Lobster Thermidor is a French dish originally created at the restaurant Marie’s in France. It was named in honor of a play showing across the street at the Comedie Francaise–although that’s hardly worth mentioning as the play was not a rousing success.
To be true lobster Thermidor, the dish must contain finely ground mustard. The baked cheese on top is optional (well, at least to some people–it’s not optional to me!). It does require a lot of prep work–but this just might be the perfect recipe when you’re having a small dinner party.
To cook lobster tales you will need: 4 large lobster tails and about 3 cups of water for boiling. Bring water to a boil and then add a steamer basket. Place the lobster tails in the steamer basket and steam them for 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature (or until you can handle them–I think the meat is more easily removed if it’s a little warm still.) Remove the lobster meat and place it in a small bowl.
For the “stuffing” you will need:
2 tablespoons of butter; 1 tablespoon of melted butter (for topping)
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 3/8 cups fresh fish stock
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup light cream
16 oz sliced mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon hot English mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup shredded swiss cheese
panko*
2 teaspoons fresh tarragon
Directions:
In a saute pan, melt butter and add shallots. Cook until the shallots are clear. Add the fish stock, white wine, cream and mushrooms. Cook until the liquid is reduced to half. Mix in mustard, lemon juice, fresh parsley and salt and pepper. Preheat the broiler. Place the lobster shells in a broil pan or baking pan and fill each shell with the sauce.
In a separate bowl, mix together the melted butter, panko, cheese, tarragon, parsley, and salt and pepper. Add to the top of each stuffed lobster. Broil until the tops are golden brown.
**panko is bread crumbs made from wheat bread. You can find it in the Asian food aisle of the grocery store. If you can’t find it, you can substitute it for unseasoned bread crumbs.
Valorie Delp shares recipes and kitchen tips in the food blog, solves breastfeeding problems, shares parenting tips, and current research in the baby blog, and insight, resources and ideas as a regular guest blogger in the homeschooling blog. To read more articles by Valorie Delp, click here.
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