Lazy Man's Lobster

We splurged tonight and had Lazy Man's Lobster with a green salad. I love living in an area where I can go to my everyday grocery store and ask for 2 lobsters at the fish counter. I had them steamed while I did the rest of my shopping.

I brought the steamed lobsters home and took all the meat out of the shells, which got me perfectly cooked lobster meat without dealing with getting the live lobsters home and then steaming them and having the fishy smell linger in the house. I started the sauce by sauteeing a minced shallot, some minced fresh thyme and a pinch of cayenne. Once the onions were tender I stirred in some flour until it was golden. I added sherry and stirred until it was almost evaporated and then added some chicken broth and a little heavy cream. I allowed this to cook down and thicken and then added the cooked lobster meat and some fresh minced tarragon along with salt and pepper.

This mixture was divided evenly between two gratin dishes and then topped with a mixture containing fresh bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, minced fresh tarragon, vegetable oil, and paprika. The gratins were popped in a hot oven for 15 minutes, until the topping was golden brown. I served the lobster gratins with a salad of baby romaine lettuce, dressed with a vinaigrette made from tarragon vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper. Gerry absolutely loved this dinner; I missed the butter (in my mind, nothing goes with lobster like drawn butter)!