Lobster thermidor

Celebrity chef

Saturday 20 October 2012

A classic dish that brings a touch of decadence to the dinner table, lobster thermidor was created by a restaurant near the theatre Comedie Francaise in Paris to honour the opening of the play Thermidor in 1894.

The thermidor sauce brings together white wine, fish stock, cream, cheese and egg yolks. Photograph: Alan Donaldson

Custom byline text:

Martin Wishart

It may look complex but is in fact simple to make, although it requires a little preparation if you buy live lobsters rather than ones that are already cooked. For my money it's best served with a crisp little gem salad and french fries.

Lobster thermidorServes 4100g salt4 x 500g live lobsters20g butter2 shallots, finely sliced200ml white wine400ml fish stock300ml double cream1tbsp English mustard100g cheddar2 medium free-range eggs100g parmesanSet the grill to its highest setting. Bring a very large pan of water to the boil on a high heat and add the salt. Kill the lobsters by inserting a long, sharp knife between the eyes on the top of the head then plunge them into the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes (you will probably need to cook these in two batches, depending on the size of your pan). Remove from the water, place on a chopping board and leave to cool for 5 minutes.Meanwhile, put the butter in a clean saucepan over a medium heat. Add the sliced shallots to the pan and sweat them for 3 minutes until translucent and not coloured. Add the wine to the shallots and reduce over a high heat until almost all the wine is gone and you are left with around two teaspoonfuls of liquid.Add the fish stock, bring it to the boil and reduce over a high heat by three-quarters, so you're left with 100ml of liquid. Add 200ml of the cream and the mustard, bring to the boil and reduce slightly until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.Grate the cheddar and whisk it into the sauce until it has melted and the sauce is smooth. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper then leave to cool. Once the sauce is cool, add the egg yolks and mix well.Whip the remaining 100ml of cream in a clean bowl until soft peaks form when you remove the whisk, then fold the cream into the thermidor sauce and set aside.To prepare the lobster, first remove the claws from each lobster, crack them with a sharp, heavy knife and take out the meat, preferably in one piece. Make sure you remove the cartilage from the centre of the claw meat.Cut each body in half lengthways by inserting the point of a knife in the head and pushing it with the palm of your hand down the length of each lobster. Remove the meat from the tails and cut it into four pieces.Wash the shells under cold running water, removing everything from the head, and dry well.Place the tail and claw meat in a bowl, adding a little thermidor sauce. Mix well then spoon the meat and sauce into the empty lobster half-shells.Spoon the remaining sauce evenly over the meat then place the shells on baking trays. Grate the parmesan finely and sprinkle it over the lobsters, then place them under the grill for 4-5 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and golden-brown. Remove the lobsters from under the grill, garnish with fine herbs and serve.WINE MATCHAu Bon Climat, 2004, Santa Maria Valley, US (Wood-Winters, £29)A nose of citrus and pineapple with hints of nuts leads to flavours of lemon, more pineapple, hazelnut and vanilla oak, balanced with fine acidity and followed by a long and complex finish.The Honours, 58a North Castle Street, Edinburgh. Visit www.thehonours.co.uk or call 0131 220 2513.

Contextual targeting label:

Food and drink

Commenting & Moderation

We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.

Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.

Lobster thermidor

Commenting & Moderation

MOST READ

SPONSORED LINKS

MOST COMMENTED