Jasper Whites Pan Roasted Lobster Recipes

JASPER'S PAN-ROASTED LOBSTER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place a lobster on a cutting board, facing you. Place the front tip of the knife or cleaver in the center of the lobster, near where the carcass meets the tail. In one forceful, swift motion, split the front half of the lobster, which will kill the lobster instantly. Turn the lobster around, and repeat this motion, splitting the tail and the lobster in half.
• Pull the head sac out of both halves. Use fingers or surgical tweezers to remove the intestines. Using a knife, cleaver or shears, remove the claws and knuckles by cutting the thin section where the knuckle meets the carcass. With the back side of the knife or cleaver, tap the claws until the shell cracks.
• In one swift, forceful motion, cut the head away from the tail on both sides of the lobster, quartering it.
• Place the lobster tomalley and roe, if there is any, in a small bowl. Using a fork, break the mass into tiny pieces, cover and refrigerate.
• Place a heavy 12-inch saute pan over the highest heat possible, and heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the oil, and heat until it forms a film over the bottom of the pan. Slide the lobster, shell side down, into the hot oil. Using tongs, move the pieces and flatten them to sear all the shells evenly. The claws need be seared on only one side.
• Add the tomalley and roe; stir, and place in the oven for 3 minutes. Remove, return to high heat on the stove and add the shallots and stir. Remove the pan from the heat, and add the bourbon; return to the heat, where the bourbon will probably ignite. Cook until the flames die down, and then add the wine and cook until all the liquid in the pan is almost dry. Reduce the heat to low.
• Quickly remove the lobster, and place, shell side down, on warm plates. Return pan to low heat, add butter, chervil and chives and stir until the mixture resembles a creamy sauce, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper to taste, spoon sauce over lobster and serve.

JASPER'S PAN-ROASTED LOBSTER WITH CHERVIL AND CHIVES

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler or preheat the oven as hot as possible 500 to 550 degrees. Position the oven rack in the upper third of the oven. You may to shorten the cooking time slightly if the broiler rack is close to the heat. Quarter the lobsters, removing the tomalley and the roe if present. Place the pieces of lobster, shell side down, on a plate. Place the tomalley and roe in a small bowl. With a fork, break them into small pieces. Cover. Place a heavy 12-inch saute pan over the highest heat possible. Allow the pan to heat for 3 to 5 minutes until it becomes extremely hot. Add the oil and heat until it forms a film on the surface of the pan. Slide the lobster pieces, shell side down, into the hot oil. Using tongs, move the pieces in order to evenly sear all the shells. Because the lobster pieces are not flat, you will need to hold them with the tongs and press the shells into the hot oil to accomplish this. The claws need to be seared on only one side. When the shells have all turned bright red, which should take no longer than 2 minutes, turn the pieces over. The oil will also have taken on a beautiful red tinge. Add the tomalley and roe into the pan. Place the pan in the oven. If using the broiler, cook 2 minutes. If using the oven, cook for 3 minutes. The shells should be slightly browned, even a bit charred in places. Remove the pan from the oven and return it to the stove at maximum heat. Turn off the oven and put your plates in to warm. This will take only a minute. Warning: The handle of the pan will be red hot and will stay hot until the dish is complete. To avoid burns, wear oven mitts from now until the dish is complete. Add the shallots to the fat in the pan and stir. Add the bourbon and ignite. Shake the pan until the flames die down. Add the wine and let liquids in the pan reduce until the pan is almost dry. Turn the heat to low. Quickly remove the pieces of lobster and place, shell side down, on warm plates. Return the pan to the heat and add the butter, chervil, and chives. Swirl or stir the butter into the pan to create a creamy sauce with the pan juices. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Use very little salt, if any, because the lobster adds its own salt. Spoon the sauce over the lobster pieces and serve at once.

PAN-ROASTED LOBSTERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Boil a small saucepan of water.
• Place the lobsters on a cutting board. Plunge a sharp, heavy-bladed knife into each lobster's head, just behind the eyes, and split the heads. The lobsters will be dead but may still move. Split each lobster in two lengthwise. Remove the black vein in the tail, the sandy sac in the head, the dark green egg sac and the liver from the chest cavity. Discard the eight small legs. Twist off the claws.
• Poach the claws in the boiling water for 3 minutes. Rinse under cold water and set aside. When the claws are cool enough to handle, crack them open and remove the meat, in one piece if possible, and in large chunks from the knuckles.
• Heat the skillets over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons oil to each. When the oil shimmers, add the lobsters shell side down. Move them around so the shell becomes red all over. After 3 minutes turn them over and sear the meat for another minute. Place pans in the oven for 3 minutes more.
• Carefully remove the pans from the oven and place the lobster halves, shell side down, on a platter.
• Add half the shallots to each pan and cook over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Working with one pan at a time, add half of the Cognac to each, and when the Cognac is warmed, carefully ignite it using a long match or a butane lighter. Have the lid ready to subdue the flames and avert your face while lighting the Cognac.
• When the flames are gone, stir to clean the pan of any lobster cooking bits. Pour the liquid from one pan into the other, and place the pan with the liquid over medium heat. Add white wine, the claw meat, the tarragon and chives. Boil to reduce liquid slightly. Add the butter pieces one at a time, and whisk until each is just melted before adding the next one. Keep the liquid just under boiling so the sauce doesn't separate.
• Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Add the claw meat to the chest cavities, and spoon the emulsion over the lobster. Serve immediately.