If you need extra claws or legs, you can purchase them from your fishmonger. The legs, removed to sell cooked lobster tails, are inexpensive. This easy recipe is a treat for family and guests.

Bisque, chowder…what’s the difference?

 
 
CRAB OR LOBSTER BISQUE RECIPE

You can use fresh cooked, canned or thawed frozen seafood in this recipe.

Ingredients

 
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*The tomato is largely to provide a nice color; so if you don’t have tomato paste, you can omit it.
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Preparation

1. REMOVE half and half from the refrigerator so it will lose its chill prior to use.

2. COOK butter, onion and parsley slowly in a pan until the onion turns yellow. Add the seafood; cook and stir five minutes.

3. STIR in the flour and tomato paste, followed by the chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes; then remove the parsley.

4. ADD the half and half; stir. Season with salt, cayenne and sherry/cognac to taste.

5. HEAT but do not boil prior to serving; garnish and serve.
 
TIP #2: For a smaller soup course, serve the bisque in demitasse or espresso cups.
 
 
LOVE SOUP?

Check out the different types of soup—and beautiful soup photos—in our Soup Glossary, along with the history of soup.

Here are different soup garnishes for 20 favorite soups.

Soup cooking tips: 10 tips and tricks for better soup-making.

[1] The best garnish for a bisque is a solid piece of the seafood it is made from (photo © Mackenzie Ltd).

[2] Lobster bisque garnished with pieces—more readily available than a claw for every bowl (photo © Turner Seafood | Foody Direct).

[3] Waiter, there’s a crab in my soup! Photo © Genji Sushi.

[4] Rich soups like bisque are often served in small portions as a first course. The classic presentation is in a demitasse cup (photo © Hancock Gourmet Lobster).

Look for Darnley’s View Spiced Gin, Edinburg Gin’s Spiced Orange Gin and Opihr, a London Dry Gin with oriental spices.

Brew a cup of spiced tea and add a tablespoon of gin; relax and enjoy. Then, gather friends for a sophisticated cup of tea.

No spiced gin? Check out friends’ travel plans: We had bottles brought back to us by a colleague who regularly visits England because we couldn’t can’t find them locally.

Alternatively, you can infuse Old Plymouth Gin or a brand that doesn’t scream “botanicals!” to you. Add allspice, cinnamon, cloves and orange peel. Follow the directions for how to infuse vodka.

If you’re a real do-it-yourselfer, you can make gin from scratch with this homemade gin kit.

And then there’s the easy default: Use whatever gin you have on hand.

A nice twist: gin with similar spices as you’ll find in Constant Comment and other spiced teas.

Unlike Tanqueray’s well-known London Dry Gin—the juniper-infused style that most people think of as gin—Malacca is more like Old Tom Gin, a style that faded away in the 20th century but is enjoying a small renaissance (see below). Malacca is flavored with citrus and a hint of spice—though not as much spice as the spiced gins above.

Tanqueray Malacca Gin was introduced in 1997 as a “wetter” (sweeter) alternative to the London Dry Gin. It was launched as a better gin for sweet gin drinks like the Gimlet and the Tom Collins. It didn’t take off as the company had expected, and was discontinued.

But it was before its time. Over the last decade, the demand for the older style of gin has grown, as evidenced by the launch of several Old Tom-style gins, reviving a style popular in 18th-century England.

Treat yourself to a bottle of Malacca, a
sweeter, more citrusy style of gin for
sweeter drinks (or neat). Photo courtesy
Tanqueray.

Old Tom gin is popping up again in England, with brands such as Hayman’s and Ransom. (If you can’t find them in the U.S., ask a favor of a friend who travels to the U.K.)

More citrusy and not as focused on juniper and other botanicals, Old Tom gin is a style that was popular in 18th-century England but faded away in the 20th century. It is currently undergoing a small renaissance.

Old Tom is slightly sweeter than London Dry gin, but slightly drier than Dutch jenever, the original gin.

The name is said to come from wooden plaques shaped like a black cat (an “Old Tom”) that were mounted on the outside wall of some pubs in 18th century England for passing pedestrians. After they deposited a penny in the cat’s mouth, they would place their lips around a small tube between the cat’s paws. On the other side of the wall, the bartender would pour a shot of gin into the tube. (Yes, it sounds very unsanitary to us moderns.)

See the different types of gin.

