The French Laundry’s “Shrimp Bisque”
This is how the 3 Michelin-starred French Laundry makes their shrimp bisque.
Ingredients
Shrimp Stock
- 60 g Clarified butter
- 1,000 g Shrimp shells, rinsed in cold water(no heads)
- 100 g Whole butter, 1/2 inch dice
- 600 g San Marzano tomatoes with juices
- 240 g Carrots, 1/2 inch rounds
- 15 g Tarragon
- 4 Qts Water
Shrimp Bisque
- 100 g Clarified butter
- 625 g Shrimp shells, rinsed in cold water(no heads)
- 125 g Armagnac, plus more to taste
- 210 g Yellow onion, 1/2 inch dice
- 125 g Carrots, thinly sliced
- 140 g Button mushrooms, wiped and thinly sliced
- 90 g Leeks, rinsed and sliced
- 5 ea Bay leaves
- 315 g Vine-ripe tomatoes, 1 inch dice
- 315 g Heavy cream
- 50 g Koshihikari rice
- 50 g Whole butter, 1/2 inch dice, cold
- 5 g Lemon juice
- 17.5 g Pre-Hy
- 20 g Tarragon
Pre-Hy
- 1 g Xanthan gum
- 50 g Water
Crème Fraîche
- 250 g Crème fraîche
- 5 g Lemon juice
- 4 g Kosher salt
Brioche Croutons
- 100 g Clarified butter
- 50 ea Brioche, 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 sprig Thyme
- 1 clove Garlic, smashed, skin on
French Leeks
- 2 ea Leeks (4 French leeks)
- Extra-virgin olive oil
Garnish
- 72 g Osetra caviar
- 30 ea Small tarragon leaves
Instructions
Shrimp Stock
- To make the clarified butter add 12 oz whole butter to a pot and cook it low and slow, skimming the top. Once the bubble subside, set aside.
- Heat your widest pan over high heat and add in 60 grams of clarified butter. Add in 1000g grams of shrimp shells to the pot and sauté until a light brown fond develops about 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add 100 grams of cold cubed butter, cooking until the butter starts to brown, about 3 minutes.
- Push the shells to one side of the pot and add in 600 grams San Marzano tomatoes with the juice, scraping the bottom to release the fond for about a minute.
- Add in 240 grams carrots that are half inch thick rounds with 15 grams tarragon, cooking for 3-4 minutes. Add 4 quarts or about 4 liters of water, and bring this to a boil. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the fond from the bottom of the pot. Turn the heat down for a low and gently simmer, reducing the stock by 25% which will take about 25 minutes.
- Strain the stock through a china cap, then use a wooden spoon to crush the shells Or strain the shells and use a potato ricer to gently squeeze as much liquid from the shells as possible. Then using two strainers, double strain the stock, swirling the strainer to leave behind any undesirables and discard the shells.
- To retain as much flavor as possible, it is important to reduce the stock as quickly as possible. Skim the stock as it reduces to remove all impurities. After 10 minutes, strain the stock into a smaller pot and continue to reduce until you have 1,500 grams or about a quart and a half. Place this over an ice bath to quickly chill. The stock can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Shrimp Bisque
- To make the shrimp bisque, heat up a wide pot on high heat until it starts to smoke, then add in 100 grams of clarified butter with 625 grams of shrimp shells. Cook the shells until they start to turn GBD golden brown and delicious, about 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and deglaze the pan with 125 g Armagnac, I used Cognac.
- Use a flat wooden spoon to scrape the fond from the bottom of the pot, then turn the heat back on to medium. Add in 210 grams of ½ inch diced onion, 125 grams thinly sliced carrots, 140 grams thinly sliced button mushrooms, and 90 grams sliced leeks to the pan. Then add 1,500 grams of the shrimp stock and use the wooden spoon to scrape any fond from the bottom of the pan, and bring to a boil.
- Add in 3 sprigs thyme, 5 bay leaves, 315 g tomatoes cut in a 1 inch dice with 315 grams cream. Bring down to a simmer over low heat and cook this for 40 to 45 minutes or until the stock has reduced by about one-third.
- Strain, then use a wooden spoon to crush the shells, or you can use a potato ricer and squeeze out all that goodness. Discard the shells then into a clean pot use a sauce strainer to strain the stock, using a swirling motion to leave any undesirables behind.
- Return the stock to the heat and add in 50 grams of kashikuri rice. Cook this over high heat, skimming away the starch that floats to the top. Reduce this until you have 850 grams of bisque, which will take 30 minutes.
- Add the bisque to a blender with 50 grams whole butter, 5 grams lemon juice, 17.5 grams Pre-Hy, and with more cognac to taste then blend this on high speed for about 30 seconds, or until the bisque is smooth, seasoning to taste with salt. Strain this into a clean pot, tapping the strainer to leave behind any large pieces of rice. Check the seasoning and add more cognac, lemon juice or salt if needed. Rub 20 g of tarragon in between your hand to help release the flavor for five minutes than strain into a sauce pot. The bisque can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months
Crème Fraîche
- For the creme fraiche, add 250 grams crème fraîche, 5 grams lemon juice with 4 grams kosher salt into a bowl and whisk. Taste and adjust as needed with more lemon juice and or salt. Place a piping bag into a cup to hold it, then fill with the creme fraiche mixture. Store this in the fridge.
Brioche Croutons
- For the croutons, remove the crust from a slice of brioche bread and cut the bread into a ½ inch dice. You will need 50 croutons.
- Heat 100 grams of clarified butter in a sauté pan with a sprig of thyme, a smashed garlic clove with the skin on and the 50 cubes of brioche. Cook on medium low heat for about 3-4 minutes, flipping once you see brown.
- Once they are GBD, place them on a paper towel to absorb the excess fat and season with salt immediately. The steam coming off the bread will allow the salt to adhere. Once these cool down, you can store them in a container up to a day in advance.
French Leeks
- For the leeks, I couldn't find French leeks, so I decided to trim down a regular leek. The trim can be saved for the bisque or other preparations. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the leek in the boiling water for 5 minutes, or until tender.
- Transfer to an ice-water bath to stop the cooking, then dry on paper towels, slightly pressing on it to remove any excess water. Slice the leeks on a 45 degree bias, a quarter inch thick. Place these on a tray and coat the leeks lightly with olive oil.
Plate
- To plate, use two spoons, preferably plastic to quenelle the caviar. Wet one of the spoons then transfer the caviar to the damp spoon and place in the center of the bowl. Place down 5 leeks, 5 croutons with small tarragon leaves on top with 5 dots of crème fraîche. Carefully pour in the bisque in between the caviar and the garnish. Ideally, this would be done table side.
