Description
Lobster Thermidor Bites are a luxurious appetizer featuring tender lobster meat sautéed and combined with a rich, creamy sauce made with butter, cognac, and egg yolks. Served on crispy toast points, these bite-sized morsels offer an elegant and flavorful start to any special meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Toast Points
- Prepared Toast Points, see recipe here
Lobster
- 2 live lobsters, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds each or about 3/4 to 1 pound of cooked lobster meat
Sauce & Cooking
- 1 stick butter or 6 tablespoons clarified butter
- 3 tablespoons cognac or sherry
- 1 cup heavy cream, plus more as needed
- 3 egg yolks, beaten
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Prepare Toast Points: Prepare the toast points according to your preferred method and set them aside in a warm place until ready to serve.
- Cook Lobsters: Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a rolling boil. Add the live lobsters head first into the boiling water.
- Boil Lobsters: Cook the lobsters for exactly eight minutes once water returns to a boil to ensure they are perfectly cooked but not overdone.
- Ice Bath: Remove the lobsters from boiling water and plunge them immediately into an ice bath for ten minutes to halt the cooking process and make handling easier.
- Remove Meat: Extract the claw, tail, and knuckle meat from the lobsters, then chop the meat into bite-sized pieces suitable for topping the toast points.
- Prepare Butter: In a sauté pan, melt the butter, skim off any excess fat, and heat the clarified butter to prepare for sautéing the lobster meat.
- Sauté Lobster: Add the lobster meat to the pan and sauté until golden, about 2 minutes, enhancing the flavor and texture.
- Prepare Sauce Base: Remove lobster meat from the pan and add the cognac to deglaze. Then add the heavy cream and simmer the mixture until it reduces to about one cup, concentrating the flavors.
- Temper Egg Yolks: While whisking continuously, slowly add the hot cream mixture to the beaten egg yolks to temper and prevent curdling.
- Combine Sauce: Return the tempered mixture to the pan, add kosher salt, freshly ground nutmeg, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed for balance.
- Final Mix: Stir the sautéed lobster meat gently into the sauce over low heat until everything is well combined and heated through.
- Assemble and Serve: Spoon the creamy lobster thermidor mixture generously onto the prepared toast points and serve immediately for an elegant appetizer.
Notes
- The toast points can be made by slicing bread thinly and toasting until crisp.
- Make sure to temper the egg yolks carefully to avoid scrambling when adding hot cream.
- Cognac can be substituted with sherry for a slightly different flavor profile.
- If you prefer a lighter sauce, reduce the butter or use half-and-half instead of heavy cream.
- Serve immediately to preserve the crispiness of the toast points and freshness of the lobster.
