(1043). Small Lobsters A La Carlu, Stuffed Lobster Tails, Deviled (Petits Homards A La Carlu, Queues De Homards Farcies Et A La Diable)

Split in two lengthwise three or four small, cooked and cold lobsters, and pick the meat from the bodies, cut it into half inch square pieces, and set in a saucepan with half its quantity of cooked mushrooms, cut in quarter inch dice. Put on to reduce three gills of good bechamel sauce (No. 409), incorporating slowly into it the broth from the mushrooms. With this sauce cover the prepared salpicon and use it to fill the half lobster shells that have been well cleaned; smooth the tops and cover over with a thin layer of cream fish forcemeat (No. 76), having it slightly dome-shaped; sift over white bread-crumbs and sprinkle the surface with melted butter, then range the shells on a buttered baking sheet, and brown the tops in a moderate oven for ten minutes, then dress them on napkins.

How To Shift Lobster Tails

Cut in three-Sixteenth of an inch squares, one pound of lobster meal cooked in a court bouillon (No. 38), add to these half the same quantity of cooked mushrooms cut up the same size. Fry colorless in butter, two tablespoonfuls of onions, add two ounces of flour, and fry without browning; dilute with a pint of milk and cook again for a few minutes, then add the lobster and mushrooms, mix well, boil up once, remove, and cool off. Fill the half tail shells, well cleaned and dried, with this preparation, dredge over bread-crumbs, besprinkle with butter and brown them in a hot oven.

For Deviled

Clean and dry the half body shells; fill them with the same preparation as above, having it dome-shaped, smooth the surface, and coat over with mustard; dredge breadcrumbs on top, besprinkle with butter, and brown nicely in the oven.

(1044). Lobster With Cream (Homard A La Creme)

Plunge two lobsters each weighing two pounds into boiling water, so as to kill them quickly; break off the large claws, and lay them in a narrow saucepan with the bodies; moisten them to their height with white wine and water, add branches of parsley, bay leaf, onions, finely slued carrots and salt; let boil for twenty minutes, drain and detach the tails from the bodies. Takeout the creamy part from the bodies, press through a sieve, and keep this aside. Fry in some butter, four finely chopped, blanched shallots, moisten them with the lobster stock, and boil for fifteen minutes, strain, remove the fat, and reduce to a half-glaze, then thicken with two spoonfuls of veloute sauce (No. 415); continue to reduce while pouring in two gills of good raw cream, strain this sauce and add to it the creamy parts of the lobster, a dash of cayenne pepper and half a gill of burnt brandy; butter it without ceasing to stir so that the butter is thoroughly incorporated. Cut across in slices the tail meat and shells; cut the remaining bodies in two, and dress the two halves one beside the other in the center of a dish; range around the slices of tail, alternating each piece with a fine slice of cooked truffle, and on top of the body shells lay the claw meat; cover the lobsters with a part of the sauce, and serve the rest in a separate sauce-boat.