Recipes by Lainie Kazan: Bouillabaisse Americana; Cream of Chicken Soup Empress

Lainie Kazan's Bouillabaisse Americana

1/2 lb. fresh red snapper, fileted
1/2 lb. striped bass, fileted
1/2 lb. pike, fileted
1 lb. sea scallops
1 lb. fresh lobster meat
1 lb. raw shrimp, medium-size, cut into 2 pieces each
1/3 cup olive oil
3-4 shallots, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
2 very small carrots, peeled and diced
2 leeks, chopped
1/2 stalk celery (with leaves)
1 cup dry Sauterne wine
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
Good pinch of saffron
Sprinkle of thyme
6 fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
Water (or fish stock or clam juice)
Scant tbsp. arrowroot
45 littleneck clams

Cut fish into 2 oz. chunks. Keep fish separated as it will be added by stages. Shell shrimp, lobster; set aside. Use large saute pan (or kettle). Add shallots, garlic; saute a few minutes. Add carrots, leeks and celery; saute a few minutes longer. Add lobster and shrimp. Saute 5 minutes. Add wine, bring to boil, add rest of fish chunks, salt and pepper, bay leaf, saffron, thyme and diced tomatoes. Add water (or fish stock or clam juice) to cover fish. Simmer slowly until fish is cooked and firm-textured. Do not overcook. Total cooking time should be from 15-20 minutes, beginning when lobster and shrimp are sauteed. Remove fish to heated bowl. Reduce stock slightly. Mix arrowroot with a little water, blend slowly into fish stock. Cook sauce, stirring to thicken. Spoon over fish. Garnish top with littleneck clams (steamed separately). Serve with day-old French bread cut into thick slabs, lightly fried in garlic-flavored olive oil. Serve piping hot as main course. Serves 10-12.

Lainie Kazan's Cream of Chicken Soup Empress

1 stewing hen, weighing 3 1/2 lbs.
2 cups boiling water
2 carrots, sliced
1 yellow onion, sliced and quartered
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/3 lb. fresh mushrooms, peeled
1 stick sweet butter, softened
6 tbsps. flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks

Put cleaned chicken into large stock pot with water to cover. Add carrots, onion, celery, bay leaf, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, cover, simmer about 1 hour (or until chicken is tender). Spoon off scum that forms during cooking. Strain stock, reserve. Cut chicken breast into julienne strips; set aside. Reserve remaining chicken for other use. Saute 2/3 of mushrooms in 5 tbsps. butter until soft. Stir in flour, cook over low heat, stirring. Add chicken stock. Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer 1 hour. Strain through very fine sieve.

In a bowl, combine heavy cream with 2 tbsps. butter and egg yolk. Stir a little hot chicken stock into egg-cream mixture, then stir into remaining stock. Heat gently until thickened. Do not boil! Cut remaining mushrooms into julienne strips, saute in remaining butter quickly. Serve julienne strips of chicken and sauteed mushrooms as garnish to soup. Serves 6.