For the price of a great mail-order steak you can spend an evening in Lobster Heaven.
These bad boys weigh 16-20 ounces and sell for $75 per piece. One per person makes a sumptuous feast and costs about the same as an American Wagyu ribeye. You'll NEVER see these in a restaurant.
Let's say you really, REALLY love lobster. You've learned to never order it in a restaurant after multiple experiences of paying through the nose, donning a bib, and picking minuscule morsels of meat from what looks like a one pound sea-insect. And yet you find preparing it at home intimidating. But now you want to celebrate something momentous and special-- the election, your birthday, a wedding anniversary, New Year's Eve, or whatever-- and dammit, only lobster will do.
File this bold suggestion on the high side of "better AND cheaper than a restaurant."
The Lobster Anywhere company specializes in delivering humongous frozen lobster tails to your doorstep. Just thaw them in your fridge and prepare them any way you like--
The most popular presentations are "Popped," (Left) with the meat elevated though a slice in the back; or simply halved, (Right) which only works well with large tails like we're discussing here. These are both easily broiled or roasted. If you wish to venture beyond the usual drawn butter dip, the split version works well for those who like "value-added" lobster dishes such as Lobster Newberg, Lobster Thermidor, and Homard l'Américaine. The somewhat complicated sauces for each of these can be derived from their classic recipes.
Newberg Sauce-- Heavy cream, egg yolks, Amontillado sherry, cayenne, and nutmeg
Thermidor Sauce-- Cream Sauce with mustard, shallots, tarragon, mushrooms, egg yolks, and grated Parmesan
L'Americaine Sauce-- Tomato Sauce with lobster stock, shallots, garlic, tarragon, thyme, and Cognac
Now, these are arbitrary and approximate descriptions of sauces that have scores of variations and numerous conflicting opinions as to which is the "authentic" version. They also require a measure of sauce-making skill, particularly when incorporating egg yolks into a hot sauce. if you are not an experienced saucier, it's better to say in your comfort zone.
However, here is somewhat easier version, a sauce derived from the above-referenced trio:
Lobster (or Shrimp) Stock
Heavy Cream
Amontillado Sherry
Dash of Tomato Paste
Shallots
Minced Garlic (optional)
Petite Diced Tomatoes
Shiitake Mushrooms, thinly slivered
Grated Gruyère Cheese
Pernod
Sauté the shallots in just enough pure olive oil until translucent; add garlic, simmer for a few seconds, then remove from heat. Add a splash of sherry and reduce until it is almost gone. Add stock and reduce. Add cream and reduce. Add just enough tomato paste to achieve a nice pale pink color. Whisk in a pinch of Gruyère. Sauté the mushrooms separately, then add to the sauce along with diced tomatoes and a few drops of Pernod.
NOTES--
There is nothing preventing you from simply boiling these giant tails as you would a whole live lobster and enjoying them with shell-crackers and a bib.
Wine, you ask? Few dishes cry out as loudly for Chardonnay as does lobster. The famously lobster-loving Kennedy clan traditionally opts for the Pouilly-Fuissé that Jackie first enjoyed during her junior year abroad in Paris; other white Burgundies work perfectly well, as do the fruity and rich Californians. (See THE ROYAL SISTERHOOD). That being said, any dry white will work just fine. And if you are enjoying an extravagant (and expensive) lobster feast to celebrate a special occasion, no other dish pairs as perfectly with Champagne or other high-quality sparkling wine. (See CHAMPAGNE (OR NOT)). 100% Chardonnay Blanc de Blanc bubbly covers all the bases perfectly. Our current favorites come from our nearby Finger Lakes region from several different producers.
If such a lobster & Champagne feast seems outrageously expensive, compare it to the price of dinner for two in a swank city restaurant. (See HOW TO MAKE A FANCY STEAKHOUSE DINNER AT HOME).
And finally-- make lobster stock from the shells and freeze it. You'll thank me someday.
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