The well-known Montreal restaurant Joe Beef now has its own cookbook, "The Art of Living According To Joe Beef." Restaurant owners and chefs Frederic Morin and David McMillan cook up Spaghetti Homard-Lobster.
Spaghetti Homard-Lobster
Ingredients:
- 8 quarts (8 litres) plus 2 cups (500 mL) water
- Salt and pepper
- 1 live lobster, weighing about 2 1/2 lbs (1.2 kg)
- 2 portions spaghetti
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups (500 ml) whipping cream (35 per cent butterfat)
- 1 tsp unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp brandy
- 1 sprig tarragon
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- 3 slices slab bacon, cut into matchsticks and crisped in a pan
- Fresh parsley, julienned, for garnish
Directions:
- Start by dividing the eight quarts water evenly between the two pots. (One is for the lobster; the other is for the spaghetti). Add two tablespoons salt to each pot and bring both pots to a rolling boil.
- Lobsters live in the sea, and the best lobster you'll ever eat will be when you are on a ship or near the shore and the lobster is boiled in sea water. So, before you add the lobster, salt the water. When it is as salty as the sea, slide in the live lobster. You need to cook a lobster for about five minutes per pound, which is about 12 minutes for this lobster.
- Measure the spaghetti. To do that, make the size of a quarter with your thumb and index finger. One portion of pasta is what fits into that hole. Measure two portions and add them to the second pot of boiling water. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain it and rinse it under cold running water. Toss the pasta with the olive oil so it doesn't stick together and keep it nearby at room temperature.
- The lobster will be cooked by now. Take your trusty tongs, take the lobster out of the water and put it in a bowl. Let the lobster cool down until you can touch it with your hands, then remove the claws and knuckles. Crack the claws with a knife or with a cracker. Take the tail off the torso and crack it in two. Everything is still in the shell and you want to leave it like that. Put the claws, knuckles and tail pieces in a bowl and set the bowl aside.
- Now you will be left with the torso. Hack it with a clever into four or five rough chunks. If that's too dramatic, use a large knife. Keep them separate from the other pieces.
- Next comes the sauce. In a large stockpot combine the torso pieces, cream, butter, brandy, tarragon, garlic and the remaining two cups of water. Place over medium heat until the mixture starts to bubble. Reduce the heat to very low and simmer gently for 30 minutes, making sure it doesn't reduce too much. You need about one cup of liquid left.
- Filter out all the parts, toss them away, and just keep the cream. You don't want the cream runny; it should nicely coat the back of a spoon. Season with the salt and pepper.
- In a large, shallow pan warm together the lobster cream and the lobster pieces over medium heat. Add the spaghetti and bacon and twirl all the ingredients around with a wooden spoon for three to four minutes to heat through. Garnish with the parsley and serve family style.
