2 hours 30 minutes, plus 2 hours to simmer the sauce
PT2H30M
PT2H
Luxurious lobster is given the treatment it deserves in this beautiful gratin, enriched with a Le Gruyère AOP cheese sauce. A dish for special occasions!
Start by humanely killing the lobsters. Put the lobsters in the freezer for 30 minutes to render them insensate, then place a large chef's knife through the head of the lobster
Remove the claws and place into simmering salted water for 6 minutes, then remove and allow to cool
4
Place the lobster tails (with the head attached) into the water and cook for 2 minutes, then take out and leave to cool
5
Once cool, Split the lobsters lengthways and set 6 shell halves aside for presentation (reserving the other shells for the sauce). Remove the meat from the shells and chop the flesh into chunks
6
Place the heads and shells for the sauce on a tray and roast in the preheated oven for 40 minutes
7
As the shells roast, place the onions, celery, carrot, garlic, fennel, leek and tarragon in a pan with a splash of oil and cook until heavily caramelised
Mix the chopped lobster with the sauce and spoon into the reserved presentation shells
14
To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a pan and then add the flour. Cook on a low heat, constantly stirring for 5 minutes
40g of butter
40g of plain flour
15
Slowly pour in the warmed milk bit by bit, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Once the milk is completely incorporated and smooth, stir in the cheese, yolks, mustard, nutmeg and cayenne. Taste and season with salt
500g of whole milk, warmed in a pan
120g of
Gruyère, Finely grated (Plus extra for finishing the lobster)
There can't be many Michelin-starred chefs who started out selling homemade cakes, biscuits and preserves on a market stall in Rye in 1979. Yet, the quietly spoken, endearingly eccentric Galton Blackiston isn't like other chefs.