Lobster Bake
Lobster bibs will add a bit of whimsy to this romantic dinner for two. Serve it with tossed salads and warmed dinner rolls.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 2
- Butter to taste
- 2 Idaho potatoes, scrubbed
- 2 ears of corn on the cob, husked
- 2 1 ½-pound live lobsters
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 ounces fresh button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced shallots
- ½ cup dry-style hard cider or dry white wine
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Rub the potatoes with a little butter and individually wrap them in foil; place on the oven rack. After the potatoes have baked for 30 minutes, rub butter on each ear of corn, individually wrap them in foil, and place on the oven rack next to the potatoes. Continue to bake for 20 minutes.
While the corn is baking, kill each lobster with a sharp-pointed knife stuck into the body behind the head. Remove the bands from the claws, twist the claws and knuckles off the body, and separate the claws from the knuckles. Crack them slightly by lying the flat edge of a chef's knife against them and striking a sharp blow against the knife's flat edge with the heel of your hand. Twist off each tail, carefully split it lengthwise, and remove and discard the intestinal tract. Split each lobster body.
Arrange the lobster pieces in a single layer in a 9" × 13" nonstick baking pan, placing the tail and body pieces shell-side down. Sprinkle sea salt and black pepper over the exposed meat, and drizzle the oil over them. Bake for 8 minutes, or until the shells are almost uniformly red and the meat is opaque.
Add several pieces of the ½ cup butter, the mushrooms, and shallots to a microwave-safe dish; cover and microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir, cover, and microwave on high for another 30 seconds.
After the lobsters have baked for 8 minutes, remove them from the oven, and pour the mushroom-shallots mix and the cider or wine over the lobsters. Dot with the butter pieces. Place back in the oven for 3 minutes, or until the butter has completely melted.
Arrange the lobster pieces on dinner plates. Unwrap the potatoes, split them each in half, and place 2 halves on each plate beside the lobster. Unwrap the corn and place an ear on each plate. Swirl the baking pan to emulsify the liquid ingredients and spoon the resulting sauce over the plates. Have additional sea salt and pepper at the table, if needed.
Baked Versus Steamed Potatoes
Food purists insist that wrapping potatoes in foil and then baking them actually steams the potatoes. If you prefer a classic baked potato, bake scrubbed unpierced potatoes directly on the oven rack. Potato size can affect baking time, but as a general rule, at 425°F bake for 40 to 50 minutes, at 375°F for 50 to 60 minutes, and at 325°F for 75 to 85 minutes.
