes!

Kitchen Conservatory has partnered with several local organizations for these exciting cooking classes:

• Dance and dine on April 24 in a fun couples class that starts with salsa dancing (with a COCA dance instructor), followed by a delcious salsa-inspired dinner.
• Get a chance to win a night at the opera on April 25! In conjunction with Opera Theatre of St. Louis and their new production of “The Golden Ticket,” this cooking class for children (age 7 to 12) has a yummy chocolate menu inspired by “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” plus one golden ticket will be baked into a dessert.
• Celebrate French food while speaking French with other francophones on April 22 as Jean-Pierre Auge demonstrates delicious French menu, in conjunction with the Alliance Francaise.

Spring offers the chance to celebrate very important people:

• Invite Mom to relax and enjoy festive meals on Mother’s Day weekend – May 7, May 8, or May 9.
• Grill with Dad on Father’s Day, June 20, with Kirk Warner.

Please welcome these new instructors to our kitchens:

• Angela Ortmann, aka STL Winegirl, matches wine and food on May 7.
• Join baker Carol Ann Welsh in making delicious and beautiful cakes on March 22.

We are so happy that these popular chefs have returned to teach:

• Chef Lou Rook and Sommelier Glenn Bardgett of Annie Gunn’s have a fish and wine class on March 20. 
• Emily Marshall of Napa Catering knows how to throw a party with her all-appetizer menu on May 11.
• Adam Lambay of Chaumette Winery combines Indian food with the locovore food movement on June 2.
• Paul Jacobsen of Morton’s Steakhouse shows off the Morton’s way with fish on May 3. 
• Clara Moore of Local Harvest has a spring menu of farm-fresh ingredients on May 19.
• Personal chef Anne Piatek will demonstrate a spa menu on April 14.
• Dana Holland, who specializes in Caribbean cuisine, has several tantalizing classes on March 16, April 19, and May 18.
• Learn how to use fondant with cake decorator Laura Marone on May 8.

And yes, we have more clever class titles, including:

• “Meat the Cleavers” on April 27 with Vito Racanelli, his cleaver, and a big piece of pork.
• “iPad-Thai” on May 1 with Naam Pruitt, a wok, and no computer.
• “A Raisin in the Bun” on May 11 with Margi Kahn and her delicious bread doughs.
• For those who want to know how to match spices with food, try “Lost in Spice” on May 18.
• Chef Josh Galliano of Monarch teaches these two clever classes: “The Morel of the Story” on April 26 and “S-hell’s Kitchen” on May 24.
• “It’s a Matter of Fat” with Barb Nack on May 18 is for those who appreciate that fat is flavor.

Space is limited, so register quickly for your dream cooking class! See you in the kitchen, where we make cooking fun!

Tarts are open-face pies. The most spectacular tart is the simplest: an apple tart created by the Tatin sisters in 1898 with just three ingredients (butter, sugar, and apples). The secret lies in caramelizing the apples, then flipping the tart upside-down so that the luscious caramel is on top. The first picture shows the baked tart with the crust on top. Then, we flipped the tart for serving. Note how the apple halves are nested together; the large apples are crammed into the pan so that there is plenty of apples after they cook and reduce.

A tarte tatin pan is one that can be used on top of the stove, in the oven, and then the two short handles make it easy to turn the tart upside-down. 

Tarte Tatin

for the crust:

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons butter
• 1 egg

Mix together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour until the size of small pellets. Stir in the egg and form the dough into a ball (if necessary, add 1 tablespoon water). Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 8-10 apples, preferably jonagold

In a tarte tatin pan, melt the butter. Add the sugar. Core the apples. Peel the apples. Cut the apples in half. Nest the apples, as tightly as possible, in the pan. Cook on high heat for 10 minutes, or until the apples are browned. Use tongs to turn each apple over and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Roll out the dough on a rollpat to a 10-inch circle. Place on top of the apples. Bake at 375 degrees until well-browned, about 20 minutes. Remove and let cool for 20 minutes. Turn the tart upside-down onto a platter. Serve warm.

Learn how to make a tarte Tatin in a cooking class on Wednesday, February 10 at 6:30.

A simple, well-designed tool can make kitchen prep easier, faster, and better. In addition to a sharp knife, there are probably ten tools that I use every day: Microplane grater, garlic press, lemon press, bench knife, dishers, Swiss vegetable peeler, the amazing ginger grater, the thin-and-flexible “fish” spatula, and, my all-time favorite, ”the blue-handled spoons.” These two simple and sharp tools are invaluable for prepping food.

The pitting spoon is like a grapefruit spoon, but with a better and sharper edge and point. I use this spoon to remove the pits from clingstone peaches, plums, and nectarines. Plus, I can remove a peach pit without cutting the fruit! (Then I stuff the inside with honey-sweetened mascarpone cheese and drizzle the peeled peach with raspberry sauce — now, that’s a peach Melba!) The pitting spoon can also remove the choke from artichokes (raw or cooked), the membrane from oranges, grapefruits, and lemons for making candy or shells, and the strings and seeds from hard winter squash. This spoon is edgy!

The loop of the pear corer does double duty: the wide end cuts out the seeds from the bottom of the pear and the narrow end removes the pesky string that no one likes from the neck of the pear. But this corer is not a single-use tool; it also is excellent for removing the ribs and seeds from the small, hot chile peppers (raw or roasted) or use the wide loop to seed cucumbers and zucchini in one swoop.

