Make Simply Elegant...Lobster and Cauliflower
At many dinners in Maine with family, mashed potatoes were almost always served at dinner when lobster was the main course. In this recipe, cauliflower is being used in place of the mashed potatoes. I know you are thinking that you would never have picked this combination in a million years...but I know you will be very glad you did!
This recipe has many steps, but none of them difficult. I strongly suggest that you read the recipe from start to finish a couple of times and visualize the process. This ultimately will make the preparation much easier in the long run.
Poached Lobster Tail with Cauliflower and Butter Sauce
Serves 4
Total time: 1 hour, 40 minutes.
Ingredients
Lobster
4 lobsters, each weighing 1 lb.
1 large onion
4 carrots
3 celery sticks
1 leek
2 tbsp of tomato purée
5 tbsp of brandy
6 sprigs of thyme
6 sprigs of fresh tarragon
1 tbsp of butter
2 tbsp of cream
4 garlic cloves
olive oil
Cauliflower Puree'
1/2 cup of heavy cream
Caramelized Cauliflower
1 cauliflower
4 oz of butter ( one stick)
Directions
Lobsters
There are a few ways to kill a lobster humanely before putting in the pot. First is freezing—placing the lobster in the freezer an hour before cooking will do the trick. Another option, and a quicker one, is to plunge the tip of a sharp knife straight down right behind the lobster's eyes.
And then there are those who believe a combination of the two is best: after freezing for 30 minutes, place the lobster on its back on a cutting board. Then angle the tip of a chef's knife right below where the claws meet and swiftly cut down through the head. The legs will continue to move a bit afterward but the lobster is in fact dead.
Once the lobsters have been put down, pull each head away from the tail and pull the claws off. Cook the tails in simmering water for 3 minutes and the claws for 5. Put both into iced water for 5 minutes. Drain.
In the meantime put a big pan of water on to blanch the lobsters and have a big bowl of ice water ready to submerge them when they come out of the boiling water.
In another pan sweat the onions, carrots, garlic, celery and leek in olive oil until soft. Add the tomato purée and cook a little longer. Put to one side.
Place the tails into the boiling water (for about 20-30 seconds until the shell starts to turn red and the tail turns up. Remove the lobster tail from the boiling water and plunge straight into iced water
Put the claws in the water and re boil. Leave them to cool in the liquid.
Remove the tail meat from the shell and place in the refrigerator.
Lobster/Butter Sauce
Crush the lobster shells. Put the pan with the sweated vegetables back on the stove and heat up. Add the lobster shells and cook until the protein has started to set. (fat becomes white)
Add a little brandy and reduce. Add just enough water to cover the shells and add the thyme. Bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes. Add the tarragon and cook for 3 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and let stand for a couple of minutes. Then pass through a fine sieve into a small pan, bring back to the boil and put to one side.
Take the claws out of the water and remove the meat from the shell. Put set aside in the refrigerator. This meat can be used for a salad or to make this dish into a main course sized portion.
For each portion of sauce take 1/2 cup of lobster stock and add 1tbsp. of butter.
Reduce this very quickly until it starts to thicken, then whisk in 2 tbsp of cream for each portion. Put to one side.
Poach the lobster tails in the remaining stock, ensuring that you have enough stock to cover the tails.
To poach the tails bring the stock up to the boil and drop in the lobster tails. Remove from the heat and leave to poach for 4 minutes.
Remove, rest for a couple of minutes and then slice in half.
Caramelized Cauliflower
Take one large cauliflower and section it up into florets. Cut the florets into 2-1/8 in thick slices.
Select all the well-shaped pieces for the caramelized cauliflower, reserving the less attractive pieces for the purée.
Blanch the slices of cauliflower in boiling water until half cooked. Refresh in iced water and drain. To serve, caramelize in butter.
For the cauliflower purée, finely chop all the cauliflower trimmings and place into a pan. Add a little salt and enough water to just cover.
Boil very quickly until nearly all of the water has gone and add a little heavy cream. Boil for a couple of minutes until it starts to thicken slightly. It will burn easily so you need to keep it moving around the pan.
Purée in a blender or processor and pass through a fine sieve.
To serve, place the caramelized cauliflower in a round on the bottom of a plate. Place the puree' in the center with the poached lobster on top. Pour the butter sauce over the lobster and cauliflower and serve immediately.
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