1
Begin by making the pastry. Put the flour, Parmesan and cayenne in a food processor and blitz to mix everything together. Add the butter and pulse to form a crumb, then with the machine still running add the egg yolk until it comes together into a sticky dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 1 hour
- 150g of plain flour
- 75g of Parmesan, grated
- 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
- 100g of unsalted butter
- 1 large egg yolk
2
If the lobsters are alive, place them in the freezer for 20 minutes to send them to sleep. Bring a large pan of heavily salted water to the boil. Plunge the tip of a sharp knife through the natural cross in the head of each lobster (you can also ask your fishmonger to do this for you if preferred). Boil the lobsters for 4 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of iced water to chill
- 2 lobsters, weighing approx. 600–880g each
3
Separate the lobster heads from the bodies and remove the claws. Crack the claws to remove the meat and remove the tail meat from the bodies and set aside. Reserve all the shells and heads for the bisque
4
To make the bisque, pour the olive oil into a deep saucepan set over a medium heat and add the reserved lobster shells and heads. Cook until lightly caramelised, then add the onion, fennel, garlic and carrot and sweat until soft. Add the tomato puree and cook for a further minute, then deglaze the pan with the white wine and add the herbs, spices and chicken stock. Bring to the boil then turn the heat down to low and simmer very gently for 1 hour
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1/2 fennel, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 small carrot, chopped
- 1 tbsp of tomato purée
- 250ml of dry white wine
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 1 sprig of tarragon
- 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
- 1 star anise
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 pinch of black peppercorns
- 1.2l chicken stock
5
Preheat an oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Unwrap the rested dough and roll out to a fairly thin thickness of around 0.5cm. Cut the pastry into 6–8 discs big enough to line 10cm tart tins with a little overhang, then press them into the tins. Line with oven-safe cling film or baking paper and fill with baking beans or dried rice
6
Transfer the lined tart tins to the oven and bake for 10 minutes, then remove the beans and cling film (or baking paper) and drop the temperature of the oven to 165°C/gas mark 3. Bake for another 5 minutes, or until golden. Set aside to cool
7
Once the bisque has been simmering for 1 hour, strain through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan (pressing the bones with the back of a ladle to extract as much liquid as possible). Bring back to the boil, then simmer until reduced by two-thirds
8
For the pea cream, melt the knob of butter in a saucepan and add the shallot and leek. Cook until soft but without colour, then add the cream, bring to a simmer and reduce by one-third. Add the peas and continue to cook for 2–3 minutes, then transfer the mixture to a blender and blitz until completely smooth. Season and keep warm
- 1 knob of butter
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 1/2 small leek, white only, finely sliced
- 300ml of double cream
- 300g of frozen peas
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
9
Once the bisque has reduced by two-thirds, add the cream and simmer for 3 minutes. Keep warm until ready to serve
- 150ml of whipping cream
10
For the vegetables, bring a pan of lightly salted water to the boil and add the butter. A few minutes before you’re ready to serve, add the peas, leeks and carrots and cook for a few minutes until just tender
- 50g of unsalted butter
- 1 handful of peas, or sugar snap peas
- 6 baby leeks, or spring onions, cut into 3
- 6 baby carrots, peeled and blanched
11
To serve, gently sauté the reserved lobster meat in a pan with the knob of butter. Place a tart case in the centre of each plate, then add 2 or 3 spoonfuls of the pea cream into each one. Top with the cooked vegetables, then arrange the lobster meat on top. Garnish with the radish slices and pea shoots, then use a hand blender to froth up the bisque. Finish with a large spoonful over the top of each tart
- 1 knob of butter
- 6 radishes, finely sliced, to garnish
- pea shoots, to garnish
