lobster thermidor

Lobster Thermidor has an equally interesting history. It is reported that it was named for the summer month of the French Revolutionary Calendar* during which it was first prepared for the Emperor Napoleon.

Thermidor sauce is thickened with a Bechamel† made with white wine.

The following is adapted from the signature recipe of Chicago’s Drake Hotel that is reported not to have changed it since the hotel opened in 1933.

  • <salt> (to taste)
  • 2 lobsters (1½ lbs each)
  • 2 cups milk
  • 7 tbsp unsalted <butter>
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
  • 2 shallots, finely chopped
  • ½ lb crimini (or white) mushrooms, quartered
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1½ cups heavy cream (or fat-free half-and-half)
  • 1 tbsp chervil, finely chopped
  • 1/8 tsp ground cayenne chile
  • ½ tsp dry mustard
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • ½ lb Gruyére cheese, grated

Bring a pot of <salt>ed water to a boil. Add the lobsters (head first); boil for 5 minutes. Drain; halve each lobster lengthwise. Remove and crack the claws. Remove the meat from the lobster bodies and claws; cut the meat into chunks. Scrape shells’ insides clean. Set the meat and shells aside.

Bring the milk to a boil; set aside. In a pan over medium heat, melt 4 tbsp of the butter. Add the flour and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the hot milk to the flour mixture while whisking; increase the heat to medium; bring the sauce to a boil. Cook, stirring, until the sauce is thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the nutmeg and <salt> and pepper; set aside, keeping the sauce warm.

Preheat the broiler. In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat the remaining butter until melted. Add the shallots; cook until just golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms; cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the wine; cook until reduced by two-thirds, 4 to 5 minutes.

Whisk in the cream, chervil, cayenne, and the reserved warm sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-low; cook until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the lobster; stir in the mustard and ¾ cup of the cheese.

Divide the lobster and sauce between the four shells; sprinkle the remaining cheese over top. Broil the lobster halves on a baking sheet until bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve with remaining sauce.

Serves 4.