Lobster Pie Tee

We’re going to make a beautiful fine dining lobster pie tee. It’s a crispy lobster pie tee with a lobster salad, a green herb mayo, a kumquat gel and a lobster & marigold powder.

How to prepare the lobster

We need to start with the less pleasant part. Insert a knife in the lobster’s head to kill it instantly. This is the most humane way to kill the lobster. Then twist the tail of the head and also twist the claws off. Now to insure we get a straight tail I always insert a skewer or the back of a spoon between the meat and shell. Then season some boiling water with a generous amount of salt and boil the lobster 1 minute for every 100 grams of whole lobster. This one weight 500 grams, so I boiled it for 5 minutes. Once cooked directly cool it down in ice water. Leave it for 5 minutes and then take it out of the water. Then remove the skewer or spoon and give the tail a gentle press to break the shell. Now peel it completely off. Then take the claws and separate the knees from the claws. Now firmly hold the claw and gently twist the finger to remove it. If you’re lucky you will also pull out both swords, but often the big one will break off and stay in the meat. In that case you need to remove it after taking the claw out of the shell. Now with the back of a heavy knife break the shell. Take the meat out and like I said always insure both swords are removed. Then take the knees and cut them open on both sides. It can be quite hard to do this, but a good scissor will make such a difference! Take the meat out of the shell and place it on tray. Cover the tray and keep it in your fridge for later.

The lobster coulis

1	lobster head
1 big	shallot
140 g	tomato puree
0.5 L	water
1 sprig	tarragon

This will be the base for the pie tee and the powder. Cut the head in half and then cut in smaller pieces. You can also crush it in a mixing bowl with a flat beater, but because I had such a small quantity I did it by hand. Now add a drizzle of oil to a hot pan and pan fry the lobster head on a high heat. You want a nice golden color all around. This is going to take at least 5 minutes. Meanwhile cut the shallot in half and clean it. Then slice it in thin slices. Once the lobster has a nice color add the shallot and pan fry it for 3 minutes. After that add the tomato puree and keep on heating it for another 3 minutes. Then deglaze the pan with the water and also add the tarragon. Now let this simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes. After that transfer everything into a blender and blend it till smooth. This takes about 5 minutes. Once smooth pass it though a fine sieve. Using a ladle will make this a lot easier. Keep the coulis in your fridge for later.

The pie tee

300 g	lobster coulis
50 g	flour
25 g	corn starch
50 g	egg
3 g	salt

Measure the coulis into a measuring cub and also add the flour, the corn starch, the egg and the salt. Now blend this till smooth. Keep the blender add the bottom to prevent air from mixing with the batter. Then pass the batter though a fine sieve. Meanwhile heat up you pie tee stamp in some oil that’s 160 degrees Celsius. Click here for the stamp. Once the stamp is hot and the batter is ready submerge it just below the top for around 5 seconds. The longer you leave it in the thicker the shell will be. Now deep fry the stamp for 90 seconds. Once almost no more bubbles form you know it’s done. Then take the pie tee of the stamp and continue deep frying more pie tee’s. If the pie tee’s stick to the stamp it means the oil is too cold. If the batter already fall off while dipping it in the batter it means the frying oil is too hot. Now keep them dry and covered for later.

The lobster and marigold powder

50 g	marigold flowers
150 g	lobster coulis

Take the marigold flowers and remove the flower paddles from the bulb. I use marigold because it has such a nice aromatic flavor. Now pour the lobster coulis into a bowl and also add the marigold paddles. Mix this until it’s a thick paste. Then transfer it on a silicon sheet and spread it. Once it’s a nice thin and even layer dry it at 45 degrees Celsius for a couple of hours. I always leave it overnight. After that take it off the sheet and transfer it into a blender. Now blend it into a fine powder. Find a full equipment list on my website. Keep the powder dry and covered for later.

The chives & parsley mayo

25 g	flat parsley leaves
25 g	chives
200 g	neutral oil (I use sunflower oil)

First the herb oil. Pick enough parsley for 25 grams of leaves. I use flat parsley. Transfer the parsley and the chives into a blender and also add the neutral oil. Blend it till the temperature is 65 degrees Celsius. It will heat up from the friction. Once it’s done pour it into a bowl that’s sitting on some ice water. By cooling it down as fast as possible you keep the vibrant green color. Now normally I would pass the oil through a fine sieve, but because I’m using this mayo as a seasoning for the lobster salad I leave the herb solids in. They still have a great flavor and for the presentation it doesn’t matter.

