Homard Clarence

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •8 to 10-quart stockpot with lid
• •Heavy chef’s knife or lobster splitter
• •Lobster crackers and seafood pick
• •2-quart heavy saucepan
• •10-inch covered sauté pan
• •Food processor or large mortar
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Long oval heatproof serving platter
• •Warmed sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the court-bouillon

   Combine the water, wine, onion, carrot, celery, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, and coarse salt in a stockpot broad enough to hold the lobster. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 20 minutes so the vegetables and wine season the liquid. Taste it. It should be distinctly savory and lightly wine-sharp, not as salty as seawater.

   The court-bouillon becomes both cooking liquid and the foundation for the rice. A flavorful liquor replaces the grand kitchen’s stockpot without pretending that plain water will do the same work.
2. 2

   Poach the lobster

   Return the court-bouillon to a full boil. Lower the lobster headfirst into the pot, cover, and let the liquid return to a boil, then reduce it to a steady simmer. Cook for 22 to 25 minutes, until the shell is bright red and the thickest tail meat reaches 140 to 145°F (60 to 63°C), opaque and just firm. Lift it out and drain immediately. Let it cool only until you can handle it, about 15 minutes. Lobster carried far beyond done cannot be made tender again, so judge the meat, not merely the clock.

3. 3

   Cook rice à l’Indienne

   Strain 1 1/2 cups of the hot court-bouillon. Melt the rice butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat, add the shallot, and cook without coloring for 2 minutes. Stir in the 1/2 teaspoon curry powder for 20 seconds, just until fragrant, then add the rice and turn every grain through the butter. Pour in the strained court-bouillon, bring to a simmer, cover tightly, and cook over the lowest heat for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and rest, still covered, for 10 minutes before fluffing. If the rice is firm and dry, add 2 tablespoons of hot court-bouillon and cover for 5 minutes. If it is wet, spread it briefly on a warm tray. Ça se rattrape.

4. 4

   Make curry Béchamel

   Melt the Béchamel butter over low heat. Add the 2 teaspoons curry powder and stir for 20 to 30 seconds, stopping while its perfume is warm and sweet. Do not let it darken. Stir in the flour and cook the roux for 2 minutes without browning, then add the warm milk a little at a time, whisking each addition smooth before the next. Add the fine salt and white pepper, bring to the gentlest simmer, and cook for 8 minutes, stirring along the pan floor, until the Béchamel lightly coats a spoon. If it lumps, take it off the heat, whisk firmly, and pass it through the fine sieve. If it tightens too far, whisk in warm milk a tablespoon at a time. Ça se rattrape.

5. 5

   Build the lobster cullis

   Split the lukewarm lobster lengthwise with a heavy knife and keep both half-carapaces intact. Remove the tail meat in whole pieces and slice it crosswise into neat medallions about 3/8 inch (1 centimeter) thick. Crack the claws and pick all remaining meat. Remove and discard the stomach sac, feathery gills, intestinal vein, and any bitter dark matter. Reserve the coral and creamy parts, following local shellfish guidance concerning green tomalley. If tomalley is discouraged, omit only that green matter and continue with the body meat and coral. Pulse the remaining meat and permitted creamy parts with the heavy cream until finely pounded, then force the mixture through a fine sieve. The processor is the modern mortar; the sieve is not negotiable, because it gives the cullis its silk.

6. 6

   Finish the cullis

   Measure 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons (285 milliliters) of the hot curry Béchamel into the sieved lobster mixture, matching the source’s half-pint proportion, and whisk gently until smooth. Warm it over low heat without boiling. The sauce should fall from the spoon in a broad ribbon and leave the lobster flavor in front of the curry. If it becomes grainy, take it off the heat and pass it once more through the sieve; if it is too thick to coat thinly, loosen it with a spoonful of warm milk.

7. 7

   Warm the tail slices

   Put the tail medallions in a small covered sauté pan with the fish fumet, a concentrated fish essence, or the mushroom cooking liquor. Set the pan over the lowest heat for 60 to 90 seconds, turning the pieces once, then take it off the heat and keep it covered. The liquid must glisten around the lobster, never boil. This is the home equivalent of the vegetable-pan that held the meat for service.

8. 8

   Fill and veil

   Warm the cleaned half-carapaces and a long oval serving platter in a very low oven, about 180°F (80°C), for 5 minutes. Fill each shell two-thirds full with rice à l’Indienne. Lay the warm lobster medallions over the rice, intercalating each piece with a thin slice of truffle. Coat everything lightly with the lobster cullis, leaving the shapes of the tail and truffle visible beneath the gleaming sauce. Set both shells snugly on the hot platter. Do not brown them. Homard Clarence wears a veil, not a crust.

9. 9

   Pass the sauce

   Reheat the remaining curry Béchamel over low heat and pour it into a warmed sauceboat. If a skin has formed, whisk in a tablespoon of warm milk and strain it before serving. Carry the platter and sauceboat to the table together, giving each guest rice, tail, cullis, truffle, and another spoonful of Béchamel if they wish. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the fishmonger for one large, lively hard-shell lobster and have it dispatched immediately before you leave if you prefer not to do that at home. Cook it at once. Technique first: draining it the moment the tail is done matters more than any grand provenance.
• •Use a mild, fresh Madras curry powder with coriander, turmeric, cumin, and fenugreek in balance. An acrid or cayenne-heavy blend will flatten the lobster. Curry is the warmth in this dish, not the loudest guest.
• •A good preserved black truffle is the classical pantry’s honest answer when no ripe fresh truffle is available. Drain it well and slice it thinly. A tired fresh truffle costs more and gives less.
• •Serve Homard Clarence with dry Champagne or a mineral white Burgundy. The wine needs enough acidity to meet the cream, but little oak or sweetness, both of which make the curry feel heavy.

Advance Preparation

• •The court-bouillon can be made up to two days ahead, chilled promptly, and kept covered in the refrigerator. Bring it back to a full boil before adding the lobster.
• •The curry Béchamel can be made up to four hours ahead. Press buttered parchment directly against its surface, then reheat it slowly with a spoonful of milk before dividing it between the cullis and sauceboat.
• •Cook and split the lobster on the day of serving. The rice may rest, covered, for about 30 minutes, but warm the tail and assemble the shells only when the guests are ready for the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 400g)