Lobster and Carrot Recipe - Great British Chefs

This intricate lobster and carrot recipe from David Everitt-Matthias is as delicious as it is beautiful; with a wonderful balance of delicate lobster meat, sweet caramelised carrots and a vibrant carrot purée, all offset by a smooth, and slightly sour, buttermilk purée and a spiced crumb.

Ingredients

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Imperial

Lobster

3 lobsters, native, 600g-800g each
50g of olive oil
30g of unsalted butter
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt
pepper

Carrot purée

500g of carrots, peeled and finely sliced
100g of unsalted butter
100ml of double cream
100ml of milk
salt
pepper

Caramelised baby carrots

3 small heritage carrots, purple, with tops left on
3 small heritage carrots, yellow
6 baby heritage carrots, young, orange, tops left on
100g of duck fat
30g of unsalted butter
salt
pepper

Buttermilk purée

1000ml of buttermilk
500g of double cream
5g of agar agar
5g of xanthan gum
3.5g of lemon juice
2.5g of lecithin
salt
pepper

To serve

100g of pain d'epice loaf, made into fine breadcrumbs
rapeseed oil

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Blender
Liquidiser
Fine chinoise

To start the dish, make the buttermilk purée. Place the buttermilk and the cream in a large saucepan, bring to the boil then simmer, making sure that it doesn't catch. Reduce to 500g

1000ml of buttermilk
500g of double cream

Place in a blender, add the remaining ingredients and blitz for 2 minutes

5g of agar agar
5g of xanthan gum
3.5g of lemon juice
2.5g of lecithin
salt
pepper

Pour the contents into a clean pan and return to the heat. Bring up to just below boiling point and cook for 2 minutes

Pass through a sieve, place in a container and set aside to cool. Once cool, place in the refrigerator and leave for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight

Remove from the fridge, place the set buttermilk into a liquidiser and blend until smooth. Place in a squeezy bottle until needed

To prepare the lobster, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Lay the lobsters on a board with the stomach down. On the top of the head you will see a cross - quickly push the tip of a large chopping knife into it (this will kill the lobster instantly)

salt
3 lobsters, native, 600g-800g each

Place the lobsters in the boiling water, cook for 4 minutes then immediately plunge into iced water to stop the cooking. Drain

Pull the head away from the body, put the tail to one side and remove the claws. Split the head and remove the stomach sac and intestine, then remove the liver and the coral (you can make a butter for use in sauces with these)

Remove the meat from the claws and knuckles and set aside in the refrigerator until needed

Remove the tail meat in 1 piece by snapping each side of the tail and pulling the meat out. Set aside in the refrigerator until needed

For the carrot purée, heat 50g butter in a saucepan, add the carrot and cook without colour for 5 minutes

50g of unsalted butter
500g of carrots, peeled and finely sliced

Add the cream and milk and cook for a further 15 minutes - the carrots should be very tender. Transfer to a blender and blend into a smooth purée, adding the remaining butter while still hot. Season and keep warm

100ml of double cream
100ml of milk
50g of unsalted butter
salt
pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4

Scrub the carrots carefully and cut the stems to 1cm. Pick out some of the better leaves, wash them and place in a container in the fridge for later

Place a roasting tray with the duck fat over a high heat, add the carrots and cook for 2 minutes, tossing around in the pan to make sure the carrots are coated in the duck fat

100g of duck fat
3 small heritage carrots, purple, with tops left on
3 small heritage carrots, yellow
6 baby heritage carrots, young, orange, tops left on

Season the carrots and place in the oven for 10 minutes, mixing in the butter after 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and season again. Cut to size and keep warm until ready to serve

salt
pepper
30g of unsalted butter

Once ready to serve, cook the lobster. Heat the oil and butter in a large cast iron frying pan. Once hot, add the lobster tails

30g of unsalted butter
50g of olive oil

Cook for approximately 3 minutes on each side, turning the tails regularly to make sure they do not burn. Season with some lemon juice and a little salt and pepper, then remove from the pan and put to one side to rest

1/4 lemon, juiced
salt
pepper

Add the claws and the knuckles and heat through in the pan, taking care not overcook. Season with a little lemon juice, salt and pepper and remove from the pan. Keep warm with the tails in the pan juices until required

1/4 lemon, juiced
salt
pepper

Once ready to serve, cut the lobster pieces to size. Place 2 swipes of carrot purée across each plate at different angles followed by a line of the powdered spiced bread

100g of pain d'epice loaf, made into fine breadcrumbs

Divide the lobster between the plates and arrange the carrots and carrot leaves around the lobster pieces. Pipe little mounds of the buttermilk purée with the squeezy bottle and finally, drizzle a little rapeseed oil over. Serve immediately

rapeseed oil

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David Everitt-Matthias

David Everitt Matthias does not do anything by halves: he opened his restaurant, Le Champignon Sauvage, over twenty five years ago and hasn’t missed a service since, he writes his own cookbooks and forages himself for many of the ingredients that appear in his dishes.

Native lobster, roasted heritage carrots, carrot purée and buttermilk purée

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