180 g	herb oil
40 g	egg white
25 g	sushi vinegar
4 g	salt
20 g	crushed ice or ice cubes

Once the oil has cooled down completely measure 180 grams into the blender and also add the egg white, the sushi vinegar, the salt and the crushed ice or ice cubes. Now blend it till fully emulsified. The ice will keep the mayo cool and ensure a strong emulsion will form. Then transfer it into a piping bottle and let it set in your fridge for at least 1 hour.

The kumquat gel

300 g	kumquats
80 g	ginger syrup
60 g	white port
6 g	agar powder

Start by removing the stems from the kumquats. Then blanch them in some boiling water for a minute. We do this to remove the bitter notes from the peels. Now drain the water and submerge the kumquats with fresh water. Bring it to a boil and let it boil for 1 minute. Then drain it again and repeat this process once more. So in total 3 times. After that spread them on a tray and make an incision in the peels. Now if there are any remove the seeds. In some kumquats I had 5 seeds, in some non. Just be sure to check it well. Then measure 280 grams of kumquats into a measuring cub and also add the ginger syrup, the white port and the agar powder. Blend it till smooth. You can replace the white port with a rich dark vegetable broth. Now pour it into a pan and while stirring bring it to a boil for at least 30 seconds. Then pour it into a bowl or tray and let it cool down completely in your fridge. Once set transfer it into a blender and blend it till smooth. Now to bring it to the next level pour it into a bowl and vacuum the gel a 100% to remove any air bubbles. This will result in a clear gel with a more intense flavor. Keep it in your fridge for later.

The choron sauce

2	shallots
2 cloves	garlic
600 g	white wine
100 g	white wine vinegar
10	black pepper corns
10	coriander seeds
2 sprigs	thyme

First the base, also known as a gastric. Cut the shallots in half and clean them. Now slice them in thin slices. Transfer the shallots into a pan and repeat this process with the garlic. Add them to the pan as well. Now submerge both the shallot and garlic with the white wine and the white wine vinegar. Also add the black pepper corns, the coriander seeds and the thyme. Now let it reduce on a medium heat for around 80%. Once you’re happy with the flavor take the pan off the heat and pass the gastric through a fine sieve. Use a ladle to insure you don’t waste a single drop. For gastric I always make a big batch and freeze it for later.

80 g	gastric
4 g	salt
60 g	egg yolk
120 g	butter
40 g	tomato puree

Now to finish the choron sauce measure 80 grams of gastric into a pan. Add the salt and then bring this to a boil. When it’s boiling turn down the heat and while blending add the egg yolk. Now put the heat on medium and while beating with a whisk cook the yolks. You know it’s done when you have a lovely airy and thick texture. Then turn off the heat and while mixing add the cold cubes of butter. This will stop the cooking process by cooling down the sauce. Like this the sauce is already very delicious, but to make it a choron sauce we need to add the tomato puree. Mix it once more and then give it a final taste for seasoning. Now to create an airier choron sauce I poured it in a syphon with 1 charge. In a syphon it’s also easier to heat up the sauce. Just place it under a hot pass, in a heat draw or in a pan with warm water. This way to can make it during prep and heat it up for service.

The lobster salad

Cut a shallot in half and clean it. Then take the layers apart and slice it in a very thin julienne. Then cut it in a very fine brunoise. Use a sharp knife for the best result. Now take the cleaned lobster and cut the tail open. Always double check the tail to insure the intestines are removed. Now cut the tail, knees and claws into a nice tartare. Don’t over chop it, otherwise it will lose that beautiful texture. Now season it with a generous drizzle of the herb mayo, the zest from a quarter of lime, some of the chopped shallot, salt and some black pepper. Then mix it and give it a final taste for seasoning.

How to finish the pie tee’s

First fill them halfway with the lobster salad. Drizzle some of the kumquat gel on top. Then fill them all the way with the hot choron sauce. Like I said I heated it up in my heat draw. Now dust the top with the lobster and marigold powder and then they are ready to be served!