The encyclopaedia of practical cookery

Potted Lobster. — (1) Procure a large cooked Lobster, or two small ones, pick out all the meat, and put it with the spawn in a mortar ; pound to a paste, then mix with it Jib. of warmed fresh butter, a little pounded mace and cloves, and a little pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg. When well mixed, fill some jars with the preparation, press it down tightly, leaving about Jin. space at the top, and fill up with clarified butter. When quite cold, tie the jars over with white paper, and keep them in a diy store-closet till required for use. (2) Plunge the Lobsters, head downwards, into fastboiling water, let them boil till half done, then crack the shells, and take out all the meat ; cut it up small, season with white pepper, grated nutmeg, a very little powdered mace, and salt to taste ; press it and the coral into a pot, cover with fresh butter, and bake for half-an-hour. Take it from the. oven, let it cool, and when quite cold empty the pot. Put the Lobster with some of the butter into small pots, pound the coral in a mortar with the rest of the butter, adding more butter to make it a sufficient quantity to cover the contents, strain, and pour it over. (3) Take out the meat from four or five Lobsters, keeping it as whole as possible, split the shells, and remove the intestines ; if these are not too watery, add them, and season with ground mace, nutmeg, white pepper, salt, and one or two cloves. Put a little butter at the bottom of a saucepan, arrange the Lobster smoothly over, and bake gently. When done, pour the whole on the bottom of a sieve, and, with a fork, put the pieces, with the seasoning, into jars, and when cold pour over clarified butter. It may be used the day after it is done, and if seasoned highly and thickly covered with butter will keep for some time. Potted Lobsters may be used cold, or as fricassee with cream sauce. Roasted Lobster. — Partially boil a Lobster, then drain, and split it open. Rub it well with butter, put it in a Dutch oven, and roast before a clear fire, keeping it constantly basted. Put the Lobster on a hot dish, pour melted-butter sauce over, and serve. Salpicon of Lobster. — Put 1 pint of bechamel sauce into a saucepan with four mushrooms, one truffle, and the meat from the claws of a cooked Lobster, cutting them all into dice. Thicken well, let it cook for five minutes, and serve. Scalloped Lobster. — (1) Procure a nice fresh hen Lobster, and pick out all the flesh ; put the spawn in a mortar with 2oz. of butter, and pound until smooth, then pass it through a fine hair sieve. Mince the flesh of the Lobster, Fig. 1097. Scalloped Lobster. and season with pepper, salt, a moderate quantity of spice, and a small quantity of cayenne pepper. Put the mince into a stewpan, with J table-spoonful of finelychopped parsley, the strained juice of half a lemon, a Lobster — continued. small lump of butter, and 2 or 3 table-spoonfuls of thick cream. Stir the mixture over the fire with a wooden spoon until very hot, then stir in the pounded spawn. Fill some scallop shells until the mixture, levelling it smoothly over the top, strew over plenty of grated breadcrumbs, and put a few small pieces of butter on them. Place the scalloped Lobster in the oven, and bake until nicely browned. Serve them on a folded napkin. See Fig. 1097.