Warm potato salad with lobster and calfs' head vinaigrette.
September 1, 2005
Recipe:
for 4
500 g waxy potatoes
2 lobsters, one half per person
Vinaigrette
1 cl champagne vinegar
2 cl sunflower oil
2 cl chicken stock
1 small shallot
salt, pepper, sugar
100 g cooked calf's head
Lobster foam
Choice of 150g vegetables: e.g. celery, onions, shallots, leeks, fennel
and a little carrot.
1 tablespoon tomato purée
80 g butter
1 tomato
1 bay leaf
8-10 peppercorns
1 small sprig of thyme
1 sprig tarragon
2 garlic cloves
2 cl white port
2 cl Noilly Prat
2 cl cognac
4 cl dry white wine
1litre fish consommé
40 cl double cream
Preparation:
Cook potatoes in salt water until done, peel and slice. Make a vinaigrette with vinegar, oil, stock and spices, add calf's head meat cut into cubes, and put the warm potato slices in to marinate.
Put the lobsters into boiling water and bring back to the boil, remove from heat and steep for about 5 minutes. Split the lobsters lengthways and put in a pan with some butter, shell side down. Fry gently for about 4 minutes, turn over and remove from heat immediately.
Roast the lobster shell in oil for about 20 minutes, not allowing the oil to get too hot. Add the vegetables and steam with the shell. Fry the tomato purée in a little oil. Add butter to the shell mix and fry until it turns nut brown, add the tomato, the fried tomato purée, the spices and herbs. Slake with port, Noilly Prat, cognac and white wine. Boil rapidly and add consommé. Simmer for ten minutes and stand for twenty minutes. Add the double cream, bring to the boil and stir. Leave to stand, season to taste, pass through a fine sieve and add finely chopped tarragon.
Put a portion of potato salad on a plate, place a lobster half on it, and garnish with fresh herbs and frisée lettuce. Drizzle with lobster foam.