our lobster tale

Best introduction of 2012 . . . Bursches met Lobsters.

I’ve asked myself since, was this introduction planned? Well on December 22, I would have said yes. We did after all order 5 Lobsters ahead of time and had them shipped for our Bursch family Christmas celebration. How special would it be? How fun to try Lobster? We voted 4-0 (Steve, Mindy, Tim, and I) and we ordered it. Done.

We found this recipe by Martha Stewart, a simple 30 minutes of prep and 45 minutes total? Easy. Should we add some Beurre Blanc, a french butter sauce? Um, yes, please.

And that’s how much we knew until said Lobsters arrived wrapped in seaweed, sitting on my table. Everything from here on out, I hadn’t thought through for some reason. And it’s a good thing because if I had, I probably would have gone with the roast beef.

For starters, the Bursch kids met the Lobsters, and then they named them: Tom, Jerry, Jimmy, Sally, and Iron Claw.

And that’s when I said uh-oh for the first time.

Standing right there in my kitchen, at that moment, I remembered we were actually going to kill these creatures. And so did Cole by the look on his face. You really can know something without knowing something, until you look at your kids and then you remember. Profound, I know. It hit me: live Lobsters will become dead Lobsters, because of us. What???

I channeled some Jaime Oliver or Barbara Kingsolver (who probably doesn’t even eat lobster), telling my fearful thoughts and my kids, this is good, this is all ok, just honor the lives of these creatures. So we took a minute and let them be named, a moment to pause and honor the life we were about to end. Geesh. I know.

We held them.

And then we boiled them.

And thank you, Lord, I did not feel them kick the lid as I held it down. Mercy.

But this is where Martha’s recipe either breaks down, or our lack of research was exposed. What we didn’t know is that Martha’s somewhat simple-sounding “remove the tomalley and head sac” meant that there would be green junk running all over the cutting board and our fresh Lobster meat. Lots of runny green junk. Wha-wha-whaaattt? I guess if you live on the East Coast you know these things?

Just in case you think I was all Mother-of-the-year, I then announced there would be no more screaming and threatened that no kids would be allowed in the kitchen if they weren’t going to also commit to one bite when we were finished. What can I say, they rose to the occasion.

At this point, a whole conversation was going on in my head along with many not-so-uh-oh versions of uh-oh. And that’s when I called my friend Lucy (while simultaneously googling green-goo-is-on-my-lobster.) Lucy did not answer. Come on, was I crying? 

Heavy were the eyes on me it seemed, there were 8 of us in my 10×10 kitchen after all. I started to feel the weight of this great idea we had and whether or not this group could contain this adventure. I mean there was one question of when the gift opening would start? Hmmm. Yes, not for awhile it seems. I desperately asked Mindy if she was still with me. She was, she was. And so was Steve. Steve with the knife that is. Steve, have I properly thanked you? Holy something. I mean calm and cool is your nature, as is rarely mine, and I seriously would have lost my marbles if YOU had panicked. But in that moment, you just rocked it. You and the knife did this 4 more times. By the 5th and last lobster you totally became the expert. Which leads me to ask, where was Tim? Why do I have no memories of this and what does this mean? Tim?

As that last Lobster was opened, I swear there were cheers. Were there cheers? It may have all been in my head but I’m going with a room full of cheers.

I don’t remember much of how it tasted. It was a little fresh to even decide if you know what I mean. But I knew then and I really know now, it was a Christmas we’ll never forget. I asked the fam the other day what they thought about our lobster adventure. Tim said Awesome, Cole said sic, Ella said disgustingly awesome. Yes.

Isn’t it funny how when the heat is on you just wish you’d played it safe? The pot roast or ham is kind of safe! But when all was said and done, we ended up with an experience of fear and fun, delicious and gross, known and unknown, good and hard, all in one memory. Awesome.

And that’s not to mention the rest of the fabulous food we partook of. See our menu below if you wish.

And just so you know, thanks to more tips from Lucy and Lobster tails being a great option, we will try Lobster in this house again sooner than later.

Thank you, Bursches. Seriously.

And for any of you with me this January in needing to hold off on the new year, I’m finally ready for 2013. Let’s go.

Happy New Year!

~Heather

Bursch Family Christmas Dinner–2013
(unless linked or noted, most recipes are inspired by something Ina)

Celebratory Snacks and Drinks:
Sidecars
Scallion Meatballs with Soy-Ginger Glaze
Parmesan Crisps
Olives
Salad and Soup
Pear with Roquefort Salad
Roasted Winter Squash Soup
Main Course:
Truffled Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Panchetta
Lobster with Beurre Blanc
Dessert:
German Chocolate Cake
Espresso

Yum!

Last Updated on June 16, 2022 by Heather Bursch