The French Room, located at the recently renovated Adolphus Hotel, shares their recipe for Butter-Poached Lobster with confit potato and bok choy:
Butter-Poached Lobster with confit potato and bok choy
Serves 4
Lobster:
• 4 whole 1 lb. lobsters, live
• Boiling salt water
• Ice bath, standing by
• 1 lb. unsalted butter, whole
• 1 lemon, with peel
• ½ of one vanilla bean
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
Confit Potato:
• 2 large Idaho baking potatoes
• 2 cups rendered duck fat
• Salt and pepper to taste
Bok Choy:
• 2 heads baby bok choy
• Boiling salt water
• Ice bath, standing by
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1. Set both pots of water on the stove. For the lobsters, choose a large pasta or stock pot. For the bok choy, a two-quart sauce pot is perfect.
2. Prepare two matching ice baths – one for the lobster, one for bok choy.
3. When the large pot comes to a boil, plunge the lobsters in whole, making sure they are completely submerged. Boil the lobsters for 5 minutes.
4. While the lobsters boil, cut the bok choy heads in half lengthwise and lower them into the smaller pot, blanching them for 3 minutes. Then place in the smaller ice bath and set aside.
5. After 5 minutes, remove the lobsters and place them in the larger ice bath, then set aside.
6. Place the duck fat in a shallow pan with steep sides, and set it over medium heat. Cut the potatoes into 4 large rectangles or “planks,” about the size of a credit card (or as close to that shape as the potato will allow). Rinse the cut potato planks in water, drain briefly on a paper towel, season with salt and pepper, and gently place them in the melted duck fast. Allow the fat to come to a gentle simmer, then turn off the heat and leave the potatoes in the fat. This will allow them to cook slowly and retain their shape.
7. Break the lobster tails, claws, and knuckle meat out of the shells, and set aside. In a four-quart saucepan, combine the wine, thyme, bay leaf, and vanilla bean. Peel the lemon in a circular fashion and add the peel, along with the juice of the lemon, to the pot and set over medium heat.
8. Cut the butter into 1-inch cubes. As the liquid comes to a simmer, starting adding the butter one cube at a time and whisk it into the sauce. Continue until all butter is added and whisked in smoothly. The butter should be opaque and creamy in both texture and appearance.
9. Turn the heat down from medium to low and add the lobster tails. Poach them in the butter sauce for about 5 minutes on very low heat.
10. While they poach, set a small sauté pan over medium heat. In one, combine the stock, butter, and sherry vinegar. When combined, add the bok choy and turn over occasionally, allowing it to glaze. In the pan with the potato planks, turn up to medium heat, allowing them to sear in the duck fat until nicely browned.
11. Just before plating, add the claw and knuckle meat to the butter sauce. You could also just service the tail and reserve the claw and knuckle meat for another dish.
To plate: Place the potato on one side of your plate or shallow dish, and place the piece of bok choy on top. Lift the tail out of the pot, and place next to the potato. Take one big spoonful of butter from the pot and spoon over the tail.