Читать книгу The Rocky Mountain Cook Book : For High Altitude Cooking - Caroline Trask Norton - Страница 71

LOBSTERS.

Lobsters are difficult to digest and should only be eaten when fresh. Select a heavy lobster for the size. These will be found to be the most meaty.

TO BOIL A LOBSTER.

Have enough water in a kettle to cover, and before the water gets very hot put in the lobsters. This seems the most merciful way, as it smothers them at once. Add two tablespoonfuls of salt, cover and boil for thirty minutes.

TO OPEN A LOBSTER.

When the lobster is cold, break off the large claws, separate the tail from the body. Remove the small claws. Save the coral and the green liver. Break the tail by pressing the sides together; then open and take out the meat and remove the intestinal canal, which runs the full length. Break off the gills. The gills, stomach and intestines are the only parts not used. Break the body in the middle and pick the meat from the joints. Hammer the claws near the edges, so as not to break the meat. Remove the meat. If the body of the shell is to be used for serving, cut down the underside with a sharp knife.

TO BROIL A LIVE LOBSTER.

With a sharp knife cut quickly down the back, remove the intestines and stomach. Broil over a moderate fire for thirty minutes, shell side down. Spread a little butter over it when broiling to keep it moist. When done, break the claws, season with salt, pepper and melted butter.

PLAIN LOBSTER.

Remove the meat from the shell, place on a platter, garnish with the little claws and parsley. Season individually with salt, pepper, vinegar and oil or melted butter.

SAUTE LOBSTER.

Break the lobster meat in small pieces, heat in hot butter in saucepan or chafing dish, season with salt, pepper and a little vinegar. Cook for about five minutes.

CREAMED LOBSTER.

Cut the meat quite fine, reheat in a white sauce, seasoned with salt, pepper or paprica, lemon juice. Serve on toast or in patty cases, timble cases, bread boxes, or in shells or ramquin dishes, baked for five minutes in the oven with the buttered crumbs on top.

DEVILED LOBSTER.

Chop the lobster very fine season highly with lemon juice, paprica, a little chopped celery, two small pickles chopped fine, salt. Mix with a white sauce, using half as much sauce as meat. Fill the tail of the lobster shells with the mixture, setting them in the pan with the meat side up. Cover the top with buttered crumbs. Bake for fifteen or twenty minutes in a hot oven. Place two tails together lengthwise, the crumbs side up and garnish with the claws and parsley or watercress.

LOBSTER A LA NEWBURG.

Cut the meat from a two-pound lobster in inch pieces. Melt in the chafing dish or sauce pan two tablespoonfuls of butter, add the lobster and one-fourth teaspoonful of salt, a speck of cayenne or paprica. (A truffle chopped fine may be added.) Cover and let cook for five minutes, then add one-fourth cup of sherry or madeira, or half sherry and half brandy, and cook for five minutes. Beat the yolks of two eggs and mix them well with a cup of cream, add this and stir until it thickens. Serve at once or the eggs may cause it to curdle.

LOBSTER SOUFFLÉ.

2 tablespoonfuls butter.

2 tablespoonfuls flour.

1 cup milk.

3 eggs.

1 cup of very finely chopped lobster meat.

Salt, paprica and little onion juice.

Melt the butter. Stir into it the flour and gradually the milk. Then the lobster and seasonings and the beaten yolks of the eggs. Cook for five minutes after the yolks are put in. Remove from the fire when cool. Add the stiffly beaten whites. Bake in a buttered pan in hot water until firm.

OYSTER SOUFFLÉ.

Make the same as lobster souffle. Use one cup of oysters that have been cooked and chopped fine. One-half cup of the oyster juice and one-half cup of milk.