Beth's Lobster Thermidor Recipe | ENTERTAINING WITH BETH

Hey guys, today I'm gonna share with you one of my favorite dinner party foods, lobster thermidor. Now normally I try to make sure that most of my recipes are pretty affordable, but I had to make an exception in this case, and that's because this was a recipe that was requested by one of my super fans, Ron Gunter. He posts comments on all of my videos, and better yet, he even posts the videos to his special food group on Facebook, Delicious Dish. If you don't already know about it, you definitely should check it out. It is a great community of fellow foodies sharing their recipes and culinary tips. It's also just a good group of people that I think you guys would enjoy, so definitely check it out, Delicious Dish on Facebook. So let's talk lobster thermidor. It's one of those dishes that was really popular in the 60s and 70s. It's kind of that old world, elegant, classic dinner party food, but it seems to have disappeared, and I think it needs a comeback, because it's delicious, and it's pretty easy to put together, especially if you follow my streamlined recipe. So to prep your lobster tails, you're gonna take out a rimmed lined cookie sheet. You want a rimmed lined sheet just in case any of the juices start to spill out, it will catch. Then you're gonna flip them on their backs, cut the shell up the middle with some kitchen shears. That's gonna expose the meat, but still keep them in their shells, which is gonna keep the meat moist. Then go ahead and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil. Pop them in a 400 degree oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, just until the meat is completely opaque and cooked through. Meanwhile, you're gonna take out a skillet and melt your butter, add some minced shallots, and then once those shallots start to become translucent, you can add your white button mushrooms. I like to just cut them in half, and then slice them very thinly. Once the mushrooms start to release their juices, then you can go ahead and add the sweet sherry. Now when you get to the store, you'll see there'll be a choice between sweet sherry and dry sherry. You definitely wanna get the sweet sherry for this recipe, because it's the combination of the sweet sherry and the sweet lobster meat that really makes for a winning flavor pairing. You wanna cook that down for about two minutes, just until the sherry is reduced to about a third. Now this dish is a little labor intensive, so if you were making this for a party and you wanted to get a leg up on the prep, you could take this mixture, transfer it to a bowl, cover, and pop in the fridge. It will last for two days until you're ready to use, and then that way, a little bit of the prep is done. At this point, your lobster tails are probably cooked, so go ahead and remove them from the oven. Allow them to cool just until they're cool enough to handle, and then you're gonna go in and cut the lobster tails again. So we made that slit up the center. We are now gonna make two more cuts up the side so that we can remove that whole portion of the tail shell, but don't ruin the tail shell, because we're going to save those for our presentation. You're just trying to extract the meat. So once you get all the meat out, go ahead and give it a good rough chop, just into kind of bite-sized pieces, and set it aside. Now for our delicious Thermidor sauce. In a large skillet, you're gonna melt some butter. Wait till it becomes nice and melty and foamy. Then you're gonna add your flour. Then go in with a wooden spoon and stir it up just until a nice paste forms. Then slowly, you're gonna whisk in some fish stock. Now, if you can't find fish stock, you can also use a little vegetable stock. Then to that, you're gonna combine it with your delicious mushroom mixture. Stir that all together, and then you're gonna add about a half a cup of heavy cream. I know, but that's what makes it delicious. It's a little bit decadent, but that's what makes it good. You're gonna cook that for a minute, and then you're gonna season with some salt and pepper. And then at this point, I also like to use some fresh tarragon. If you can't find the fresh tarragon, you also could use dry. That would work as well. And then go ahead and toss in your cooked lobster meat. Stir that all together, and you will see, you will have one beautiful, creamy, delicious sauce just waiting to be spooned in to those beautiful lobster shells. Go ahead and take your lobster mixture and spoon it into the lobster shells and place them on a cookie sheet. Then you're going to top them with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and then pop them under the broiler just for about 15 to 20 seconds, just until the cheese starts to melt and turn golden brown. Then you're gonna pull them out and garnish with a little paprika and freshly chopped parsley. And that's it. You're then gonna serve your lobster shells on a plate with a tossed salad. I really love the combination of this dish with a tossed salad because it's pretty rich. So if you want my recipe for the perfect tossed salad with a Dijon vinaigrette, it's also in the description. And then lastly, I think this dish pairs beautifully with a Sancerre wine. It's a white wine from the Loire region of France, which is where my husband is from, so we drink it a lot when we're there, and it just pairs beautifully with seafood. So there you have it, Ron. Lobster Thermidor. I hope there's a special occasion that pops up in your life soon that calls for serving this dish. And hey, maybe don't even wait around for the special occasion. Just make it, and then you'll have a special occasion. It's delicious, it's fabulous. I know you're gonna love it. Thanks again for being such a great supporter, and I will see you on YouTube and Facebook as well. And I'll see you guys back here next week when I'm gonna share with you how to make the ultimate, diabolically delicious chocolate chip cookie. I'll see you then.