- Hey guys. Today I'm going to share with you
one of my favorite dinner party foods, Lobster Thermidor.
Now normally, I try to make sure that most
of my recipes are pretty affordable
but I had to make an exception in this case.
And that's because this was a recipe
that was requested by one of my super fans, Ron Gunter.
He posts comments on all of my videos
and better yet, he even posts the videos
to his special food group on Facebook, "Delicious Dish".
If you don't already know about it,
you definitely should check it out.
It is a great community of fellow foodies
sharing their recipes and culinary tips.
It's also just a good group of people
that I think you guys would enjoy.
So definitely check it out, "Delicious Dish" on Facebook.
So, let's talk Lobster Thermidor.
It's one of those dishes that was really popular
in the 60s and 70s, it's kind of that old-world
elegant classic dinner party food,
but it seems to have disappeared
and I think it needs a comeback
because it's delicious and it's pretty easy to put together,
especially if you follow my streamlined recipe.
So to prep your lobster tails,
you're going to a take out a rim lined cookie sheet.
You want a rim lined sheet just in case
any of the juices start to spill out, it will catch.
Then you're going to flip them on their backs,
cut the shell up the middle with some kitchen shears.
That's going to expose the meat but still keep them
in their shells which is going to keep the meat moist.
Then go ahead and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.
Pop them in a 400 degree oven for about 15 to 20 minutes,
just until the meat is completely opaque and cooked through.
Meanwhile, you're going to take out a skillet
and melt your butter, add some minced shallots,
and then once those shallots start to become translucent,
you can add your white button mushrooms.
I like to just cut them in half
and then slice them very thinly.
Once the mushrooms start to release their juices,
then you can go ahead and add the sweet sherry.
Now when you get to the store, you'll see
there'll be a choice between sweet sherry and dry sherry.
You definitely want to get the sweet sherry for this recipe
because it's the combination of the sweet sherry
and the sweet lobster meat that really makes
for a winning flavor pairing.
You want to cook that down for about two minutes,
just until the sherry is reduced to about a third.
Now, this dish is a little labor intensive,
so if you were making this for a party
and you wanted to get a leg up on the prep,
you could take this mixture,
transfer it to a bowl, cover and pop in the fridge.
It will last for two days until you're ready to use
and then that way a little bit of the prep is done.
At this point, your lobster tails are probably cooked.
So go ahead and remove them from the oven,
allow them to cool just until they're cool enough to handle.
And then you're going to go in
and cut the lobster tails again.
So we made that slit up the center.
We're now going to make two more cuts up the sides,
so that we can remove that whole portion of the tail shell.
But don't ruin the tail shell because we're going
to save those for our presentation.
You're just trying to extract the meat.
So once you get all the meat out,
go ahead and give it a good rough chop.
Just into kind of bite sized pieces and set it aside.
Now for our delicious Thermidor sauce.
In a large skillet, you're going to melt some butter.
Wait until it becomes nice and melty and foamy.
Then you're going to add your flour.
Then go in with a wooden spoon
and stir it up just until a nice paste forms.
Then slowly, you're going to whisk in some fish stock.
Now if you can't find fish stock,
you can also use a little vegetable stock.
Then to that you're going to combine it
with your delicious mushroom mixture.
Stir that all together and then you're going to add
about a half a cup of heavy cream.
I know, but that's what makes it delicious.
It's a little bit decadent but that's what makes it good.
You're going to cook that for a minute
and then you're going to season with some salt and pepper.
And at this point I also like to use some fresh tarragon.
If you can't find the fresh tarragon,
you also could use dry, that would work as well.
And then go ahead and toss in your cooked lobster meat.
Stir that all together and you will see you will have
one beautiful, creamy delicious sauce just waiting
to be spooned into those beautiful lobster shells.
Go ahead and take your lobster mixture
and spoon into the lobster shells
and place them on a cookie sheet.
Then you're going to top them with
some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
And then pop them under the broiler
just for about 15 to 20 seconds,
just until the cheese starts to melt and turn golden brown.
Then you're going to pull them out
and garnish with a little paprika
and freshly chopped parsley.
And that's it.
You're then going to serve your lobster shells
on a plate with a tossed salad.
I really love the combination of this dish
with a tossed salad because it's pretty rich.
So if you want my recipe for the perfect tossed salad
with a Dijon vinaigrette, it's also in the description.
And then lastly, I think this dish
pairs beautifully with a Sancerre wine.
It's a white wine from the Loire region of France,
which is where my husband is from,
so we drink it a lot when we're there
and it just pairs beautifully with seafood.
So there you have it, Ron, Lobster Thermidor.
I hope there's a special occasion
that pops up in your life soon
that calls for serving this dish.
And hey, maybe you don't even wait around
for the special occasion,
just make it and then you'll have a special occasion.
It's delicious, it's fabulous,
I know you're going to love it.
Thanks again for being such a great supporter
and I will see you on YouTube and Facebook as well.
And I'll see you guys back here next week
when I'm going to share with you how to make
the ultimate, diabolically delicious chocolate chip cookie.
I'll see you then!
(upbeat music)