Recipes from professional Chef Tallyrand:
LOBSTER
THERMIDOR
How
fresh is fresh? aka fresh versus frozen
It’s
a bumper column this week answering related questions
posed to me this week by numerous emails from around
the world. It would seem that people have over estimated
the food they needed for the festive period and find
themselves with an over supply of food - foods that
are close to or are over their use by date. So let us
this week investigate these subjects:
Of
course there is also Tallyrand’s recipe of the week
to hook into. After requests from many Kiwis and some
USA folk, this week it is the classic Lobster / crayfish
Thermidor . . . with a few extra’s thrown in also! Like
my recipe for an Asian style Lobster / crayfish dish
<click here>
and I have also updated and extended the purchasing,
storing and cooking of lobster / crayfish to be found
at my recipe from way back in October, 2000 <click
here> I know in the UK these are none too common
these days, but in the US and here in New Zealand they
are readily available and still quite cheap.
In
fact all being well, weather permitting I will be diving
for my own this weekend with friends along with a spot
of fishing. New Zealand waters abound with wonderful
seafoods, that can be quite easily gathered all year
around and especially this time of the year, (it is
summer here in the southern hemisphere) like Pacific
and rock oysters, scallops, crayfish, mussels etc.
Join
me next week when I will be revealing my New Year Culinary
Resolutions and an interesting update on my Xmas cake
recipe! In the meantime enjoy and languish in these
decadent recipes! And if Lobster / Crayfish are not
available or not to your liking; try these with your
favourite white fish or other seafoods like mussels
or scallops . . . not quite as decadent and a whole
lot less expensive . . . Bon appetit and enjoy!
Classical
Lobster Thermidor
-
Lightly
combine the cooked flesh in the sauce, place in
oven proof dishes or back into the shell, sprinkle
lightly with grated cheddar (a good tasty one) and
place under the salamander until cheese melts and
lightly browns (this is known as gratinée)
Thermidor
sauce
Traditionally
this was made with 200gm of roux (flour and butter),
however this produced a very heavy and thick sauce.
By reducing the roux, a lighter, fresher sauce is produced
and is less at risk from burning. This recipe produces
such a sauce, that has a good coating/nappé consistency.
Ingredients
for Lobster
Thermidor
|
milk
|
1
|
lt
|
|
butter
|
60
|
gm
|
|
flour
|
60
|
gm
|
|
small
studded onion (clouté)
|
1
|
pc
|
How
to make Lobster
Thermidor
| 1. |
Bring
milk to blood temperature with the studded onion
and allow to infuse for 10 minutes, remove the
onion and discard
|
| 2. |
Melt
the butter in a thick bottom pan, add flour
and mix in
|
| 3. |
Cook
over a low heat for 5 minutes to a white roux
(no additional colour)
|
| 4. |
Gradually
add the warmed strained milk and stir until
smooth
|
| 5. |
Allow
to simmer for 30 minutes
|
| 6. |
Pass
(strain) the sauce into a clean pan, re-boil
and correct the seasoning and consistency
|
| 7. |
If
not needed immediately, cover with a cartouche
or a thin film of butter and keep warm in a bain
marie |
Chef's
Tip for Lobster
Thermidor
Consistency
may be corrected by adding cream or milk to thin Beurre
manié may be added for a thicker consistency if required
(equal quantities of flour and butter kneaded together
to form a paste) stir this into the sauce in small
amounts until thickness required is reached.
Asian
style Lobster Thermidor
I
have not given amounts here as I always think it best
to add ingredients like garlic, ginger and chilli to
suit your own tastes. But as a guideline, for a 1kg
lobster / crayfish use two garlic cloves, a small finger
size piece of ginger and half a chilli.
| 1. |
Use
the previous mentioned methods for cooking the
Lobster / New Zealand Crayfish and removing
the flesh.
|
| 2. |
In
a frying pan over a medium heat add a little
olive oil, some finely sliced garlic and grated
ginger until the aromas are released
|
| 3. |
Add
the cooked flesh and stir fry
|
| 4. |
Add
some fine strips of green chilli (optional),
a splash of Thai fish sauce, some soy sauce
and sweet chilli sauce to your own tastes: the
clear / semi clear ones, with the chilli seeds
are best (available cheaply in New Zealand from
Supervalue supermarkets in 1 lt bottles)
|
| 5. |
Finish
with some finely sliced spring onion (scallions)
|
| 6. |
Serve
while still piping hot with your favourite Asian
style accompaniments: rice, noodles, cucumber
salad etc
|
Enjoy
your Lobster
Thermidor and bon appetit . . .
. .
Published
07 January 2002
|
