Wine and Song

I don't think I've ever shown you guys these. THESE are our favorite wine glasses. TSIL got them for us a couple years back. I actually tend to use our stemmed glasses more, but any time Thatboy opens a bottle of wine, somehow we end up with these on our table. I think he loves them most because he gets to write fun things on them. Things like "Cat" and "Dog" or "Cake" and "Ice Cream." It's one of his quirks.

I'm also going to continue on with our lobster trend. This time with timbales. Now, when I hear timbales I think of tambourines and gypsies. Maybe something a little like this:



But really, timbales are cuban drums. More like this:

Which is why you'll probably all be surprised when I show you that the lobster timbales have NOTHING to do with music. They look more like this:

Weird, right? Who came up with this name? Somehow, someone along the way must have decided that timbales = "anything baked in a ramekin." Either that, or thought of timbales is music to your ears. (See what I did there?) In fact, Shakespeare did say that "if music be the food of love, play on." So there is obviously a connection between music and food. Maybe because they are both a way to win someone's heart. And if music is the food of love, what better way to celebrate the day of love than with a musical feast!

This is very much like a lobster custard with the addition of cream and egg. Because the egg whites are whipped, this is much lighter and fluffier than you would expect. Light enough where I though I would add to it by serving it with something fried. This is actually a great leftover meal. Because it calls for cooked lobster, you can throw an extra one in to boil. Then take your leftover grits and fry them up. It's a completely new meal, but will take hardly anytime to throw together. And that my friends, is music to MY ears.

Lobster Timbales (From the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)
1/2 Tbsp butter
1/2 Tbsp flour
4 Tbsp milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup cooked lobster meat
5 Tbsp heavy cream, beaten stiff
1 egg white, beaten stiff

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter 2 1 cup custard cups. Fill a shallow pan with hot water and place in oven. Melt the butter in a saucepan.
2. Stir in the flour, blend until smooth, and slowly stir in the milk and salt.
3. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Beat a spoonful of sauce into the yolk and return the yolk/sauce mixture to the saucepan.
4. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in lobster.
5. Pour the lobster mixture into a bowl and fold in whipped cream and egg white. Spoon mixture into the custard cups and place in the pan of hot water in the oven. Bake 35 minutes.

Fried Grits
1 cup cooked grits
3 Tbsp butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1. Spread grits in loaf pan, refrigerate overnight.
2. Cut grits into 1/2 inch slices. Melt the butter in a large skillet.
3. Dip slices into the egg and then into the crumbs, coating both sides completely.
4. Place in the skillet for 3 minutes on each side or until hot and golden brown.