Stephencooks

Fish and Lobster Pie

Makes 6 tartlets, 4" diameter

6 partially baked tartlet shells (recipe follows)
3 T flour
1 lb scallops, washed, cut 1/4 inch thick
6 oz cooked lobster or crab, cut into 3/4" pieces (reserve 4 claw pieces for decoration)
8 oz white fish, cut in 1" pieces
2 eggs
1/2 C minced onion
2 T minced shallots
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C heavy cream
salt
hot sauce
pinch nutmeg
butter
olive oil
1 T fresh oregano, minced
1/2 bay leaf
2/3 cup white wine
3 oz grated Parmeggiano Reggiano
2 T butter cut in small pieces

Sauté onions and shallots and 2/3 of the garlic  slowly in butter and oil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Set aside.

Toss scallops and fish in the flour and sauté in hot butter and oil about two minutes, stirring. Add the wine, oregano and bay leaf and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. Allow to cool.

Beat the eggs with the cream until well combined, add the fish/scallop mixture, the lobster, the remaining garlic, the nutmeg and the onion mixture. Stir to combine and season to taste with salt and hot sauce. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tart shells, being careful to distribute the seafood equally into the four shells.

Scatter  the cheese over the tarts, dot with butter and decorate with lobster claw meat. Bake 20-30 min in a preheated 400º oven, until puffed and beginning to brown and a tester comes out clean. If necessary, run under a broiler for a minute or two to brown the top.

Allow to rest 5 minutes or so before removing the tarts from the forms.

Pie Crust - Partially Cooked ("Blind Baked")

for a single crust pie or six 4" tartlet pans
3 C sifted all purpose flour
1-1/2  sticks cold butter
1/3 C vegetable shortening
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C + 2 T ice water

Place the flour, butter, shortening, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process briefly, until mixture looks like coarse corn meal.  Add the ice water and pulse processor a few times until dough begins to clump. Do not overprocess. Scrape dough onto a board put in a plastic food storage bag. Working through the bag, quickly press the dough into a ball. Refrigerate dough for at least an hour. (May be frozen at this point for future use.) Roll the ball out to about 1/8" thick. Butter the pie plate or tart pans and line with the dough.

Butter pieces of aluminum foil and line the crust in the tart pans with them, buttered side down. Fill the foil with dried beans or rice to a depth of about an inch -- this will keep the crust from puffing when it is baked empty. Bake for about 10 minutes in a preheated 400º oven. Crust should just start to brown. Allow to cool and then remove and discard the aluminum foil after returning the beans or rice to their container. Leave the tart pan rings in place.

The crust can be made up to four hours before the dish is assembled and served.