In this episode of the Feed Your Fire Podcast, we step into quiet luxury as we take inspiration from friends showing us the path to living life backwards. Together we'll enjoy the simple pleasure of deliciously decadant lobster rolls, and give ourselves room to enjoy the moments within the milestones as we celebrate Labor Day.
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Feed Your Fire Podcast Episode Transcript:
Hello, and welcome to Feed Your Fire. I'm your host, Kim Baker. In today's episode, we're indulging in simple pleasures and enjoying a bit of quiet luxury, rewarding ourselves with decadent lobster rolls as we slide in to the end of summer, celebrating Labor Day and honoring all of our hard work.
My brother had this way of living life. It wasn't extravagant, but when he did something, he went all in. And that mindset has been an everlasting part of his legacy. It's also what allowed him to approach the end of his life at an early age with such peace and serenity.
I remember one weekend, he rented a Lamborghini and coming into my parents' house and seeing this car in the driveway. He was a master at what I would call responsible pleasure. It wasn't hedonistic or selfish or reckless or a bottomless tank of dopamine hits. It was instead this guiltless pursuit of joyfulness. And even in his last few months of life, he fell in love. He met a beautiful, brave soul that's still an important part of our family. What an incredible example of making the most of each moment.
Just a few weeks ago, I was at my friend's house, hanging out with her sister Sarah and brother-in-law Paul, who was told over a year ago that his death was imminent. And I was so inspired by the way they shared their experience and the honesty of it. And their story brought me right back to that spirit of my brother. Paul is staring straight into the mystery of life with Sarah right beside him with a full heart and an open mind. He's been leaning more deeply into love, not shying away from it. And as I learned more about him, I realized that he too had always been living life all in. And he used the expression that he was living life backwards, beating the clock by leaning into living.
And that's the energy that we want to bring forward today. Consciously carving out space in our lives in between the work and effort and pursuits to create bright, defining moments of joy. And to do this across all seasons, especially when times are good, because those moments will help carry us when they're not.
Now, these stories of my brother and Paul are dramatic showcases of that importance But endings and passages come in all shapes and sizes. It could be a phase in life or something like the pandemic that we all lived through.
A couple years before COVID, I had taken my son to Italy. I had been on the fence, wondering if it was something that I should splurge on. And in the end, it was worth every penny. It created not just a lasting bond between us, but that connection and the adventure of it gave us the fortitude to get through the next few years of solitude and isolation.
When we look at the calendar, we can map out all of these transitions—from winter to spring to summer to fall. But the seasons of our lives are too complex to predict. So we're here today to indulge a little with a lobster fest, worthy of this Labor Day celebration.
Because I'm not in New England, I can take a fair bit of liberty with this lobster roll, while still honoring the tradition of its recipe. Now, rather than wrestling with full lobsters, I'm using mostly lobster tails today, but I'm supplementing it with some frozen lobster that includes the knuckles and the claws, to give it the right texture and that sweet flavor.
I'm using four tails and about a half a pound of frozen meat. Now, the frozen lobster meat is already cooked, so it just needs to be defrosted. And we're going to just gently poach the lobster tails. So I'm going to fill a pot with water, and I'm going to flavor it with some butter, some bay leaves, some lemon wedges, and some salt and pepper. And bring that up to a simmer, where there's just some steam coming off of the water, but it's not boiling.
While that heats up, I'm going to de-shell the lobster tails. I personally am going to save the shells because I'm a nerd and I'm going to make a lobster stock for another day. You do not need to do that. For this recipe, we only need the meat.
So when the water is simmering, go ahead and pop the meat from the tails right into it for about a minute and a half. You do not want to overcook these. The meat will transition from a translucent to a more creamy color.
And once that happens, take them out of the water and let them cool. We're gonna do these in a style that's sort of Maine meets Connecticut with butter and mayo. While the lobster is cooling, we're gonna make a mayonnaise. Now I'm making a homemade mayonnaise here because we are doing this top of the line. If you've never made a mayonnaise before, it's very simple.
We're gonna start with egg using only the yolk and not the white. Add in a small pinch of lemon juice, like a teaspoon, and a smidge of Dijon mustard. Then we're gonna slowly whisk in an unflavored oil, like a canola oil. I'm using sunflower. And just slowly whisk it in. We're using about a quarter cup of oil. And as you slowly add it in, you'll see it turn into the consistency of a mayonnaise. We won't use all of it today, so save any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Then melt about a half a stick of butter in a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat. Add in about one clove of minced garlic. It should almost be like a paste, as well as the zest of one lemon. Chop up your lobster meat so it's bite sized. And place it in that skillet with the garlic butter. Then add about three tablespoons of your mayonnaise. And about two tablespoons of chopped parsley. Let the lobster bathe in that mixture. You can shut the heat off and just let it marinate, basting and coating the lobster in that sauce.
In Virginia, they do not sell New England style rolls. At least, I couldn't find them anywhere. So we're using brioche buns today. You can also use like a Hawaiian hot dog roll. Just get the kind that are top sliced.
And what I like to do is griddle the rolls just a bit with a touch of butter. I told you we were going all out today. This is not the time to cut corners.
Grab a clean skillet and melt some butter in it. Then plant the bun face down. Let it warm up, getting just a little bit of color and crispness, and then turn it over. Warm up that other side and pop it out of the skillet.
And now it's time to assemble. Take each of your buns and generously load them up with that lobster meat that sauteed. And use every bit of that buttery sauce that's in the pan. Garnish each roll with some chopped chives and just a touch of super finely sliced celery. And when you take a bite, be prepared for a near-death experience. This is food porn worthy of its own dedicated OnlyFans page. It's so good. It's almost outrageous.
My friend who had joined us for dinner took some leftovers home on a bed of greens. And she told me that the next day she ate it for dinner in the bathtub. Now that, my friends, is living. A brilliant expression of self-indulgence. That is to the good of all and the harm of none.
And what I love about this recipe for today's episode is that while luxurious, it's still accessible. It's not as bougie as caviar. And I love that the history of lobster is pretty humble. A couple centuries ago, it was considered food for the poor, and now it's $50 a pound. And part of that shift was because it went from plentiful to more scarce. And that reminds me of how we often value time. It isn't until we start living life backwards that we understand what a luxury it is. And even though we all know that time is limited, we're often afraid and we hide from that truth. And it was that honesty that was hitting me when I was hanging out with Paul and Sarah.
And as we wind down from the summer season, taking a moment's rest from our labors, our goal today is for this meal to become a milestone and a mantra, pushing you towards whatever the equivalent is of your Lamborghini. Maybe it's a love story in the 9th inning or a gelato by the Trevi Fountain, or maybe it's just a quiet meal in a tub. And whatever that is for you, let it become part of the script of your living legacy.
Until our next episode, I say so long. Feed Your Fire, where food nourishes growth.