Makes: 10 portions. Cooking time: 45 minutes.
Ingredients:
— 10 x 750 grams live lobsters
— 1 liter monray sauce
— 200 grams butter
— 50 grams grated parmesan cheese
— Sprigs of parsley
Method:
(1) Prepare the lobsters. Cut the tail into thick slices on the slant and leave the claw whole.
(2) Warm and dry the shell.
(3) Reheat the lobster flesh and the claw in butter but do not allow it to colour or dry out.
(4) Place a line of hot mornay sauce along the length of the shell. Arrange the flesh back in the shell so as to refill it. Place the claw on the lobster flesh at the head end.
(5) Coat the lobster with the sauce, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and lightly gratinate.
(6) Dress on a silver or stainless steel oval Alat dish lined with a dish paper. Garnish with sprigs of parsley.
Assessment of the completed dish
(1) There should be an even light gratination over the total surface.
(2) The lobster shell should be clean, hot and with no splashes of sauce on it.
(3) The flesh should be arranged in the shape of a shallow dome. The sauce should be of a consistency to cover it yet allow the shape of the reformed flesh to be clearly seen.
(4) The dish paper should be perfectly clean with no traces of sauce. The garnish of sprigs of fresh parsley is generally placed alongside the half lobster.
Note:
If the sauce is too thick it will mask the shape of the flesh rather than reveal it; if it is too thin it will run off and expose the flesh which will then become hard and dry.