"People Who Love to Eat are Always the Best People" - JC

Today would have been Julia Child's 100th birthday, so we are going to celebrate by talking affordable luxuries with added butter and garlic. Julia Child did a lot for women and a lot that changed the way women and men cook in the home. She made cooking that was once seemingly difficult or only available in restaurants accessible to everyone in their own kitchen. She is one of the 5 people (alive or dead) who I would want to have dinner with. She would be cooking, obviously. 

Who doesn't love her? Keep your mouth shut, or I will pound you with my mallet.

I finally went to the grocery store yesterday and after spending about 20 minutes making a list (while distracting a toddler) I headed out. The list, of course, stayed home. I got to the store with a general idea of what I needed and fared pretty well. When I headed to the fish monger to get some salmon I noticed that lobster tails were on sale and I could get two for around $9. What's up H-E-B? I heart you. I switched salmon for lobster in full knowledge that I had never cooked my own lobster or even had any since a fateful college limo ride to Beau Rivage about ten years ago. More on that never again. 

If you want me to level with you, I really didn't follow a French recipe with the lobster. I decided, after checking in with Google, that I wanted to bake the tails. First I had to pull the little legs off and cut them down the middle. After the fact I learned that kitchen scissors are really handy for leg removal. I let them sit out about 20 minutes to bring them to room temp. Also, I preheated the oven to 400. 

Before mutilation:

After mutilation:

I took a strong knife (I would use a thick, sharp one that is easy to control) and slowly cut down the center being careful to not slice through the meat. You can also use kitchen scissors for this if you have a good pair that let you get underneath the shell. I found the knife a bit easier. For first timers, watch out for sharp shells. All shelled friends (maybe not shrimp) can give you a nice slice to the hand. 

Here is a close up where you can see that the white shell is pulled up on the sides.

Next I took some butter and melted it. Don't get overwhelmed by this step. You can do it.

A photo, just in case you were wondering what melted butter looks like. 

 I brushed the melted butter all over the lobster tails, squeezed some fresh lemon juice on them, and finally sprinkled the insides with some kosher sea salt. I did all of this on the same baking sheet I was going to use in the oven. These are two 4 oz tails and I put them in the oven for ten minutes. 

Ready for the oven. Remove the lemon first.

 I know you all want to see how I cook kale AGAIN, so here you go. After I put the lobster in the oven, I got to work. This time I took about 4 cloves of garlic and sliced them, tossing them in a large saute pan with EV Olive Oil.

I washed and dried the kale

Then tore it off and put it in the pan with the sliced garlic, tossing it to get the garlic off of the bottom of the pan. 

Meanwhile, in another part of the house, S was grilling corn. We prefer our corn done on the grill with no foil. It adds so much to the flavor, you can baste it while it is grilling, and you can tell immediately when it is ready.

Almost ready to come off.

 Then my ten minutes were up and the lobster was ready to come out. This was possibly one of the easiest things I have ever cooked. Prep was simple, put it in the oven and then... BOOM. Perfectly cooked lobster tails. Notice how the meat has swelled up and the shell has turned a bright orange color. 

Yes and Yum

The color of lobster success.

 As the lobster cooled off, the corn came in ready to go.

I melted a little butter with crushed garlic and lemon as extra dipping sauce for the lobster, but we really didn't need it. The meat was so sweet and the basting prior to baking it really held some great flavors in there.

The grand finale.

We took the third ear of corn and cut the kernels off of the cob so that it could go with a few of Landon's meals. 

Landon Corn

In honor of JC's bday, pick up her fabulous first book Mastering the Art of French Cooking and try something new that you never even thought of. French cooking isn't always the most budget friendly or the most healthy, but it is tastes and flavors that have been around for centuries and would make a great Friday or Saturday night date night at home. 

The Simple Truth

Child ended her last book, My Life in France, with "... thinking back on it now reminds me that the pleasures of the table, and of life, are infinite - toujours bon appetit!"  

What a fantastic woman who lived a fantastic life. Let her inspire you to really see what you can do in your kitchen.

-RT