959—Homard à la Grammont

Split the lobster open lengthwise down the middle. Withdraw the meat from the tail; trim it, and cut it into regular collops. Coat the latter again and again with aspic jelly, that they may be well covered with it; decorate each with a slice of truffle, and glaze it with the same aspic.

Also coat with jelly as many very white poached and dried oysters as there are collops.

Now take the creamy parts and the meat of the claws, and pound them finely with one tablespoonful of cold Béchamel sauce; rub through a sieve, and, with the resulting purée combined with melted fish jelly and cream (see lobster mousse No. 956, Mousse de Homard), prepare a mousse “au paprika” of a decided pink colour.

Fill the two half-carapaces to their edges with this mousse, and leave it to set on ice.

When about to serve, lay the collops, glazed with jelly, upon this mousse, and place an oyster between each pair. Dish the two garnished half-carapaces, back to back, upon a napkin, and put the heart of a lettuce in the middle, and a bunch of curled-leaf parsley at either end.

Serve a mayonnaise or other cold sauce separately.