After dinner I bought the Summer Shack Cookbook in the little gift shop and unbeknownst to me, it was signed by the author Jasper White.
My goal tonight was to recreate our Summer Shack experience and I have to say, mission accomplished. We really like calamari and after trying the Rhode Island style at Summer Shack, we had to give this recipe a try.
Being that I have never purchased squid before I didn't know what to expect when I opened the package. (Thankfully, Fresh Market carries fresh squid or we would have been up a creek.) Little did I know that the tentacles and body were separated. Had I known this I would have asked for less tentacles because we don't care for them!
And we were given a lot more tentacles than body.... :(
However, the R.I Style Calamari turned out almost like the real thing. (And yes....I have Summer Shack paper. Our server was very nice and gave me some to scrapbook :)
Then, it was time to steam the lobster. According to Jasper, the best way to eat lobster is in "the rough". Jeff & I even bought a special steamer pot for the lobster.
I'm not going to lie......making lobster was a little overwhelming. I didn't think putting a live creature in a pot would bother me but it did. It was even weird having live lobster chilling in the fridge. I was afraid they would bust out of their box, break their rubberbands and attack me the next time I opened the door. Seriously...
I was excited about making lobster.... (and I even wore my Red Sox apron for the big night!)
Until it was time to put them in the pot.
How beautiful does this guy look?? And look at that killer claw!
Now.......this was no Summer Shack lobster for two reasons. 1) We do not have the luxury of having soft shells in the state of Florida.....so they were a beast to crack and 2) the flavor was not as good....which has no reflection on my ability to steam a lobster :) There was just an interesting after taste I can't quite explain....
Oh well...I guess we have to go back to New England in 2010 for another soft shell when they are in season...
HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my blog readers!
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3 comments:
I love RI style calamari. In culinary school I had to clean whole squid. El Creepo!! There's a boney, pointy sharp thing in there that has to be removed. It was not fun. You're lucky to have cleaned calamari!!
Don't worry about the lobsters! Growing up on Cape Cod I've seen and boiled many a lobster, you get used to it after a while. I like to put them on the floor to see how the dog and cats react to it. Cruel? Maybe.
anywho, we're having steak with compound butter, garlic mashed potatoes and ceasar salad tonight. (in case you were wondering!!)
Happy New Year, and many more cookie orders!!
xoxo
L
PS LOVED your Christmas card!!
Evidently, Dave was on blogger or he signed me out. I'm Pulp Revolution.
xoxo
Laura
Yummy! Those calamari look good... Happy New Year, Melissa!!
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