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COLD LOBSTER

Cold lobster is often served in the shell with a variety of different sauces. For hors d’oeuvres, a half lobster is an ample serving, but for a main course the usual portion is a whole lobster — unless it happens to be tremendous. Some of the very large langoustes popular on the Riviera will serve 3 to 4 people.

Serve cold lobster with any of the following sauces:

1. Mayonnaise (page 34)

2. Rémoulade (page 35)

3. Gribiche (pages 36–37)

4. Russian dressing (page 35)

5. Vinaigrette (page 36)

LOBSTER EN BELLEVUE, PARISIENNE

This is a classic French dish. You see it as often in France as you see cold decorated ham in America, and it is not really difficult if you are patient and clever with your hands. Lobster en Bellevue is an architectural triumph as well as a delicious morsel.

2 large lobsters

11/2 quarts of aspic made from court bouillon (page 18)

Mayonnaise

6 hard-cooked eggs, halved

6 tomatoes, peeled

Lettuce

Bread

Russian salad

For decorating: truffles, olives, black and stuffed, parsley, chervil, tarragon

Cook the lobsters in the court bouillon. Depending on the size of the lobsters, you may need 21/2 to 3 quarts of court bouillon. When they are cool enough to handle, carefully cut away the bottom part of each shell so that the back and tail remain in one perfect piece. Remove all the meat from the bodies of the lobsters and from the claws of one of them. Then gently loosen the meat in each tail and lift it out whole. Chill the lobster meat.

Prepare the aspic by clarifying the bouillon (which has been reduced first, if necessary) and adding gelatin, according to the recipe on pages 18–19. Mix 1 cup of the aspic with 1 cup of mayonnaise and chill. Chill half of the plain aspic.

Cut the meat from the lobster tails into even scallops. Combine the rest of the meat with mayonnaise and season to taste. Trim the eggs so they will stand. Hollow the tomatoes out and fill them with the lobster mixture. Cover the filled tomatoes and the eggs with the aspic and mayonnaise and dip each scallop of lobster meat in the same mixture, being sure it is thoroughly coated. Chill until firm.

Now you are ready for the decorating. If you use truffles, slice them. Then cut the sliced truffles and the black and stuffed olives into fancy shapes. (Pimientos can also be used.) Parsley, chervil, and tarragon can be used to fashion tiny leaves. Chop the plain aspic very fine to use as garnish. Decorate each lobster scallop, each egg and tomato with these garnishes. But make some definite plan for your decoration so that it all forms a pattern. Place your decoration on each piece, then brush with a little of the unchilled jelly. Chill until it is firm and holds the decoration in place, then make a little border of some of the chopped aspic.

From a loaf of stale bread cut a cube about 4 or 5 inches square. Place this on a platter and cover with greens. Set the perfect lobster with the claws intact on the platter, resting the body on the bread cube. Stretch the tail across the bed of greens. If you have a decorative skewer, put one large perfect tomato or a small head of lettuce on the skewer and run it in between the lobster’s eyes. Arrange the decorated scallops of lobster meat along the back of the lobster shell so that they overlap. Build them out fan-shaped at the bottom. Arrange the eggs and tomatoes around the shell and decorate the platter with additional chopped aspic.

Serve the dish with Russian salad and additional mayonnaise if you wish.

LOBSTER ASPIC

2 large lobsters

1 quart of aspic made from court bouillon (pages 18–19)

1 cup of mayonnaise

For decoration: olives, truffles, tarragon

Russian Salad

1 cup potatoes, diced

Mayonnaise mixed with aspic

1/2 cup each of finely cut green beans, carrots, peas

Cook the lobsters in court bouillon for 15 minutes. Remove and reduce the bouillon to 1 quart. Clarify and add gelatin for an aspic according to the recipe on pages 18–19.

When the lobster is cool enough to handle, remove the tails and