Obama's Inaugural stew

Recipe for President Obama's Inaugural Luncheon

This recipe was provided to the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies by the luncheon's cater, Design Cuisine of Arlington, Va.

SEAFOOD STEW

6 (1-pound) Maine lobsters
20 medium-size sea scallops
36 large shrimp, peeled, cleaned and tail removed, about 2 pound.
10 (1-ounce) pieces of black cod
1/2 cup finely diced carrots
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup finely diced leek
1/2 cup finely diced peeled Idaho potato
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper or black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 quart heavy cream
1 cup dry vermouth (optional)
10 (5-inch) puff-pastry rounds
10 (3 1/2-inch) terrines or ramekins, or serving dish of your choice

Bring 1 gallon of water to a boil; poach lobsters, then shrimp, then black cod and last scallops. After seafood is cooked, remove from water; reserve water and bring to boil.

Cook all vegetables in liquid that was used for the seafood; remove vegetables when tender. Allow the liquid to continue to boil until only 1 quart of liquid remains. This will be the base for the sauce.

Bring seafood liquid back to a boil and add the vermouth and heavy cream and reduce by half, season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg to taste. You have reached your desired thickness when the sauce will cover the back of a wooden spoon. Set aside to cool.

Cut lobster, shrimp and scallops into bite-sized pieces.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.6. Fold seafood and vegetables into cool sauce, being careful not to mix too much as this will break up the seafood. Scoop mixture into terrines or ovenproof baking dish of your choice.

Cover terrines with puff-pastry rounds, brush them with egg wash and bake them until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. You can cook this 2-3 hours ahead of time and keep warm at 150 degrees. Makes 10 servings.