Boiled Maine Lobster with Two Chilled Salads

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Boiled Maine Lobster
Daniel Boulud

Ingredients:

2 lemons, sliced
1/4 cup kosher salt
4 1.5-to-2-lb. live Maine lobsters

Special Equipment: mandoline

Preparation:

In a large stock pot, bring two gallons of water, the lemons, and the salt to a boil. Place a large bowl of ice water to the side. Drop the lobsters into the pot, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer the lobsters to the ice water to chill; strain and pat dry.

Remove the meat from the claws and knuckles, wrap in a damp towel, and refrigerate. Cut off the tails and then slice in half lengthwise, leaving them in their shells and trimming away any jagged edges with kitchen shears. Devein the tail meat and cut into pieces between the joints; cover with a damp towel and refrigerate.



Herbed Vegetable Salad
Daniel Boulud

Ingredients:[/B]

1/3 cup green beans, diced
1/3 cup celery root, diced
1/3 cup watermelon radish, diced
1/3 cup carrots, diced
1/3 cup corn kernels
1/3 cup peas
2 cups mayonnaise
3 T ketchup
2 T sherry vinegar
3 T Cognac
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 T chopped tarragon
2 T chopped chervil
2 T chopped parsley
Salt, pepper, and Tabasco to taste

Preparation:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the green beans, celery root, watermelon radish, and carrots and cook for three minutes. Add the corn kernels and peas to the pot and continue to boil all the vegetables for another two minutes or until tender. Strain, then pour ice water into the pot to chill the vegetables. Remove and pat dry.

In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, ketchup, vinegar, Cognac, and Worcestershire sauce, seasoning to taste with salt, pepper, and Tabasco; reserve 1/2 cup of this mixture on the side. Gently fold in the cooked vegetables and herbs and check seasoning.

Serve on a platter with the tail pieces, using the reserved sauce for dipping.



Savory Fruit Salad Recipe
Daniel Boulud

Ingredients:

1 bunch pencil-thin asparagus
2 small zucchini, sliced ¼" thick lengthwise
1 head fennel
2 ripe white peaches
Zest and juice of 1 lime
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Zest and juice of 1 orange
2 tsp. sherry vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
8 stems of basil, leaves only
4 stems of mint, leaves only
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Remove the tough ends from the asparagus, then cut the remaining stalks in half. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus pieces and cook for four minutes; then add the zucchini slices and continue to boil for another minute or until tender. Strain, then pour ice water into the pot to chill the vegetables. Remove and pat dry. Cut the fennel head into quarters and thinly slice on a mandoline. Pit the peaches and cut the flesh into ¼"-thick half-moons.

In a small bowl, whisk together the citrus zest and juice and sherry vinegar; stream in the olive oil and season to taste. Toss the fennel with the citrus vinaigrette, and salt and pepper to taste. Make a bed of fennel in the middle of a platter. Toss the zucchini, asparagus, peaches, and lobster knuckle and claw meat with citrus vinaigrette and season to taste; arrange on top of and around the fennel. Garnish the platter with the basil and mint leaves and serve chilled. Yields 6–8 servings.