Lobster Bisque

I do not really enjoy seafood soups, but my husband does, so I read half a dozen different recipes (with reviews) and combined the best of all the recipes. The soup turned out great, and I would make it again. Update: I did make this soup again for my mother-in-law and husband. The second time around was much better, so I added the updates in bold. They both agreed that this soup is not a Lobster Bisque, but it is very good.

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp butter or ‘other’ fat
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2-3 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1/4-1/2 c. mushrooms
• salt and pepper to aste
• *Paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, and/or cayenne to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 4 c. Chicken broth, seafood or fish stock
• 1 1/4 c. dry white wine and/or Sherry * 3/4 C. dry white wine and 3/4 C. Sherry
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme *or Rosemary
• 1/2 c. heavy cream
• 1 lb. cooked lobster meat, chopped *Leave bigger chunks of meat
• Chopped chives, for garnish
• *Chopped bacon bits, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large, heavy pot over medium heat, heat butter or other fat. (I fried 4-5 pieces of bacon to use as a topping with the chives, so I cooked my vegetables in the bacon grease.) Add onion, carrots, celery, and mushrooms and cook until soft, about 7 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, crushed red pepper, and/or Cayenne.
2. Stir in garlic and tomato paste. Cook until garlic is fragrant and tomato paste coats vegetables, about 2 minutes.
3. Pour in your preferred ‘base.’ (Given I do not like seafood soups, I used 4 cups of chicken broth. My husband definitely would have like a more ‘fishy’ flavor, so in his case, a seafood stock would be better.) Pour in your stock and wine, then stir in bay leaf and thyme. Reduce heat and let simmer until liquid is reduced and flavors meld, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. (To note: I read many different reviews that said you can omit the alcohol or use a dry white wine (Pino Grigio) and sherry. I heard sherry was a good call. I read different reviews about seasonings, but I say make it to taste. I added fresh rosemary and basil and used a lot of paprika because I like heat!)
4. Remove bay leaf and thyme or rosemary sprigs and purée until very smooth. Return to medium-low heat and stir in heavy cream and lobster meat, cooking just until warm, about 5 minutes.
5. Garnish with chives and bacon before serving. A garnish with chives and bacon crumbles was delicious! We also made some french bread to dip into the soup. It was SO tasty, a nice fall dish!

Important note: I did not have an issue with the soup being runny. Mine was actually very thick so I added more heavy cream into it. However, if your soup (for some reason) is runny, you can add corn starch, flour, or more tomato paste to thicken.