Ingredients:
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups apple cider
6 shallots, minced
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
Two 15-ounce cans whole chestnuts packed in water, drained
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 large scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Ten 1 1/4-pound boiled lobsters, halved
1/4 pound mixed young salad greens
Method:
In a large saucepan, combine 1 cup of the
stock with the cider, shallots, bay leaves and sherry vinegar. Boil over high
heat until reduced by half, about 25 minutes. Add the heavy cream and nutmeg
and simmer over moderate heat until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove
from the heat.
In a medium saucepan, heat the vegetable
oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until softened. Add the
remaining 1 cup of stock and the chestnuts and simmer until the liquid reduces
by a third, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the maple syrup and
butter. Transfer the contents of the saucepan to a blender and puree until smooth.
Blend in the sour cream. Transfer the puree to a clean saucepan and season with
salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm.
Gently reheat the nutmeg vinaigrette. Add
the scallions and parsley and season with salt and pepper.
Cut the lobster tail meat into 1-inch chunks
and replace it in the tail sections of the lobsters. Spoon half of the chestnut
puree in the center of each of 2 large platters. Arrange the lobster halves
around the puree. Spoon the warm nutmeg vinaigrette over the lobsters, garnish
the platters with the greens and serve at once.
