LOBSTER BISQUE
Serves 4 as a starter
Note: When making this as lobster stock for the Lobster Ravioli,
leave out the tomatoes and cream
FOR THE STOCK
2 lobster shells (about 650g),crushed with a rolling pin
3 tbsp olive oil
15g butter
150g onion, roughly chopped
1 fat garlic clove, roughly sliced
80g carrots
100g celery
30ml Cognac
90ml white wine
1 litre fish stock or water
100g cherry tomatoes, quartered
A bay leaf
A few sprigs of thyme
Small bunch of flat leaf parsley
10 black peppercorns
100ml double cream
1 In a saucepan, fry the lobster shells in the olive oil for
about 5 minutes over a medium to high heat. Remove the shells from
the pan and set them aside.
2 Add the butter to the pan, and fry the onion, garlic, carrots
and celery for about 5 minutes until they become translucent. Pour
in the Cognac and, a minute later, the white wine. Continue to cook
until the alcohol has evaporated.
3 Pour in the fish stock or water, then add the tomatoes, herbs,
peppercorns and lobster shells. Bring to the boiland simmer for
about 20 minutes.
4 Remove the shells, vegetables and herbs from the stockusing a
fine-mesh strainer. Keep the liquid and wash the pan. Pour the
liquid back into the pan and reheat. Simmer until the volume
reduces by half.
5 Stir the double cream into the bisque, then season to taste
before serving.
LOBSTER WITH SAFFRON DRESSING SERVED WITH RAINBOW COLESLAW
Serves 4 as a starter
FOR THE COLESLAW
70g carrots, finely julienned
220g white cabbage, thinly sliced
70g red cabbage, thinly sliced
70g celery, thinly sliced
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp natural yoghurt
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 small bunch of flat leaf parsley, leaves only
FOR THE LOBSTER AND SAFFRON DRESSING
A pinch of saffron
15g ginger, thinly julienned
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp honey
150-200g lobster meat
4 sprigs of parsley and 4 lemon wedges, to garnish
1 To make the coleslaw, mix together the carrots, white and red
cabbage, and celery, and sprinkle in the salt. Leave for 10 minutes
to allow the water from the vegetables to come out. Mix again, then
leave for another 10-20 minutes. Using your hands, squeeze out as
much water as possible. Place the salted vegetables back in the
bowl. For the dressing, combine the yoghurt, mustard, lemon juice
and parsley, then set aside (do not mix together with the
vegetables until ready to serve)
2 To make the saffron dressing, drop the saffron into 1 tbsp of
warm water and leave for 10 minutes to release its flavour.
Put half the ginger in a small pan with 2 tbsp of water and cook
for 5 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, then sieve the liquid,
discarding the ginger. Combine this liquid with the saffron
liquid, remaining ginger, olive oil, lemon juice and honey
and season to taste.
3 Just before serving, lightly toss the lobster meat with the
saffron dressing. Dress the coleslaw, then put a generous
helping of it onto a plate and place the saffron lobster mix on
top. Garnish with the sprigs of parsley, lemon wedges
and freshly ground black pepper.
LOBSTER RAVIOLI
Makes approximately 40 ravioli
Note: This requires the stock recipe from the Lobster Bisque
(above)
FOR THE PASTA DOUGH
330g pasta flour (00 refined)
4 medium eggs
1 tsp salt
FOR THE SAUCE
1 litre lobster stock (follow the Lobster Bisque recipe, leaving
out the tomatoes and cream)
2 tsp tomato purée
200g freshly chopped tomatoes
100ml crème fraîche
FOR THE FILLING
25g butter
120g onion
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 pinches of fennel seeds
300g cooked lobster meat, roughly chopped
1 tsp tarragon, chopped
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
100ml mascarpone
A few sprigs of parsley to garnish
Note: This recipe requires a pasta machine and a 7cm x 7cm
pastry cutter
1 To make the pasta dough, mix together all the ingredients and
knead for 10 minutes. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate
for 30 minutes.
2 For the sauce, follow the instructions from the Lobster Bisque
recipe to make the stock. Bring this to the boil and add the tomato
purée, then reduce the liquid to around 350ml. Set aside 60ml for
the filling. Add the chopped tomatoes and crème fraîche, then set
aside.
3 To make the filling, melt the butter in a pan and fry the
onion and garlic until golden. Add the fennel seeds and
continue to fry for a few minutes, then transfer the mixture into
a bowl. Mix in the lobster meat, tarragon, lemon zest,
mascarpone and remaining stock, and season with salt and
pepper.
4 To assemble, cut the pasta dough into eighths. Use a pasta
machine to make these into 8 pasta sheets. Lay one sheet
on a worktop, then use a tablespoon to place small balls of the
filling on the pasta, leaving enough room so that you
can cut ten 7cm x 7cm ravioli. Use a pastry brush to dab some
water around the fillings and cover with another
pasta sheet. Press down between each filling, then cut out the
ravioli with the pastry cutter. Repeat the process for
the rest of the pasta sheets.
5 Cook the ravioli in boiling water for a few minutes, while
heating the tomato sauce. Serve with the sauce
and parsley garnish.
LOBSTER THERMIDOR
Serves 4
1 whole cooked lobster, 500g (with shell on)
25g butter
100g onion or shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
60ml white wine
1.5 tbsp plain flour
150ml double cream
140ml water
Pinch of white pepper
¼ tsp Dijon mustard
40g grated Parmesan
Olive oil and bitter green salad
leaves to serve
1 Remove the lobster claws and cut the body in half lengthwise.
Remove the meat from the claws and tail, chop it into small pieces,
and place it in a small bowl. Set the shells aside.
2 Heat the butter in a small frying pan, and fry the onion and
garlic for 5-10 minutes, until golden. Add the wine and cook until
the liquid has evaporated, then add the flour. Cook for a few
minutes longer, then add a third of the double cream, stirring
frequently. Pour in the rest of the cream.
3 Add the water gradually, stirring as you do so; the mixture
should become smooth.
4 Mix in the white pepper, mustard and half of the Parmesan. Add
the chopped lobster meat and place the mixture into
the halved shells. (These can be kept in a fridge for a day or
two, until needed.)
5 Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Put the lobster on a
baking tray and sprinkle the rest of the Parmesan over
the top. Cook for 30-40 minutes or until the cheese has turned
golden. Splash olive oil over the top of the lobster and serve with
bitter salad leaves.