CHEESE & LOBSTER POPPERS WITH AVOCADO CREAM

I realize that these are not pretty or cute in anyway and in fact they actually look like itty, bitty, mini fried poppers.

Fried stuffs they are not. And trust me, they are so much better.

But, I do not care that they are ugly and funny looking and even a little bigger than I was hopping. They are an amazing thing.

Here’s the deal, up until a month ago I would have NEVER thought to fry lobster.

But then….

Then I went down south. Where everything is fried and fish and seafood are everywhere.

They especially seem to do a lot crab down south, and the inspiration behind these was actually blue crab beignets, but over here (or maybe I should say up here – since we are almost ALWAYS up) we really like lobster. Even my seafood hating mom likes it.

Of course it has to be covered in butter, but you have to understand something about my mom. She is a plain bread and butter, pasta and butter, rice and butter kind of girl. She could live off of carbs and butter…..

Oh and yes, she’d be happy.

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 ounce  Lobster tail shell removed and meat diced
• 1/3 cup  Mascarpone cheese may sub cream cheese
• 1/3 cup  Blue cheese crumbled
• 1 tablespoon  Chives
• 1/2 teaspoon  Cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon  Pepper Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon  Salt

BATTER:

• 1 1/3 cups  Flour
• 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup  Beer or Carbonated Water
• Vegetable Oil for frying

SPICY AVOCADO CREAM:

• 1  Nos Avocado
• 1/2  cup  Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoon Horseradish (Ready to Use)
• 1 tablespoon Hot sauce

SAUTE VEGETABLE:

• 3 slices bacon
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 of a sweet onion
• 1 leave jalapeno seeded and minced ( seeds in for more heat)
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 2 ears corn kernels removed
• 1 red pepper chopped
• 1 cup sliced zucchini
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
• coarse Salt and freshly ground pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. To prepare the avocado cream, place the avocado, greek yogurt, horseradish and hot sauce in a food processor or high powdered blender. Puree until smooth. Place in the fridge until ready to use.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add two tablespoons butter and the chopped lobster meat. Sauté until the lobster is cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove and set the lobster aside to cool.
3. Once the lobster has cooled add it to a medium bowl. Add the mascarpone or cream cheese, blue cheese, chives, cayenne, salt and pepper. Gently fold to combine. Set aside.
4. Pour oil into a large saucepan fitted with a deep-fry thermometer to a depth of 6 inches. Heat oil over medium-high heat until thermometer registers 375°.
5. Meanwhile, whisk flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in beer, just to blend (batter will be thick).
6. Working in batches of about 4 and returning oil to 375° between batches, measure 1 heaping tablespoon lobster mixture, roll into a ball, and drop into batter. Using a fork (or your hands), toss to coat and lift from batter, letting excess drip back into bowl. Carefully lower beignets into oil. Fry, turning occasionally, until crisp and deep golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt. Serve hot with the garden vegetable sauté (below) and the spicy avocado cream.
7. To prepare the vegetable sauté heat a large skillet over medium high heat. To the pan add the bacon cook over medium heat until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crispy, about 7 minutes. Remove bacon from pan and set aside on paper towels to drain. Crumble once cooled. Drain all but 1 tablespoon bacon fat. If you are not using the bacon just add some butter to the pan. Add the onions and sauté until they start to soften, 3 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeno pepper and red pepper. Toss in a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook another 30 seconds
8. Add the corn, tomatoes and zucchini to the skillet and sauté until they start to brown, about 6 minutes. Season with a little salt as well. Remove from the heat. Serve along side the beignets.