Cousin Mark's lobster with tarragon stuffing
Serves 4
At Lineage restaurant, chef and co-owner Jeremy Sewall cuts the stuffing into neat rounds to serve the lobster, which he surrounds with summer vegetables, such as corn, cherry tomatoes, and slender green beans. This is an easier presentation.
LOBSTER AND STUFFING
| Butter (for the dish) | |
| 6 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
| 1/2 | onion, finely chopped |
| 1 | stalk celery, finely chopped |
| 1/2 | carrot, finely chopped |
| 4 | thick slices brioche or challah, cut into 1/2-inch cubes |
| 2 | eggs, lightly beaten |
| 2 | tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon |
| Salt and pepper, to taste | |
| 1 | cup vegetable stock |
| 4 | lobsters (1 1/2 pounds each) |
2. Set the oven at 350 degrees. In a skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. Cook the onion, celery, and carrot for 5 minutes or until they begin to soften but not brown.
3. Transfer the vegetables and any butter in the skillet to a large bowl. Add the bread. Stir in the eggs, tarragon, salt, pepper, and enough of the vegetable stock, 1/4 cup at a time, to make the stuffing moist but not soggy. Transfer to the baking dish. Cut up the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and scatter it on the mixture.
4. Bake the stuffing for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Meanwhile, in a large pot, cook the lobsters over high heat for 6 minutes. Using tongs, transfer them to a sinkful of ice water. Let the lobsters cool for 10 minutes. Remove the claws from the shell carefully to keep them in whole pieces. Remove the tails from the bodies and split them lengthwise, keeping the meat in the shell. (Use the lobster bodies for another meal.)
SAUCE
| 1/4 | cup white wine |
| 1/4 | cup champagne or white wine vinegar |
| 1 | shallot, finely sliced |
| 1 | bay leaf |
| 2 | sprigs of thyme |
| 2 | peppercorns |
| 1 | cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes |
| Salt and pepper, to taste | |
| 1/4 | cup vegetable broth |
2. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer and return to a clean saucepan. Using a whisk over very low heat, stir in the butter, a few cubes at a time, whisking constantly as the butter melts. The sauce should never boil and should be thick enough to coat a spoon. Add salt and pepper; keep warm.
3. Set the oven at 300 degrees. Cut the stuffing into 4 squares.
4. In a roasting pan large enough to hold the lobsters in one layer, place half the butter sauce and the vegetable broth. Add the lobsters and transfer to the oven. Heat for 15 minutes or until the lobsters are hot to the touch.
5. On a rimmed baking sheet, place the stuffing pieces and warm them for 10 minutes.
6. Arrange a piece of stuffing on each of 4 dinner plates. Arrange the lobster on top, interlocking the two pieces of tail and placing the claws on top. Drizzle the remaining butter sauce on top. Adapted from Lineage 
