Citizens! It is a little-known fact that your beloved leader, the inestimable TFG, is also a fan of the great and all-powerful Disney experience, especially Epcot Center. It was there as a young Dictator-in-Training that I first experienced the amazement of seeing how different countries around the world could be, and especially their cuisines!
The food at Epcot can be very good indeed if you know where to look, and every October and November, the park is transformed into a gourmet paradise during the Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival.
Top chefs from around the world converge on the park and the finest cuisine can be had by all the guests fortunate enough to be in attendance!
Think I’m delusional? Then prepare to be proven very wrong indeed, as this magnificent recipe from Ireland that is a fan favorite of the event will prove!
I speak of nothing less than the recipe for the legendary Lobster and Scallop Fisherman’s Pie from the Ireland kiosk at the Festival. The recipe is available here thanks to the generosity of Epcot’s executive chef Jens Dahlmann.
It is complex, wonderful and beyond anything you ever imagined theme park food could be – I hope you see it as an opportunity to dispel your misgivings as well as seeing first-hand the fantastic cuisine of the Emerald Isle as interpreted by the Epcot Chefs! 🙂
Battle on – The Generalissimo
PrintDisney Epcot Irish Lobster and Scallop Fisherman’s Pie
Ingredients
- Lobster Bisque:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
- 2 cups chopped celery
- 1 1/2 cups chopped fennel
- 2 lobster shells, meat removed
- 1/2 cup tomato purée
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon cognac
- 4 cups fish or chicken stock
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
- 1 teaspoon chervil
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ***
- Mashed Potatoes:
- 4–6 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream or milk
- ***
- Lobster and Scallop Fisherman’s Pie:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 3 1/2 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- 1 pound bay scallops
- 1 quart lobster bisque (recipe below)
- 1 pound lobster meat, cooked and chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon tarragon
- 1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
- 2 cups shredded Irish cheddar cheese – If you cannot find Irish cheddar cheese, you may substitute your favorite cheddar cheese
Instructions
- For lobster bisque:
- Place butter and olive oil in a large heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onions, celery, and fennel for 6-7 minutes or until they are tender. Add the lobster shells and tomato purée and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the flour and stir until combined and continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add the cognac and stock and continue cooking for 30 minutes. While cooking, stir and scrape the bottom of the sauce pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits.
- Add the heavy whipping cream and bring mixture to a boil and continue cooking for 15 minutes. Add the cayenne pepper, garlic, and chervil and stir to combine.
- Remove the lobster shells and carefully place mixture in a blender and blend on medium for 15-20 seconds, or until combined and smooth. Stop the blender to scrape the sides and blend for another 5 seconds.
- Pour the bisque through a fine strainer lined with cheesecloth to remove any shell pieces.
- Pour the bisque back into the saucepan over medium heat and bring it back to a boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
For mashed potatoes:
- Place the potatoes in a large stockpot of boiling, lightly salted water over high heat for 15 – 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
- Drain the water and whip the potatoes with a hand held mixer on low speed until soft.
- Add butter and heavy whipping cream and mix until combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
For lobster and scallop fisherman’s pie:
- Preheat the oven to 350º.
- Place butter and olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Sauté the onions, celery, and carrots for 6-7 minutes or until they are tender. Add the flour and stir until combined and continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add the brandy and stir while cooking for 1-2 minutes to cook off the alcohol.
- Add the scallops and lobster bisque and stir to combine. Continue to cook for another 8-10 minutes or until the mixture comes to a boil.
- Add the cooked lobster, tarragon, and hot pepper sauce and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Carefully pour the mixture into a 3 quart baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, covering the entire dish and sprinkle with the Irish cheddar cheese.
- Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and cook for approximately 25 minutes, or until bubbling and the cheese is completely melted.
Wanda White
Damn that sounds delicious! We should do this the next time we get together!
Darlene Canon
Yum