Dinner Favourite
Baked Stuffed Lobster au Gratin
Serve this delicious dish when you have company and you'll have everybody wanting the recipe.
Preparation Time:
30 Minutes
Ingredients:
| 2 x 675 g | Lobsters, live | 2 x 1.5 lb |
| 4 L | Water | 16 cups |
| 60 mL | White vinegar | 1/4 cup |
| 45 mL | Olive oil | 3 tbsp |
| 120 mL | Onion, minced | 1/2 cup |
| 60 mL | Carrot, minced | 1/4 cup |
| 60 mL | Celery, minced | 1/4 cup |
| 60 mL | Shallots, minced | 1/4 cup |
| 1 clove | Garlic, minced | 1 clove |
| 1 pc | Orange peel | 1 pc |
| 1 pc | Tomato, diced | 1 pc |
| 30 mL | Tomato paste | 2 tbsp |
| 30 mL | Brandy | 2 tbsp |
| 125 mL | White wine | 1/2 cup |
| 750 mL | Vegetable or chicken stock | 3 cups |
| To taste | Salt and pepper | To taste |
| 15 mL | Gay Lea Butter, clarified | 1 tbsp |
| 15 mL | Flour | 1 tbsp |
| 30 mL | Gay Lea Butter | 2 tbsp |
| 30 ml | Shallots, minced | 2 tbsp |
| 60 g | Button mushrooms, sliced | 2 oz |
| 15 mL | Brandy | 1 tbsp |
| 60 ml | 35% cream | 1/4 cup |
| 15 ml | Parsley, chopped | 1 tbsp |
| To taste | Salt and pepper | To taste |
| 60 g | Gruyère cheese, grated | 2 oz |
| 30 g | Parmesan, grated | 1 oz |
Instructions:
Lobster Sauce:
Add vinegar to water and bring to a boil in a large pot. Placing head first into the pot, par-boil the lobsters for 3 minutes. Remove from water, break off the claws and place them back in boiling water for another 5 minutes.
When cool, remove knuckles and cut lobsters from head to tail, in half. Remove lobster tail meat and rinse the body shells of any tamale. Clean the claws and knuckles and cut all the meat into large dice.
Preheat an electric skillet to 150ºC (300ºF).
Crush lobster shells in a stand mixer with a dough hook, or in a tea towel using a meat mallet.
In the preheated skillet, sauté the lobster shells in olive oil, add onions, carrots, celery and shallots, cook until tender.
Add garlic, orange peel and diced tomato, stir to distribute. Add tomato paste, cook for a few minutes to incorporate.
Push all ingredients to one side of the skillet, add brandy direct to the pan and Flambé.
After the alcohol has burned off, mix ingredients then deglaze with white wine and allow the wine to reduce by half. Add the vegetable (or chicken) stock. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 1 hour.
Mix the clarified butter with the flour to make a beurre manié (kneaded butter), whisk a little at a time into the stock until it has thickened. Cook for another 10 minutes to alleviate the flour taste.
Strain the sauce and reserve.
Baked Lobster:
Preheat electric skillet to 175ºC (350ºF).
Preheat a toaster oven to broil.
In the preheated skillet, add the butter and sweat off the shallots until translucent, add the mushrooms and cook until tender.
Push all ingredients to one side of the skillet, add brandy direct to the pan and flambé.
After the alcohol has burned off, add the lobster sauce and incorporate well.
Add the cream and reduce to a thick consistency.
Add the lobster meat and heat through, about 3 - 4 minutes.
Add the chopped parsley and season to taste
Mix the Gruyère cheese with the Parmesan cheese.
Spoon the lobster mixture into the lobster shells and top with cheese mixture, spreading evenly.
Place lobsters into the toaster oven and broil until the cheese is golden brown.
Tips
- • If lobsters contain any lobster roe (eggs), reserve before rinsing the shells to use in sauce. Lobster roe is naturally black, but turns red when cooked.
- • Tamale is the green paste like substance in the shell and is edible.
- • Jarlsberg or Emmenthal cheese can be used instead of Gruyère.
- • Pre-cooked whole lobsters can also be used.