The Perfect Gift Combination for a Hapless Single Man

We all have at least one friend who is totally worthless in the kitchen.  Actually, if you don’t have a friend like that, read on, because I have enough friends who meet that description to share at least one of mine with you.

I probably should tell you in advance that you better be very fond of this friend, because the gift tip I’m going to offer is a bit on the costly side, although worth every penny.  Maybe it’s your son, or nephew, or uncle or your roommate who just refuses to leave.

Give the present of a nice romantic dinner with the person of his own choice–right there in his own home.  When you get right down to it, nothing impresses an unsuspecting date more than an intimate dinner that the host has prepared himself (with your encouragement and careful guidance, of course.  Now, the friend I’m thinking of needs all the help he can get in this regard.  You may need to be very specific when you give him your gift and the instructions to go with it.  Remind him to light candles, choose the music for him and suggest he pick up his dirty socks.

He can begin the evening with the first part of your present, a gourmet cheese for the beginning course  Suggest that he consider serving the cheese with ripe apple slices or pear slices, but only if you trust him to handle a knife.  He can serve this course as a finger food or at the dining table as the formal beginning of the meal.

The meal’s next course should be a gourmet dinner of lobster or perhaps a surf and turf meal, if he is a beef addict.  As noted, this guy needs plenty of help, so the fresher the lobster the better.

Tell him to cap off the evening with a magnificent, New York cheesecake or a turtle cheesecake, if he is a fan of chocolate for dessert.  Whichever cheesecake option you choose, tell him to spruce up the serving with a few fresh berries or a sprig of fresh mint.

You might also recommend a fine wine, if he consumes alcoholic beverages.  Lobster is very hearty fare, so don’t be afraid to suggest he pair it with a bold wine such as a Merlot or even a Burgundy.

Once you’ve done your part in the affair, relax until you receive the engagement announcement.  If you learn that the perfect evening didn’t work, just give up on him, and next time you can enjoy the delicious meal with your own favorite partner.  Oh, you also might want to look for a different friend.

Preparing Live Lobster

When live lobster for delivery shows up on your doorstep know you are in for a treat. Use care when picking up live lobsters and look to check that all claws have bands on them for your protection. Without these bands the claws can actually break a finger or two. You can take these off once you have cooked the lobsters and it is dead.

Defrosting frozen lobster meat or whole lobsters can destroy the flavors of them. Do not overcook when heating they should only be warm not hot to the touch. The meat will become a lot tougher if it gets to hot or is cooked to long.

It is very simple to cook live lobsters and only takes about ten minutes a pound to boil. Water should immerse the entire lobster within the big deep pot.

Lobsters heads hold much of the water they were boiled in so making a slight hole in them will drain out the cooking juices and seal the flavors in. This helps the meat inside stay tender and just ripe with flavor.

The water that you cook the lobsters in can be used as a base for seafood soups, pasta dishes and casseroles. All the flavors mingle together to provide your dishes with a surprising but tasty delight.

Be sure your live lobsters are healthy. When you touch or handle a lobster its tail should curl downward and then go back to normal when let go of. You should always take a sniff of your lobsters before cooking to make sure they all smell of freshness. If there is a strange unrecognizable scent to them then never cook them as they could make you and your family sick. They are best cooked as soon as you receive them.

When preparing to cook your live lobster know that the hard shell takes longer to cook and the softer shelled ones take less time.

Grilling lobsters is another great and healthy way to prepare them. Whole lobsters are placed onto a hot grill and then left on one side til it turns bright red then turned and left on opposite side until that is the same in color. Serve with delicious garlic butter and gumbo if you have it on hand.

You can split live lobsters for delivery and cook on the grill too if a whole one is too much for just one person to eat. Start with the meat side down and turn once 3-4 minutes is up and when on the shell side cook about 6-8 minutes more until shell is bright red shade and meat is very tender. It is important to remember not to overcook.