More than five years in preparation, Lobster at Home will teach anyone, from the most inexperienced novice to the seasoned professional, to master the art of cooking lobster. Written clearly and with care for important detail, Lobster at Home goes far beyond any other seafood cookbook. It explains everything from how to choose just the right lobster for a delectable dinner to how to extract every last morsel of meat from a cooked lobster. A treasure trove of information, it also contains completely reliable chapters on lobster anatomy, the basic cooking techniques and the essential equipment. Recipes cover the full range of dishes: soups, chowders, stews, salads and sandwiches, as well as pot-pies, pastas, risottos and classic main courses, along with a special chapter on chefs' creations. Now you can easily turn out restaurant favorites such as Lobster Bisque, Baked Stuffed Lobster and Lobster Fra Diavolo right at home, and at a fraction of the cost.
Among this book's unique features:
a beautiful illustration showing how and when to select lobster, helping the cook know at a glance when hardshells and soft-shells are available, as well as the best prices
a handy chart giving cooking times for each size of lobster
a list of recommended sources for mail-ordering live lobsters
many recipes that call for the use of already-cooked lobster
From cover to cover, this is a book that welcomes all kinds of lobster lovers who have always wanted to cook lobster at home for family and friends.
The recipes include the essential steamed, boiled, or grilled lobsters, as well as salads, chowders, and soups. In addition, Mr. White provides excellent directions and variations for his wonderful Pan-roasted lobster. The book also includes recipes and detailed directions for such classics as Lobster Thermidore and Newburg.
This is all around an excellent book, and Mr. White's style makes lobsters much more approachable!
A quick note about Mr. Lafleur's comments: Perhaps he has a different "version" of the book (is there more than one version?), but my copy includes full-color pictures of some of the recipes, plus drawings of how to cut up the lobster, lobster anatomy, and various lobster prep/eating tools. I especially like the circular chart describing lobster availability/quality throughout the year.
The recipes in here are truly inventive and luscious. How about the New England September Soup of Pumpkin, Sweet Corn and Lobster? Maybe Lobster Pizza, or Spaghetti with Lobster, Tomatoes and Capers, or Pappardelle with Lobster, Mushrooms, Shallots, and Cream. The baked stuffed lobster is one of the best recipes in this entire cookbook. We had this dish at Legal Seafood (where author/chef Jasper White has worked), but it wasn't as good as the one in the cookbook - the restaurant's stuffing tasted mostly like cracker, and this one has more to it than that. If you have a strong stomach and don't mind mucking with live lobsters, you can enjoy this cookbook to the fullest. But there are truly very few recipes that you can't make by using pre-cooked lobster meat. Lobster Ravioli, Avocado and Lobster Salad with Toasted Almonds, Warm Green Salad with Lobster, Mineola Oranges & Citrus Vinaigrette, and so on. You'll find appetizers, sandwiches, cold plates, main courses, and even a section on "Great Lobsters from Great Chefs." I'm not a lobster fiend like my husband, but I look forward to every use of this cookbook. Lobster meat may be expensive, but these recipes make a heck of a way to celebrate holidays and other special occasions.
