Episode 77: Lobster

Lobster Poached in Court Bouillon
Coral Foam
Lobster Stock
Lobster Bisque
Lobster au Gratin

LOBSTER POACHED IN COURT BOUILLON
1 medium size onion, quartered
1 leek, halved and cut into four pieces
1 celery stick, cleaned and cut in half
1 fennel bulb, cleaned, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 lime - juiced
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of parsley
1 sprig of tarragon
1 cup of Philippe de Rothschild Sauvignon Blanc white wine (250 millilitres)
6 cups of water (1.5 litres)
½ teaspoon Black peppercorns
1 ½ pound lobster

Preparation time is 30 minutes
Ease of preparation is moderate

In a saucepot, saute the vegetables but do not allow to colour. Deglaze the pan with the wine and add the water. Put the herbs in the pot and squeeze in the lime juice. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer for 20 minutes. Now the court bouillon is ready for the lobsters.

Plunge in the live lobster and cook for 8 minutes.

Yield: 1 serving
Back to top


CORAL FOAM
1 tablespoon of red roe (coral) (15 millilitres)
1 small shallot minced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (15 millilitres)
1 tablespoon brandy (15 millilitres)
½ cup of fumet (125 millilitres)
¼ cup of heavy cream (60 millilitres)
salt and pepper

Preparation time is 20 minutes
Ease of preparation in moderate

In a saucepan, melt the butter and saute the shallot. Do not let the shallot take any colour. Deglaze the pan with the brandy and flambe the alcohol off. Add the roe and the fumet and reduce by half. Add the cream and reduce by another half. Season to taste.

To make the foam, use a hand blender and froth . Use only the foamy part of the sauce.

Yield: 2 servings
Back to top


LOBSTER STOCK
Carcasses of 4 lobsters
1 onion, peeled and cut in quarters
1 carrot, cut into 4 pieces
1 celery stick, cut in four pieces
2 tablespoons of tomato paste (30 millilitres)
2 tablespoons flour (30 grams)
¼ cup of Brandy (60 millilitres)
7 cups of fumet (1 litre 750 millilitres)
handful of parsley stalks
tarragon

Preparation time is 2 hours
Ease of preparation is moderate
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

Take the four lobster carcasses and make sure to take the inside of the chest out. It would give a bitter taste if roasted. With the flat part of a meat tenderizer, smash the shells. Put them in a roasting pan and cook them in the oven until they become almost caramelized.

Remove the carcasses from the oven and from the pan. Put the carcasses in a pot and add the mirepoix of onions, carrots and celery. Add the tomato paste and the flour and cook for another two minutes. Deglaze the pan with the Brandy and with a spatula, scrape the bottom of the pan to gather all the little bits of lobster. Top the carcasses with the fumet and bring to a simmer. Add the parsley and tarragon and cook for 1 hour.

Sieve the stock, discarding the bones and keeping the liquid.

Yield: 1.5 litres
Back to top


LOBSTER BISQUE
2 x 1 pound cooked lobsters
1 cup lobster stock
4 tablespoons clarified butter
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 medium onion, minced
2 bay leaves
1 large carrot, minced
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
¼ cup brandy
1 stalk celery, minced
2 cups of heavy cream
2 tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon paprika
½ cup dry sherry
salt and pepper

Preparation time is 1 hour
Ease of preparation is difficult

Remove all the meat and any tamalley from the lobsters. Place in a bowl and chill. Cut up the lobster shells as small as possible. Heat a medium sized sauté pan and add the butter. When it is really hot add the shells, reduce the heat and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring. Add the minced vegetables and garlic, sprinkle in the flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer everything into a large saucepan and deglaze the now empty sauté pan with the sherry. Then add the sherry and any pan scrapings to the large pot. Heat the mixture and slowly add the lobster stock until the bisque thickens. Add the tomato paste, bay leaf, thyme, paprika and cream. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Pass the soup through a fine sieve to remove the shell pieces.

Put the liquid back into a pan and over a gentle heat for a moment. Float the lobster pieces in the soup, but be careful not to cook them.

Serve with a piece of lobster floating in each bowl.

Yield: 6 servings
Back to top


LOBSTER AU GRATIN
4 x ½ pound lobsters
1 cup of breadcrumbs, toasted (140 grams)
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
¼ cup of melted butter (60 millilitres)
1 cup of parsley, chopped (125 grams)
1 lemon, zested and chopped
1 teaspoon paprika (5 millilitres)

Preparation time is 15 minutes
Ease of preparation is easy

Cut the live lobsters length wise in two starting from the head. Put them on the grill, shell-side down to begin and cook them for 5 minutes. Flip them after that time and grill the meat side for approximately 4 minutes.

In the meantime, make your gratin mixture by combining the breadcrumbs, the garlic, melted butter, parsley , lemon zest and the paprika. Put this mixture on top of the lobsters and put in the oven under the broiler for 2 minutes or until they begin to colour.

Yield: 4 servings
Back to top

Recipe courtesy of Chef Caroline McCann-Bizjak.