Lobster pot pie draws from French, comfort food

Date: April 30, 2008

Lobster pot pie draws from French, comfort food
Kevin Reading melds elements of haute cuisine, down-home cooking

 This lobster pot pie by chef Kevin Reading provides an innovative twist on classic comfort foods and modern ‘mood-reflecting’ dishes.

By Phil Lempert
Food editor
TODAY
Wed., April. 30, 2008
 
Continuing our Washington, D.C., theme this month, this week’s recipe was appropriated from Kevin Reading, executive chef and co-owner of Nage, DC.
Pronounced “Nahhhge” and French for “swimming,” this quaint neighborhood bistro has a welcoming atmosphere, exposed brick inside and a stunning crimson façade.
The menu is based on French cooking, with a palette of global flavors and is presented in two formats.
One printed menu features modern twists on classic comfort foods such as Asiago Baked Oysters, Cajun Meatloaf and what Reading calls the “best prime rib burger in the city.”
The second menu option is the prominently displayed chalkboard on which he lives out his culinary mood, offering an exciting array of culinary concoctions that reflect the fun he has in the kitchen, and present innovative twists on classic comfort foods and modern “mood-reflecting” dishes.
Kevin Reading, executive chef and co-owner of Nage, DC, blends French and global influences.
 
About the chef-
A graduate of the Philadelphia Restaurant School, Reading is a passionate restaurateur with 25 years of experience and several opened restaurants under his belt.
Reading opened his first restaurant, the Fox Point Grill in Wilmington, Del., after holding culinary and front-of-the-house positions at famed restaurants up and down the East Coast, including Taboo in Palm Beach, Fla.
Foodies flock to Reading’s restaurant Nage in Rehoboth Beach, Del.

Now, tucked away among the embassies of Scott Circle is the new Nage of Washington, D.C.

Lobster Pot Pie is served at Nage for $19. This recipe makes 4 to 6 restaurant servings.

Lobster Pot Pie
Kevin Reading of Nage

INGREDIENTS

• 4 oz clarified butter

• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic

• 1/2 Cup onion-small diced

• 1/2 Cup of celery –small diced

• 1/2 Cup of carrots-medium diced

• 1/2 Cup of celery root-medium diced

• 1/2 Cup of parsnips-medium diced

• 1/2 Cup of acorn squash-medium diced

• 1/2 Cup of flour

• 1/2 Gallon lobster stock

• 3 oz sherry

• 1 oz sherry vinegar

• 2 Bay leaves

• 1/2 Cup parsley

• 5 Shakes Tabasco sauce Salt and pepper to taste

• 1/2 Cup of cooked lobster meat (more if desired)

• 1 Pinch of shallots

• 1 Pinch of leeks

• 1/2 Cup sweet peas

• 1/2 Cup fresh tarragon, chopped

• 1 Piece of puff pastry dough rolled

DIRECTIONS

Sweat the onion and garlic, shallots and leeks in the clarified butter for several minutes.
Add remaining root vegetables.
Sweat the mixture at a low heat for 10 minutes.
Add the flour and stir until you have a blonde roux.
Deglaze with sherry and add the lobster stock, Tabasco and herbs.
Cook until thick and delicious (at least 10 minutes on low heat).
Once thick, add a splash of sherry vinegar.
Add the lobster meat and peas to the mixture.
Place in an oven ready bowl and top with puff pastry that has been rolled and flattened to top the pot pie.
Press the pastry into the sides to seal and cut 2 slits in the center.
Brush with an egg wash.
Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes until crust is golden brown.
Remove from oven, allow to cool before serving.