This Lobster En Brioche Is a Thing of Dreams

As the weather gets warmer, we find ourselves looking towards crisp ingredients to satiate our appetites, like vibrant asparagus, spring peas and an abundance of herbs. “I love all the greens,” says Hervé Malivert, ICE’s Director of Culinary Affairs. “Amaranth, pea shoots, mustard greens, sorrel and all the green vegetables like snap peas, asparagus, young squash and radishes.” 

During this time of year, Chef Hervé pairs those aforementioned green veg with shellfish, like his decadent lobster en brioche, an elevated take on a lobster roll that’s accompanied with pea purée, pickled cherry tomatoes and zesty orange jam.

Try your hand at his recipe this season.

Study Culinary Arts with Chef Hervé at ICE

Recipe

Lobster En Brioche

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Court Bouillon:

• 14 ounces leeks, trimmed of the root, green parts removed and cut in half lengthwise
• 10 ounces carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 7 ounces fennel, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 thyme sprig
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 ounces black peppercorns
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup dry white vermouth
• 1 gallon water

For the Lobsters:

• 2 lobsters (1 1/4 pounds each)

For the Lobster En Brioche: 

• 4 lobster tails, cooked (save the claws for the final presentation)
• 1 brioche loaf, unsliced
• 1 egg white, beaten

For the Pea Purée:

• 5 ounces shallots, peeled and minced
• 1 pound peas, frozen or fresh (if fresh, clean the peas from their shells)
• 1 ounce unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• Water, as needed

For the Pickled Cherry Tomatoes

• 8 cherry tomatoes
• 2 cups rice vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 jalapeños, cut in half lengthwise
• 2 ounces fresh ginger, sliced
• Corn oil, for frying

For the Orange Jam

• 1 pound oranges
• 25%* sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn oil

For Finishing and Assembly

• 1 ounce unsalted butter
• 4 lobster claws
• 2 baby cucumbers
• 1 ounce extra-virgin olive oil
• 12 micro celery leaves (3 per plate)
• 12 micro pea shoots (3 per plate)

*For this recipe, I prefer using a percentage of the weight of the whole orange.

Directions

For the Court Bouillon:

1. Soak the leeks in cold water to remove any sand and dirt. Drain, rinse and roughly chop. 
2. In a large stock pot, combine leeks, carrots, fennel, thyme, bay leaf, black peppercorns, white wine, white wine vinegar, dry white vermouth and water. Bring to a boil and let simmer 30 minutes. Reserve.

For the Lobster:

1. Tie the lobster tails with two chopsticks or skewers and butcher’s twine to keep them straight while cooking.
2. Bring the reserved court bouillon to a boil, add the lobsters, cover with a lid and boil for 1 minute.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and keep the lobsters covered in the liquid for 10 minutes. 
4. Remove the lobsters and let them cool at room temperature for 15 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill. 
5. Working over a bowl, separate the lobster tails from the bodies, removing the entire shell, but keeping the tail and claws intact.
6. Cut the lobster tails in half, lengthwise. Reserve.

For the Lobster En Brioche:

1. Using a bread slicer, cut lengthwise 4 3/16”-thick slices (5mm) of brioche. Remove the crust. 
2. Lay a double layer of plastic wrap on a flat surface. Place 1 slice of bread on the plastic wrap and brush with egg white. 
3. Arrange the first half of the lobster tail on top of the brioche, placing the thicker part on the left. Add the other half of the lobster tail, with the thicker part on the right, on top of the first half. By doing so the lobster tail will have the same thickness.
4. Using the plastic wrap, roll tightly along the length to form a nice even cylinder. As you roll, pay careful attention to avoid having plastic in the middle of the roll. 
5. Repeat steps 2-4 with the remaining bread and lobster tails.
6. Chill the four rolls in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

For the Pea Purée:

1. In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the peas for about 2 minutes. Drain, shock in ice water for 30 seconds, drain again and reserve.
2. In a sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter and cook the shallots until golden brown, approximately 3 minutes.
3. Add the reserved peas and the vinegar, and cook for another minute.
4. Transfer the hot pea mixture to a blender and mix on high speed, adding cold water if needed to achieve a smooth and creamy puree. 
5. Transfer the puree to a tray placed over ice to cool quickly. (Cooling rapidly will keep the nice green color.)

For the Pickled Cherry Tomatoes:

1. In a saucepan, heat the oil to 350˚F. 
2. Clean and dry the tomatoes. Place them in the oil and fry for 10 seconds. 
3. Transfer the tomatoes to an ice bath to stop the cooking process, and peel when cooled. Place in a plastic container with a lid.
4. Combine the remaining ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. 
5. Remove the pan from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
6. Pour the pickling juice over the tomatoes to cover, seal the container with the lid and transfer to an ice bath to cool completely for about 1 hour until the pickles have pickled nicely.
7. Remove the tomatoes from the pickling juice, quarter and reserve.

For the Orange Jam:

For Sous Vide: 

1. Cut the ends off of each orange and cut into 6 wedges leaving the skin on. Remove the seeds.
2. Transfer the oranges and sugar to a sous-vide bag and vacuum pack.
3. Cook the oranges using an immersion circulator for 14 hours at 180˚F.
4. Remove the oranges from the bag and transfer to a blender; mix on high speed until smooth.
5. While the blender is running, add the oil until the consistency becomes that of a smooth jam. Transfer to a squeeze bottle and reserve. 

For Canning:

1. Cut the ends off of each orange and cut into 6 wedges leaving the skin on. Remove the seeds.
2. Transfer oranges and sugar to a canning jar and firmly close the lid.
3. Place the jar in a. Canning rack inside a pressure cooker. Make sure the jar is covered by 1/2” of water, close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook for 2 hours. 
4. Release the pressure cooker and open the pot.
5. Remove the oranges from the bag and transfer to a blender; mix on high speed until smooth.
6. While the blender is running, add the oil until the consistency becomes that of a smooth jam. Transfer to a squeeze bottle and reserve. 

 For Finishing and Assembly:

1. Warm the pea purée over low heat.
2. Remove the plastic wrap from the lobster rolls.
3. In a nonstick pan over low heat, melt the butter and sear the lobster rolls on all sides until warm and golden brown, approximately 5 minutes.
4. Cut the extremity of each roll for a nice clean presentation, and then cut the roll in half to make 4 portions.
5. Peel and cut the cucumbers into a 3”-long to 1”-wide rectangle. Sprinkle with Maldon salt.
6. Form a tear shape with the pea purée by dragging a spoonful from the top of the plate (12 o’clock) downward.
7. Add the lobster roll to the left of the purée and the cucumber to the right.
8. Brush the lobster claw with the oil and place the claw on top of the cucumber.
9. Top the lobster roll and claw with a few drops of the orange jam and arrange a few quartered pickled cherry tomatoes and micro greens around the plate. Serve immediately.