Lobster Thermidor by Chef Raghu

1 spiny lobster (2 ¼ to 2 ½ pounds)
12 Fresh mushroom cups, diced
6 tbs Butter
2 tbs Lemon juice
Salt
4 tsp Chopped shallots
2 tbs Pernod
1 cup Chablis
1 cup Fish stock
2 tsp Minced tarragon
1 tsp Beef extract (glace-de-viande)
2cups Heavy cream
Cayenne pepper
Beurre manie
½ cup Whipped cream
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Melted Butter
Lemon slices
Parsley or Watercress sprigs


If the lobster are uncooked, boil them and let them cool, split each one lengthwise and break off the claws, legs and feelers.Crack the claws to remove the meat but do not break the shell when extracting the body meat.Place meat on a cutting board, washout and clean each shell, then pat dry.

Dice the lobster meat into ½ to ¾ Inch cubes and reserve.In a large skillet sauté the diced mushroom caps in 2 tbs butter, sprinkled with 1 tbs lemon juice and little salt, cook for 4mts, then remove to a bowl.Add about 4tbs butter to the skillet and sauté the lobster meat with 2tsp of the chopped shallote, cook for about 2mts, then add pernod.Return mushroom to the pan and leave on back of stove or at room temperature.

In a saucepan combine the Chablis, fish stock, tarragon, beef extract and remaning 2 tsp of chopped shallots.Reduce this by half, then slowly add the heavy cream with constant stirring.Add beurre manie in order to obtain a thick sauce.Simmer for atleast 3mts, season to taste with remanini lemon juice,cayenne pepper to taste and salt.Reserve about one third of sauce in a bowl to be used making the glacage.Pour the remaning two thirds of the sauce over the lobster meat in the skillet and reheat at the simmer, then spoon the mixture into the cleaned lobster shells to fill them.

Return the reserved one third of the sauce to the saucepan and add the whipped cream.Just keep the sauce warm as you quickly blend, spoon equal amounts of this over each lobster, then sprinkle with parmesan cheese.To prevent the cheese burning and to creat a golden brown surface, dribble melted butter on the glacage. Place the lobster shells under the broiler (but not close to heat source) until a good colour is obtained garnisn with lemon slices and sprigs of parsley or watercress

Photograph by Lariat productions

By Chef Raghu, Executive chef, The Solitaire , Bangalore