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Dinner for someone else...but not for me, cuz I just don't like the stuff.

Lobster pot pie

Corn Cream:
3 ears of corn, kernels scraped off
2 cups chicken stock
3 cups cream, room temp
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
Blond roux

In medium pot over medium heat cook garlic and shallot in oil until translucent. Add 2 Tbsp roux. Add corn, corn cobs, and whisk in chicken stock. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove cobs. Whisk in heavy cream, cook and reduce until sauce coats the back of a spoon. Puree sauce in a blender until smooth, strain through a chinois. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Dice parsnip, chop asparagus, dice carrot. Bring pot of water to a boil and blanch asparagus. Same pot, add parsnip and carrot with a drizzle of honey and blanch.

Saute whole pearl onions in oil and butter until nearly cooked through.

Slice shitake mushrooms.

Throw everything (including chopped lobster meat) into individual ramekins, or one large casserole dish. Top with puff pastry.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

I'd make a little Lobster Pig.

Recipe: Hot drawn butter, squeeze of lemon, ME. :-)

lobster bisque?

This thread is so delicious and comforting I want to turn it into a sauce and cover myself in it!

i would just pile it high into a buttered and grilled roll, no mayo , no lettuce , just naked.

Just some melted butter and wedges of lemon. you might make a little bit of lettuce and scallion salad to go with.....

just eat it! - don't mess with things that destroy the sheer luxury of the treat. A little garlic bread on the side might be okay.

I would make myself sick eating it alone in my kitchen with some butter and lemon. If thats a no go poach to reheat in vanilla scented butter and place atop mashed potatoes. Buttery lobstery mashed potatoes.

Lydia Shire's JFK Lobster Stew. YUM! Cream, butter, sherry, and lobster. How could that be bad? Recipe's on foodtv.com from an old Emeril live episode.

I think I'd have to go with SE writer, Kerry Saretsky's Summer Lobster Roll. Absolutely wonderful.

I'd just top the lobster on top of really good white rice and drizzle wasabi soy sauce, sprinkle nori flakes and gorge.

I think a few things are missing from the main meal that makes it imbalanced, at least for me.

- texture. I realize that everything has a texture, including water, but none of the dishes have any snap or crunch
- a little sweetness
- something cool
- color

A leafy salad would help take care of them all if you make something simple like...romaine, roasted red bell peppers, black pepper, and a vinaigrette (or Caesar). Other crunchy stuff to add would be red onions, croutons, apples, or nuts. Cranberry vinaigrette wouldn't be bad depending on what you put in the salad. Or using sliced figs, even mandarin oranges.

@julea
I'm with you - all my friends know that I'll be bringing the "shape of the can" - it has become a minor competition to see who can dump the cranberry sauce out in perfect "can" shape. However, my favorite part is the other thing no one else I know likes but me - mincemeat pie.

you need something fresh...

a salad is not lackluster. It all depends how simple or how ellaborate you want to make it. I like a sort of Nicoise salad... I make it without the tuna, but I include everything else - lettuce, tomatoes, green beans, roasted peppers, carrots, onions, radishes, boiled potatoes, etc.

In keeping a bit with your Mediterranean flavors of the rosemary chicken, you could have a version of caprese salad adding romaine lettuce to it or even a fancier version of a Ceasar salad with a citrus ceasar dressing.

I assure you, something fresh will be very welcome and balancing to all the starchy sides you'll be having. Bon Appetit...