Recipe of the month

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Bisque
1 whole spiny lobster
1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, diced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups dry white wine, divided
1/2 cup dry sherry
6 cups lobster stock 
1 sprig fresh tarragon
1 cup heavy cream 
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Salted pepitas (optional) for garnish

Stock
Lobster head, shells, legs
2 cloves garlic, smashed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 bay leaf
10 cups water

Recipe from Fishful Future

Photo courtesy of Emily Miller 

Lobster stock
Note: The lobster stock can be made ahead of time with shells you've saved (frozen) from past spiny lobster meals or as follows. 

Steam whole spiny lobster for 8 to 10 minutes. 
Remove tail meat and reserve in refrigerator for bisque. 
Add the rest of the lobster, legs and all, to a countertop blender and add 1 cup white wine, 1 cup water. 
Blend in pulses — avoid grinding shells down to dust. Stop when largest pieces of lobster are fragmented into pieces around 1 inch across. 
Add slurry and lobster shell fragments to a large stockpot over medium-high heat. 

Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to simmer when liquid has mostly evaporated off. Add 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter and sauté lobster shells, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. 
Add 10 cups of water and 1 bay leaf to shells in stockpot and bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer for 1 hour or longer. 
Strain solids and use stock in bisque. 

Bisque
At the bottom of a large stockpot over medium-low heat, sauté garlic, onion, carrots, and celery with 2 tablespoons unsalted butter for 10 minutes until softened. 

Add spices, fresh tarragon, tomato paste, canned pumpkin and three tablespoons of flour.
Stir to combine, then add 1/2 cup white wine and 1/2 cup sherry. 
Turn up the heat to medium-high until half the liquid is evaporated, then add 6 cups lobster stock and bay leaf. 

Simmer ingredients together over low heat for 1 hour, then use immersion blender or countertop blender to blend contents of stockpot. If using a countertop blender, allow stockpot contents to cool before blending. 
Blend until creamy. A strainer can be used to achieve the right texture if your blender is not powerful enough. 
If using a countertop blender, return to stockpot. 

Taste the contents and add salt and pepper to your preference. Add 1 cup heavy cream to hot stockpot contents and stir to mix. 
Remove lobster meat from refrigerator and chop into 1-inch pieces. 
When plating, add bisque to bowls, top with lobster meat, and garnish with pepitas (optional). 

Serve with toasted sourdough and enjoy!