Roast Spiny Lobster with Morel Velouté

Method

1. 1

   Bring five litres of water to the boil with eight tablespoons of coarse sea salt. Plunge the spiny lobster and maintain a brisk boil for ten minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for five minutes in the water, then drain. Once lukewarm, separate the head and legs, keep the shell on the tail and cut the latter into two to three centimetre pieces.

2. 2

   Peel and dice the garlic, onion, celery and tomatoes. Sweat them in a knob of butter without colouring, add the roughly crushed shells, then flambé with Cognac. Deglaze with white wine, cover with water, add the spices and simmer gently for forty minutes. Pass everything through a chinois, crushing the shells well to extract the maximum juice.

3. 3

   Put the two varieties of mushrooms separately in bowls of very cold water and leave to rehydrate for forty minutes. Drain them, keeping 15 cl of each soaking liquor. Then plunge the morels for five minutes in boiling water, then drain.

4. 4

   Slice the button mushrooms and sauté them with the porcini in a knob of butter until all their liquid has evaporated. Add the morel and porcini soaking liquors, add 40 cl of langoustine stock, bring to the boil then blend finely. Incorporate the cream, boil for one minute, then reduce for five minutes.

5. 5

   Off the heat, over a very gentle temperature, finish the sauce with 100 g of butter cut into small pieces, whisking constantly. Keep warm, never letting it simmer. If you need to hold it, incorporate the butter at the last moment.

6. 6

   Heat three tablespoons of oil and 50 g of butter in a sauté pan. Roast the spiny lobster pieces for five minutes, turning and basting constantly with nut-brown butter. Season with salt and pepper.

7. 7

   Arrange the spiny lobster pieces on warm plates, surround them with the mushroom and morel velouté, and serve immediately to enjoy all the flavour.