Lobster Thermidor

Lobster Thermidor is a luxurious French dish consisting of a creamy mixture of cooked lobster meat, egg yolks, and cognac or brandy, stuffed into a lobster shell, and optionally served with an oven-browned cheese crust, typically Gruyère. The sauce must contain mustard (typically powdered mustard) in order to be true to the original recipe and to have the distinctive Thermidor taste.

Lobster Thermidor was created in 1894 by Marie's, a Paris restaurant near the theatre Comédie Française, to honour the opening of the play Thermidor by Victorien Sardou. The play took its name from a summer month in the French Republican Calendar, during which the Thermidorian Reaction occurred, overthrowing Robespierre and ending the Reign of Terror. Unlike the recipe, the play was not a critical success and is rarely performed. Due to expensive and extensive preparation involved, Lobster Thermidor is usually considered a recipe primarily for special occasions.

Lobster ? 750 gm or 1
Shallot ? 75 gm
Garlic (chopped) ? 20 gm
Celery (chopped) ? 15 gm
Onion (chopped) ? 60 gm
Mustard powder ? 2 pinches
Sherry ? 60 ml
Cheese ? 60 gm
White sauce ? 8 tbsp
Butter ? 50 gm
White pepper powder ? 2 pinches
Salt to taste

Take the whole lobster put in a vessel and boil for 15 minutes.

Remove lobster, cut lengthwise (half), take the flesh from each half and reserve the shells.Extract the meat from the claws and cut meat into small pieces. In a saucepan add butter and chopped shallots, garlic, celery and chopped onion, sauté well.

Add meat and pour sherry on it; stir continuously until the sherry evaporates.

Add white sauce, mustard powder, pepper powder and boiled lobster stock, until the lobster is well-cooked.

Thicken the sauce as well.

Pour the lobster into the shells and garnish with grated cheese on top and bake for 2-3 minutes.

Served hot with French fries and sautéed vegetables.