532.—LOBSTER CURRY. (Fr.—Homard au Kari.)
Ingredients.—1 lobster (or tinned lobster of a reliable brand), ¾ of a pint of fish stock and milk mixed, or all milk may be used, 1 tablespoonful of grated cocoanut, 1 dessertspoonful of curry-powder, 1 teaspoonful of flour, 1 teaspoonful of curry-paste, 2 ozs. of butter, 1 large onion, 1 apple (green gooseberries or rhubarb may be substituted), salt, lemon-juice.
Method.—Melt the butter in a stewpan, put in the onion (coarsely chopped), the flour and curry-powder, and fry these gently for 10 minutes. Add the stock, milk, curry-paste, cocoanut, sliced apple, and salt, stir the mixture until it boils, then cover closely, and simmer gently for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove the flesh from the lobster, and cut it into inch-square pieces. When the sauce is ready, rub it through a fine sieve or strainer, return it to the saucepan, add seasoning to taste, and re-heat. Just before it reaches boiling point, put in the pieces of lobster, cover closely, and draw the stewpan to the side of the stove for 15 to 20 minutes, to allow the lobster to become hot and impregnated with the flavour of the sauce, add lemon-juice to taste and serve with boiled rice.
Time.—About 2 hours. Average Cost, 2s. to 2s. 6d. Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Seasonable from April to October.
Note.—Crayfish, prawns and other fish may be curried according to the directions given above; in all cases the fish must be cooked before being added to the sauce.
533.—LOBSTER CUTLETS. (Fr.—Côtelettes de Homard.)
Ingredients.—1 hen lobster, 1½ ozs. of butter, 1 oz. of flour, ¼ of a pint of milk or water, 1 tablespoonful of cream, 1 egg, breadcrumbs, salt, cayenne, parsley, frying fat.
Method.—Remove the flesh from the lobster, and chop it into small pieces. Pound the spawn (if any) with ½ an oz. of butter, and pass it through a hair sieve. Melt 1 oz of butter in a small stewpan, stir in the flour, add the milk, and boil well. Then add to it the lobster, cream, spawn, cayenne and salt, mix well together, and turn onto a plate to cool. When the mixture is firm enough to mould, make it up into cutlets, cover them with egg and breadcrumb, and fry until nicely browned in hot fat. Dish in a circle, putting a piece of lobster feeler in each cutlet to represent a bone, and garnish with fried parsely.
Time.—About 2 or 2½ hours. Average Cost, 1s. 9d. 2s. 3d. Sufficient for 9 or 10 small cutlets. Seasonable from April to October.
