MAY IT PLEASE THE PALATE: Lobster bisque

Sometimes your friends are your friends by default because you are neighbors, co-workers, or went to college together. Other times they are your friends because you chose them. When you are truly lucky, they are both. Getting together is another matter. Time slips by and you realize you haven't seen your BFFs in too long. Fortunately my friend Charles is excellent at organizing our annual get-together, usually around Thanksgiving. As always he generously hosts at his home and makes us dinner. After arguing politics for far too long, we sat down to a sumptuous repast. Charles opened the dinner with an incredible lobster bisque. Most of us had thirds, and by that time I was putting whatever I had on my plate in the soup pieces of chicken, vegetables, whatever. Charles was kind enough to share his recipe with me.* Feel free to enhance this concoction with more lobster, crab, shrimp, or whatever else is on hand. Ingredients Olive oil 2 Tbs. minced shallots 2 Tbs. green onions, chopped 3 garlic cloves, crushed 1/4 cup white wine 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp. dried thyme 1 tsp. paprika 1 C hot water 1 tsp. lobster base 4 oz. tomato paste 2 C heavy whipping cream 4 Tbs. butter 1/2 lb. lobster meat, cut into small pieces Directions In a pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté shallots, onions, and garlic for one minute. Drizzle in white wine. Add the Worcestershire sauce and thyme and sauté for another minute. Add paprika, hot water and lobster base and combine. Stir in tomato paste. Simmer for 10 minutes. Whisk in heavy cream and the butter and bring to a boil. Add the lobster and simmer until cooked through. Serve warm. [*This appears to be an homage to the lobster bisque at the chain restaurant Zoup! See http://www.recipe4living.com/recipes/zoup_copycat_lobster_bisque_soup.htm] -------- Nick Roumel is a principal with Nacht & Roumel PC, a firm in Ann Arbor specializing in employment and civil right litigation. He also has many years of varied restaurant and catering experience, has taught Greek cooking classes, and wrote a food/restaurant column for "Current" magazine in Ann Arbor. Follow him at @nickroumel. Published: Thu, Jan 05, 2017