Grilled Lobster Tails!

Once in awhile, you just have to splurge. Last night, TLMM grilled lobsters, and we sat down to a leisurely, delicious meal.

We found gorgeous one pound South African lobster tails at the market, and she went to work. First, using sharp kitchen shears, put the lobster tail belly-side up and cut a slit straight up the bottom.

Cut away and peel off the bottom section of shell.

Mix up some paprika and olive oil and spoon over lobster tail.


Preheat grill or prepare charcoal for indirect cooking. After gas grill is preheated, turn heat to low (or use indirect heat with charcoal) and place lobster on the grill.

Close cover and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Turn it.

Close cover and let it cook for another 3 minutes and then turn it on its side for a couple of minutes. Adjust cooking times to the size of the lobster tail, but remember, they cook quickly, and they are nearly inedible if overdone.

When tender yet firm, remove from heat.

If you take a fork and pull, the tail will pop right out of the shell while hot. If you let it sit, it will be harder to remove the meat. As soon as these babies came off the grill, all bets were off. The minute we saw the meat pulled from the shell, I didn't even remember that I owned a camera, or that my intention was a blog post. At that moment, all I was thinking about was eating them, which we did. We forced ourselves to eat slowly to savor the flavors, but it wasn't easy. It was incredible, and, during a minute of what I thought was lucidity (somewhere between the melted butter, lobster chunks and glasses of Pinot Grigio), I realized that I could eat lobster every day. This morning, it all seemed like a dream. I hope to have that dream again soon...and the eggs.

Muffinface and the Captain

My sister, Muffinface, and her boyfriend, we'll call him the Captain, visited for a week- the visit was amazing, and looong overdue. As luck would have it, we spotted these artichokes in Wild Oats.



I didn't have a recipe ready for artichokes on the grill, so I steamed them old-school style and served them with hollandaise. Look at the steam coming off this little bugger. I ended up cutting off the stem and discarding it, although it pained me to do so. I just didn't know what to do with it.



Muffinface and the Captain made baked spaghetti one night- it was the first time I had tried it, and it was delicious. That is melted sharp provolone on top!



The Captain made the sauce from scratch- and they layered spaghetti, cheese and sauce several times in a casserole and baked. Another dish that they made for us was creamed chipped beef, which I didn't expect to like-my people don't generally eat meat out of a jar- but it was surprisingly good.

Muffinface also made this salad with arugula, baby greens, pears, shaved parmigiano reggiano and pine nuts with a balasamic dressing which was really different and mui delicioso!



I made Muffinface's favorites- an evening of fondue, steaks on the grill- nothing I haven't blogged about already. TLMM made ribs which were to die for, and I made Belgian frites to go along with them.

Every last one of us had fun, even Hedwig (here he is, along with the Captain)!



When we have company, most meals are eaten at restaurants, but there was something about my sister's visit which inspired us to stay home. It was the quality of the time we spent together that made their visit perfect. Cooking for each other, being in the kitchen together and even just talking about upcoming meals was something we love to do together. I hope we have the chance to do it again soon...and the eggs.

If I could pick anything I wanted for lunch!

When I was 7 years old and lived in Corpus Christi, Texas, my parents took me to spend the day with a friend of theirs, an older woman who was the wife of a retired rabbi. She enjoyed children and, I suppose, had set up a play date for us. Her name was Bibbi Wolf- I never knew her real first name because my parents just called her Bibbi. I don’t remember what we did together, but I do remember lunch. Bibbi told me that I could have anything I wanted for lunch. Looking back on the day, I suppose she expected that I would ask for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or maybe even grilled cheese--but I didn’t. I asked Bibbi for an artichoke with hollandaise sauce, and told her that it was my number one favorite food. She said, with a wink, that it was hers, too. As luck would have it, Bibbi had artichokes, and prepared them for lunch for the two of us. Later, I remember her telling my mother about the events of the day, both of them chuckling. I never understood what was funny about our lunch, not until several years later. Bibbi didn’t know who she was messing with, but I can pretty much guarantee you that she never again asked a young friend what she would like to have for lunch if she could have anything she wanted. 

This isn't Bibbi's recipe, I have made that for this blog before, but it's a great recipe for artichokes. It also works with the frozen hearts- just thaw them out and cook them this way for great flavor without any sauce.

Artichokes, Infused with Herbs

2 globe artichokes
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 - 1/2 cup water
olive oil to coat bottom of pan
1/2 stick butter

Slice pointy tops of leaves off of artichokes.



Place them stem up and slice them in half.





Scoop out the choke with a spoon.



Wash well and pat dry.  Now they're ready for cooking!



Coat bottom of saute pan with olive oil, add the garlic and spices and heat to medium-high.



After just a couple of minutes, you will notice the spices have become fragrant. Place the artichokes, inside down, in the pan.



Leave the heat on medium high for 2 more minutes, then squeeze lemon juice in and pour 1/4 cup of water in and cover tightly. Turn heat down enough for the water to simmer and don't touch it for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, check to see if the leaves pull off easily. If they do, they're done. If they don't, and if the water has evaporated, add a little more water and check after 5 minutes. When the leaves do pull off easily, toss 1/2 stick of butter, and replace lid until you are ready to eat.



What makes these artichokes different from steamed artichokes is that the thyme and tarragon flavors have been infused throughout the artichoke meat. These are delicious eaten as they are, no other sauce necessary. To serve, place artichokes halves on plate and spoon some of the pan juices over them. These make a delicious appetizer, and, even as a side dish, are always fun to eat!

There are dozens of ways to cook artichokes, my next attempt will be the grill- so if you have any suggestions for grilling methods or advice about grilling artichokes, lay them on me.

I wish Bibbi was still here, so I could make lunch for her, anything she wanted, of course. I wonder what she would choose. I have a sneaking suspicion it might just be artichokes, and I would be honored to make them for her...and the eggs.

Added June 2, 2008: I found a fascinating article which discusses Rabbi Sidney Wolf, and well into the article, his wife, Bebe, and their life. I didn't know most of this. My father was Rabbi Wolf's replacement in 1972. Click here for the article.