serves 6
This recipe looks complicated but is actually very straight forward. If you wish use a good quality shop bought lobster bisque.
For the Bisque
- Live Lobster (Approx. 1lb)
- 400ml. White Wine.
- 400ml. Fish Stock
- Chopped Shallots
- Cloves Chopped Garlic
- 1 Chopped Carrot
- 2 Chopped Celery Sticks
- 75g. Butter
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 2 Sprigs Of Thyme
- 2 Sprigs of Parsley
- 1 Tbsp. Tomato Puree
- 40ml. Brandy
- 80ml. Dry Sherry
Method
- Stun the lobster by placing in the freezer for a couple of hours. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil & add the lobster, boil for 6 minutes. Remove lobster from water and place in cold water to cool.
- Once cool, place the lobster on its back and with a large sharp knife, cut the lobster from underneath, all the way from the tail to the head. Rinse away any tomalley (the grey stuff) from the head cavities. Remove tail meat. As gently as possible smash the claws with the back of the knife and remove the claw meat. Chop lobster meat into pieces, set aside and refrigerate. Break up the shells into 2 inch pieces
- Heat 50g of butter and a drop of olive oil in a heavy based pan. Add the broken lobster shells, shallots, carrots, celery, garlic and fry at medium high heat for 5 minutes.
- Add parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Pour over white wine, brandy and sherry & reduce by ½
- Add tomato puree, stir well and then add fish stock. Simmer for 45 minutes.
- Pass lobster bisque through a fine sieve and return to the heat reducing slightly.
- Season to taste
360g Macaroni:
- Cook the pasta as per instructions on packet. Once cooked refresh under cold water, drain well and sprinkle with a little olive oil to prevent it sticking together and set aside.
For the cheese sauce:
- 300ml milk
- A few parsley stalks
- 1 bay leaf
- A pinch of mace (optional)
- 5 whole black peppercorns
- 1/2 slice onion,
- 20g butter
- 10g plain flour
- Salt and pepper
- 50g Grated Cheddar cheese
- 50g Grated Parmesan
- 50g Grated Gruyere cheese
Method
- Place the milk in a small saucepan and add the parsley stalks, bay leaf, mace (if using), peppercorns and onion. Then place it over a low heat until it simmers. Remove from the heat and strain the milk into a jug, discarding the flavorings.
- Melt the butter gently, add the flour and over a medium heat and using a wooden spoon stir quite vigorously to make a smooth paste.
- Slowly add the infused milk a little at a time stirring continually ensuring there are no lumps. When the milk is incorporated, add the next amount and continue incorporating liquid before you add the next until you have a smooth glossy sauce.
- Turn the heat down to its lowest setting and let the sauce cook for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add 2/3 of the cheese reserving 1/3 for the topping and stir until melted. Season to taste.
For the topping:
- Remaining grated cheese
- 60g fresh bread crumbs
- 40g melted butter
Method
- Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until well combined
To serve
- Mix lobster bisque & cheese sauce together, add chopped lobster and pasta & mix well together in a large stainless steel bowl.
- Put pasta in a large oven proof dish, sprinkle with breadcrumb mix & bake in a pre-heated oven at 180c for 30-40 minutes until piping hot and bubbling
This recipe is provided by Tim Harrington, Executive Chef, Lord’s
Name: Tim Harrington
Job title: Executive Chef
Time at Lord’s: 3 ½ years
Catering background
I took O level home economics at school as I knew I wanted to be a chef aged 13 and I joined the Royal Air Force at 16 to learn my trade. After eight years I moved to London where I worked in high end business and industry staff feeding facilities, events and corporate hospitality. I became Executive Chef at the Royal Opera House where I spent five years ahead of starting at Lord’s in April 2012.
Signature dish
Many spring to mind however working at Lord’s as in-house caterer gives us the opportunity to use top quality seasonal food, sourced directly from producers during the winter months in preparation for the new season. If I had to choose one it would be new season trio of lamb using the neck, belly and best end, poached asparagus and minted Jersey Royals.
Biggest achievements at Lord’s
- Re designing the meeting and events and summer cricket menus working alongside a great group of talented chefs.
- The Bicentenary celebrations of the venue in 2014 were fantastic.There was a marquee built on the pitch and some very high profile events took place.
- Helping to design WG’s, our new public catering outlet. It’s been a huge success this season and has pushed the boundaries of public catering within sports arena.
- Designing the Mound Stand Level 3 kitchen and opening an a la carte restaurant for our debenture holders.
Plans for future catering at Lord’s
Staying ahead of the field and keeping Lord’s at the top of its league for food and hospitality.