Clams Casino is an old standby appetizer at many restaurants in the
United States. In fact, it's become somewhat of a cliché.
This recipe, using a more expensive denizen of the sea, makes an elegant dinner
for two or a de luxe appetizer for four:
Two 1.5-2 pound lobsters, live
2 Tbs. Corn Starch
A big fat sweet onion
Two big fat ripe tomatoes
Plenty of good Olive Oil
1/4 lb. Sliced Prosciutto or Pancetta, chopped in 1/2" pieces
3/4 Cup Roasted Red Pepper ("Pimiento"), chopped in 1/2" pieces
An abundance of Fresh Garlic
An abundance of Fresh Basil
1/2 cup Cognac or Brandy
Tabasco to taste
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to Taste
1/4 pound salted butter (one stick)
Preparing lobster the right way is not for the squeamish nor the
animal-friendly. However you are doing the humane thing by dispatching
them first. To do this, place the live lobster on a cutting board with its head
facing you. Take up a chef's cleaver and insert the tip of the cleaver in the
back of the head and bring the surface of the knife down between the eyes in one
swift motion, cutting the head in half from neck to eyes. Killing the lobster in
this fashion will keep it from tensing up during cooking, rendering the meat
rubbery. Worse, cooking the lobster alive, or cutting bits of its anatomy off
before killing the head, is rumored to be painful to the lobster.
After you've killed the lobster, split the lobsters in half, cut off the
claws, and remove the meat from the lobster bodies, knuckles (arms) and claws. Reserve the four
lobster body halves. Cut the raw lobster meat into 1" chunks. Make a slurry of
2 Tbs. water and the corn starch. Place the lobster meat in the slurry and coat
well. Set aside. (This is called "velvetizing" the meat in the Chinese
restaurant. It's a professional tip that makes a delicious, supple coating that
protects the flavor and juiciness of the lobster when you cook it later.)
Peel and core the onion and chop it into 1/2 inch dice. Skin the tomato (dip
in boiling water for 15-20 seconds, then plunge into ice water, then peel by
pulling the skin off with a knife edge), quarter it and push the seeds out, discard them, then
chop the tomato flesh into 1/2 inch dice.
Place the lobster bodies in a frying pan large enough to hold them. Barely
cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook, turning with a tongs, until they're
bright red. Remove the lobster bodies and boil the liquid until its reduced to
about 1/2 cup. Set the liquid aside. Place the lobster bodies in an oven-proof
dish large enough to hold them but no more. You're going to run this dish under
the broiler.
Heat a frying pan to very hot and put the Olive Oil into it. Add the Onions
and cook, stirring, until transparent but not browned. Add the tomato,
Prosciutto or Pancetta, Pimiento, Garlic, Basil and the Lobster. Cook at an infernally high heat, stirring all the while, until the
ingredients are nearly starting to turn light amber on the outside. Take the pan off the
flame and add the Cognac and ignite, allowing the fire to go out on its own.
Stir well, adding Tabasco, salt and pepper. Warm up the lobster liquid. Melt the
butter in the warm lobster liquid, whisking rapidly, so as to emulsify the
butter.
Place the lobster/vegetable mixture in even amounts in the four shells. They
should be heaping full. Run them all under a medium broiler until just the tips
of the top bits turn brown, not a moment longer. Drizzle the butter/lobster liquid mixture over the mixture, into the
shells, place on individual plates, garnish with lemon wedges and serve immediately.