Lobster Thermidor was created for Napoleon Bonaparte by Chef Bailly. The chef wished to name his recipe Lobster a la Napoleon, Napoleon however insisted on the name Lobster Thermidor after the eleventh month of the first French Republic, from July 19th to August 17th.
3 2 lb fresh lobsters
salt
pepper
¼ cup sweet butter
2 cups of rich cream sauce (see below)
Split lengthwise 3 fresh lobsters of 2 lb. each. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Broil very slowly under the flame of the broiling oven, basting frequently with melted sweet butter. Remove the meat from the shell and cut in small pieces, slantwise: pour in each of the six shells 2 tablespoons of rich cream sauce (see below); refill the shells with the sliced lobster and cover with more of the cream sauce. Dust the tops of the shells with a little paprika. Glaze quickly under the broiler flame, remove.
Arrange on a hot platter: garnish with fresh parsley or crisp watercress and quartered lemons and serve with a side dish of thinly sliced cucumber salad in French dressing.
Sweet Cream Sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups, milk or cream (use the cream, umm good)
½ onion thinly sliced
½ teaspoon salt (I use a little less salt)
¼ teaspoon white pepper
¼ teaspoon of dry mustard
2 beaten egg yolk
parsley
1 whole clove
Melt the butter, adding the onion parsley and clove, stir until the onions slightly brown. Remove the onion parsley and clove from the butter; stir in the flour and blend thoroughly, (do not brown), under a gentle flame. Add the salt, pepper and dry mustard; gradually add the cream while stirring constantly over a low flame. Continue for 4 minutes after mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat, whisk a large spoonful of the mixture into the eggs to temper them, and then briskly stir the egg yolks into the mixture.
Recipes:
Boiled Lobster
Grilled Lobster Gourmet
Lobster Bellevue
Lobster Biarritz
Lobster Bohemienne
Lobster Cardinal
Lobster Court-Bouillon
Lobster Curry Risotto Crown
Lobster Figaro
Lobster Newburg I
Lobster Newburg II