The photo shows Restaurant R’evolution’s Lobster With Sheep’s Milk Gnocchi.

Rather than toss the lobster heads and tails*, they plated them with a dish of lobster gnocchi.

Instead of gnocchi, we made Lobster Newburg, one of our favorite special-occasion dishes (in a cream sauce with sherry, brandy and a touch of nutmeg—and the heads and tails as decoration. Here’s the Lobster Newburg recipe).

It’s beautiful (photo #1), and the most fun we’ve seen since Chef David Burke’s Angry Lobster On A Bed Of Nails (photo #2).

But there’s much more to place between the heads and tails. Just a few ideas:

 
You can even put the head and tail on a lobster roll, or have them adorn a bowl of lobster chowder or lobster dip.

Just set the head and tail flat on the plate. And keep recycling: At the end of the meal, you can wash the heads and tails and stick them in the freezer.

[1] Now that’s a presentation (photo © Restaurant R’evolution | New Orleans).

[2] This Lobster On A Bed Of Nails uses a florist’s form (photo © Chef David Burke | Facebook).

NEW SHELL LOBSTER: THE BEST LOBSTER YOU CAN HAVE

Between June and November, lobsters in the cold, clean waters of Maine shed their old shells and grow new shells. The result is known as Maine New Shell Lobster, also called soft shell lobster. It’s the sweetest, most tender lobster meat.

The superior taste and texture is a result of the pure Gulf of Maine seawater that fills the newly formed shell. It naturally “marinates” the meat, creating a more intense lobster flavor and added moisture.

A thinner shell also means that you can crack and eat the lobster by hand—no nutcracker necessary.

New Shells are prized by locals as a seasonal delicacy. But they are the best-kept secret in seafood. Even professional chefs don’t know about them, and both hard shell lobsters and New Shells are available in Maine throughout summer and fall.

Now that you’re in the know, now that you have to ask for your New Shells by name.

But thanks to advances in packaging and handling techniques, Maine New Shell Lobster, once only available in Maine, can also be shipped to you. Check Bayley’s Lobster Pound.
 
 
MAINE LOBSTER VERSUS CANADIAN LOBSTER

We recently attended an event to taste the New Shells, and met several chefs and lobstermen. We asked if they find a difference between Maine lobsters and the Canadian lobsters caught farther north in the Atlantic.

Their consensus is that, since the waters off of Maine are fed by the Labrador current which also flows past New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, the lobsters are very similar.

They opined that local differences such as diet, water temperature and water quality—which easily cause differences in oysters—are not significant.

So buy American, but if someone offers you a Canadian lobster, eat it!

 
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†We disclose that these are Maine lobsters, but not New Shell lobsters. The available photos of New Shells were too plain.

We’re dazzled by this Rainbow Pizza. Why didn’t we think of it?

But thankfully, Ali at Gimme Some Oven did. Her recipe is made with vegetables that represent the colors of the rainbow:

 
It’s a reason to have a pizza party, pronto.

Head to GimmeSomeOven.com for the recipe and many more photos.

You can use a pizza or flatbread base, or as Ali did in this photo, Stonefire naan.

Call us when it’s ready to come out of the oven. We’ll be there!

Rainbow pizza. Photo courtesy Gimme Some Oven.

The condiment consists simply of fresh chopped parsley, lemon zest and garlic. The addition of other green herbs is optional; we add basil or mint when we have it on hand.

It has such lively flavor that you can cut back on salt. A pinch of gremolata spices up almost any dish:

Gremolata (also spelled gremolada) is a relatively new condiment. According to Merriam-Webster, it first appeared in 1954, derived from the Italian dialect of Lombardy. What we don’t know is why these words were used (any guesses?):

 
Here’s the classic gremolata recipe with precise measurements. You can update the recipe, tailoring it to specific dishes, by substituting ingredients:

RECIPE: GOLDEN RAISIN PURÉE

Some people use raisin purée as a substitute for refined sugar in baking. But it also complements grilled proteins, as Chef Sean Lyons of Distilled NY shows in the photo above.

You can also use it as a dessert sauce, and you can replace the raisins with dried blueberries, cherries or cranberries.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the raisins in a small pan, cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes until the raisins are plump.

Golden raisins, also called sultanas. You can substitute dried blueberries, cherries or cranberries in the purée. Photo courtesy Snack Farms.

3. SIEVE the purée for additional smoothness, if desired. Keep in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to a month.
 
*A device to break down the straw or stalks of flax and hemp.

†You can match dried cherries with cherry liqueur, dried cranberries with cranberry liqueur.