Curried West Indies Style Spiny Lobster
(Serves 6)
Ingredients:
Curried Béchamel:
- 2 T Butter
- 2 T All Purpose Flour
- 1 T Barbadian Curry Powder
- 2 C Milk
- 1 T Whole Grain Mustard
- Hot Sauce to Taste
- Salt to Taste
Island Sofrito:
- 3 T Olive Oil
- 1 Scotch Bonnet Chili (careful – spicy)
- 6 Spring Onions/Scallions
- 1 Small Yellow Spanish Onion
- ½ Fennel
- 1 C Sherry
- 1 C Orange Juice
- 2 C Shellfish or Chicken Stock
- 3 Tomato Concassé
- ½ Tsp. Fresh Thyme
- ¼ C Sherry Vinegar
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Lobster:
- 6 Whole Spiny Lobsters (1½ lbs. each)
- 1 Mango
- 1 T Butter
- Salt to Taste
Preparation:
BÉCHAMEL – Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add flour and cook forming light amber Roux. Stir in curry powder, whisk in milk until sauce thickens. Remove from heat. Whisk in mustard, hot sauce and season to taste. Reserve warm.
ISLAND SOFRITO – Add oil to sauce pan. Sauté scotch bonnet chili, green onions, Spanish onions and fennel for 3-4 minutes, until tender. Deglaze with sherry. Add orange juice. Reduce by half. Add stock. Reduce by half. Add tomatoes and simmer 3 to 5 minutes. Add vinegar. Cook for 10 more minutes. Add fresh thyme. Reserve warm.
LOBSTER PREP – Split Lobsters. Remove meat and wash out shell. Season and sauté lobster in butter until medium rare. Cool and medium dice. Add diced peeled mango.
BRINGING IT TOGETHER – Fold Lobster and Mango into Sofrito and Béchamel. Fill cleaned shells evenly with mix and bake in 400° oven for 10-12 minutes, until mixture is hot. Serve with Coconut Rice and Crispy Fried Spinach.
PRESENTATION – 2 halves per person with ½ cup of rice and crispy fried spinach.
Vanilla-Bean Cheesecake
(Serves 8 to 10)
Ingredients:
Crust:
- (As needed) nonstick vegetable oil spray
- 1¼ C. graham cracker crumbs
- 2 T. sugar
- ¼ C. unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8-inch-diameter springform pan with nonstick spray. Mix graham cracker crumbs and sugar in processor. Add melted butter; process until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture onto bottom (not sides) of prepared pan. Bake until crust is set and deep golden, about 12 minutes. Cool crust while making filling. Maintain oven temperature.
Filling:
- 3 pkgs. cream cheese (8 oz. each), at room temperature
- 1 C. sugar
- 2 ea. vanilla beans, split lengthwise
- 4 ea.large eggs
- ¾ C. sour cream
Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar, then scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; beat until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, blending well after each addition. Beat in sour cream.
Pour filling over crust. Bake cake until puffed, golden on top, and set around edges, and center moves slightly when pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour. Top may crack. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate uncovered overnight.
Guava Topping
- 2 T. water, plus ¼ cup
- 1 ea. envelope, unflavored gelatin
- ½ C. sugar
- 2 C. guava nectar or guava juice
Pour 2 tablespoons water into small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over; let stand until gelatin softens, about 10 minutes. Bring sugar and remaining half cup of water to boil in medium saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil until reduced to half a cup, about 3 minutes. Add guava nectar to sugar syrup; stir over medium-low heat just until mixture is hot. Add gelatin mixture and stir just until gelatin dissolves. Place in freezer until gelatin begins to thicken slightly but is still pourable, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Spoon guava topping over cheesecake, spreading to edges of cake. Chill until topping sets, at least 8 hours or overnight.
Mango-Lime Salad
- 3 ea. firm but ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted, cut into ¼ inch dice
- 4¼ T. sugar
- 3 T. fresh lime juice
- 1½ T. dark rum
- 1 T. grated lime peel
Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Assembly:
Using small sharp knife, cut around sides of cake to loosen. Remove pan sides. Cut cake into wedges and transfer to plates. Spoon Mango-Lime Salad alongside. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.