And why are these tools blue? So that you can always find them in the drawer and they don’t get accidently thrown out with green or brown or red or yellow fruit peelings.

Mark Sanfilippo, chef-owner of Salume Beddu and a teacher at Kitchen Conservatory, is pictured in a front page article in today’s Wall Street Journal.

Mark cures pork using traditional Italian methods. He makes soppressata, coppa, pancetta, spicy and sweet sausages, guanciale, and salami.

His small-batch production usually sells out, but you can taste his creations in several cooking classes at Kitchen Conservatory. Join Mark for a pizza class on February 22 and a Tuscan class on March 22. Yes, his famous cured pork products will be used in all of his classes. His students refer to him as “cute meat guy”! 

The best food to bake on an icy-cold day is bread. The hot oven helps to heat up the house and the aroma of freshly-baked bread is irresistable. I know, you should let the bread cool after baking, but I can never resist diving into the hot bread and slathering with butter, jam, or cheese.

To achieve the crust, bake the bread on a pizza stone at 425 degrees. Put a pan of water in the oven to create a steamy environment.

Other tips for yeast breads:

1. Use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour to add more gluten to the dough.
2. Knead the dough very well to develop the gluten.
3. Do not add too much flour to the dough, which will make the bread heavy. The bread will taste better if the dough is a little sticky.
4. Let the dough rise until doubled, but do not over rise. If the dough rises too much, it will deflate when baking.
5. Slash the bread with a sharp lame right before baking. These cuts produce a beautiful loaf; otherwise, the loaf will blow-out in an unattractive way.  

A Crusty Loaf of Bread

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2-3 cups bread flour

Mix together the water, yeast, and honey and let sit for five minutes, until bubbly. Stir in the salt and oil. Use a Danish dough whisk to stir in one cup of flour. Stir in a second cup of flour and mix very well. Turn out onto a rollmat and, adding flour as needed, knead the dough until smooth, about five minutes. Do not add too much flour; it is better if the dough is slightly sticky. Use a bench knife to move the dough around the mat.

Place the dough in a bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Take the dough out of the bowl and form into a ball (use the palms of your hands to round the loaf). Place on a small piece of parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees with a pizza stone in the oven. Let the dough rise again, about 30-45 minutes. Do not overrise. Place a pan of water in the oven. Carefully slash the bread with a lame. Use a pizza peel to place the dough (still on the parchment paper) in the oven. Bake for 30-45 minutes. Let cool.

To learn more, sign up for upcoming bread classes with Margi Kahn on March 3 or Josh Allen of Companion Baking on April 8.

Christine writes, “I’m looking for the recipe for the Amazing Peanut Butter Pie that Marla used in her peanut butter class. I have lost mine.”

On a snow day, this dessert can be made with pantry items. Pastry chef Marla Scissors (who passed away from ALS in 2008) demonstrated many wonderful dessert recipes in her classes (including a perfect yellow cake with chocolate icing). Use the brand of peanut butter that tastes best to you — either creamy or chunky.

Peanut Butter Pie

for the crust:

• 1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted

Mix together the graham crackers, sugar, and butter. Press into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes. Cool.

for the filling:

• 12 ounces cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream

In a stand mixer, mix together the cheese, peanut butter, and sugar. In a separate bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks. Fold into the peanut butter mixture. Spread the filling over the crust. Refrigerate. 

for the topping:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bring the sugar and cream to a boil. Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Stir until smooth. Add the butter and vanilla and stir until smooth. Let cool to room temperature. Pour over the pie and refrigerate until cold. 

At 5 degrees outside (and a balmy 59 degrees in my bedroom), I long for soup. Rather than venture outside, I’m using the vegetables I have on hand (butternut squash in the drawer, broccoli in the fridge, peas in the freezer, or canned tomatoes in the pantry).

This generic soup recipe illustrates the seven steps to superior soups:

1. stock made of chicken or beef or fish or vegetable (water does not add flavor)
2. fat (butter or olive oil or bacon fat or duck fat) which will carry the flavor of the aromatics
3. aromatics, which can include onion, leek, celery, fennel, carrot, pepper, garlic
4. seasonings (salt, pepper, herbs, spices)
5. wine or fortified wine to deglaze the pan and add depth of flavor
6. thickener (flour or starchy vegetables)
7. finishing flavors (heavy cream, cheese, flavored oil, or a touch of vinegar)

Cream of Any Vegetable Soup

• 2 pounds vegetable (such as green peas, asparagus, broccoli, squash, potato, carrot, rutabaga, turnip, tomato, parsnip, or a combination of vegetables)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
• bay leaf
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 4 cups chicken stock, approximately
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Peel (if necessary) the vegetable and roughly chop. If desired, reserve some of the vegetable for garnish (such as asparagus tips or broccoli florets).

In a stock pot, melt the butter and saute the onion and celery until clear, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne, and bay leaf. Add the sherry to deglaze the pan. Add the desired vegetable and cover with just enough stock. Bring to a boil and simmer until the vegetable is cooked (5 to 20 minutes, depending on how small the vegetable is cut). Puree the soup in batches in a blender or food processor. Strain through a medium-fine mesh strainer, then return to the soup pot. Add the cream. Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary. Garnish the soup with the reserved vegetable.

Join us for a soup class on Sunday, January 17 at 12:30 pm for these delicious soups: bacon-leek-clam chowder, black-eyed pea and smoked ham hock soup, chicken-cashew chili, and bouillabaisse.