How cool is this witch popcorn ball? The recipe comes from the National Popcorn Board, which has a cornucopia of popcorn recipes.

So, don’t be afraid of the wicked witch: polish her off for dessert.

RECIPE: HALLOWEEN WITCH POPCORN BALLS

Ingredients For 8 Four-Inch Popcorn Balls

1. SPREAD a sheet of wax (or parchment) paper over a work surface and place the wafer cookies on it.

2. SPRAY a large mixing bowl with cooking spray and place popcorn inside.

3. MELT butter over low heat in a medium saucepan. Stir in marshmallows and gelatin dessert powder until marshmallows are melted and mixture is smooth. If desired, adjust color with a drop or 2 of food color. Pour over popcorn and mix well until coated.

4. SPRAY hands with cooking spray and press firmly to form into 8 balls. Place balls on 8 of the wafer cookies. Press candy decorations into popcorn balls to form eyes, nose and mouth.

5. PLACE chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl. Cover and heat for 10 seconds. Stir chocolate to aid melting. Repeat as needed until chocolate is melted and smooth. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon melted chocolate onto the top of each popcorn ball. Press a few licorice strings into chocolate to form “hair.”

6. DIP cone edges into melted chocolate and then into orange sugar sprinkles. Place on remaining wafer cookies to form witches hat. Place hats onto popcorn balls. Allow chocolate to set for about 45 minutes before serving. Serve or seal individually in plastic wrap for storage.

Drink your milk or else! Photo courtesy
Lenny Mud.

Trying to track down a clever tea pot, we followed a trail from website to website and ended up at the Etsy store of Lenny Mud, based in Haddonfield, New Jersey.

Lenny is the studio cat; the ceramist is Lorrie Veasey, who creates handmade ceramic cups, mugs, teapots, bowls, vases, ornaments and other pottery items.

The Frankenstein mug in the photo has a built in holder for the cookies. The price for this work of art? Just $18.

The ceramics are made from earthenware clay and kiln fired twice to over 1900 degrees. The glazes are lead free and the pottery is dishwasher- and microwave-safe.
What will Lorrie think of next? Head over to Etsy.com to see her other nifty creations.

A few days ago, we discovered a delicious and nutritious quinoa bar at Fresh&Co., a fast-casual, seasonal and organic restaurant concept for health-conscious people who care as much about the quality as the taste. The company currently has eight locations in New York City. For menus and location information, visit:

Quinoa is perhaps the most nutritious food on earth—a complete protein with more protein per serving than milk! So today’s tip is: for a healthy menu that’s fun and tasty, call on quinoa.

Fresh&Co Executive Chef Jeremy Leech shared tips for creating a quinoa bar party at home (below); but here are the popular choices at the restaurant which provide a list of ingredients for your own quinoa bar:

The Burrito Quinoa Bowl. Photo courtesy Fresh&Co | NYC.

 
Chicken, smoked tofu, thai-spiced turkey and jumbo shrimp are options for any of the salads.

TIPS TO CREATE YOUR OWN QUINOA BAR

High in the Andes Mountains, quinoa has been cultivated by the Incas for some 5,000 years. Along with corn and potatoes, it was the foundation of the Andean diet.

Quinoa, pronounced KEEN-wa or KEE-noo-ah, is an exceptionally nutritious supergrain (in fact, it’s the Quechua/Inca word for “mother grain” or “super grain”). It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain; it is not a member of the true grass family. Rather, it’s a broad-leafed, annual herb. The seeds—the part we eat*—are white, red or beige in color.

Quinoa contains more protein—and higher-quality protein—than any other grain. A complete protein equivalent to milk, it contains all eight essential amino acids and a portfolio of vitamins and minerals: calcium, fiber, iron, lysine, magnesium, vitamins A, B and E and zinc. Everyone should eat more quinoa.

Cooked quinoa is delicious and extremely versatile; it may be used in the place of almost any other grain, including rice, to make everything from appetizers to desserts (make quinoa pudding instead of rice pudding). It has a slight nutty flavor (red quinoa is the nuttiest), which makes it a good substitute for couscous or bulghur. It has a unique texture as well. When cooked, the thin germ circlet falls from the seed and remains crunchy while the pearly grain melts in the mouth.
 
*The spinach-like leaves are equally nutritious and tasty, but they are rarely found outside of their growing area.
 
MORE FOOD BAR IDEAS