LITTLE LUXURIES

by chef Chantel Dartnall of Restaurant Mosaic

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

Lobster mousseline

1 large lobster

200ml cold, fresh cream

3 egg yolks

Maldon salt to taste

fresh orange zest to taste

12 cabbage leaves

Champagne Beurre Blanc

1 medium shallot

200ml Champagne

100ml orange juice

orange zest, to taste

50ml double cream

150g butter

salt to taste

Tuille de pain

30g cake flour

60g grapeseed oil

200g water

1ml yellow food colouring gel

1ml red food colouring gel

1ml orange food colouring gel

Seaweed cream

100g cream cheese, room temperature

2t dried seaweed, blended in spice grinder

2t white balsamic glaze

Maldon salt to taste

METHOD

Lobster mousseline

1. Bring 2L salted water to the boil.
2. Rinse the lobster in cold water, then plunge into boiling water and cook for 4 minutes, then drain immediately. Do not cook for longer or the flesh will become tough.
3. Leave to cool, take out the meat from the shells, and cut large dice from the lobster meat.
4. Weigh out 150g of the meat for the mousse and keep the rest in a bowl to fill the moulds.
5. In a NutriBullet or blender add all ingredients and blend till smooth. Make sure all ingredients are as cold as possible before blending and do not over blend. The mixture should be soft and slightly runny.
6. Season to taste and refrigerate until required.
7. Remove the cabbage stalks and blanch the leaves in boiling water for 10 seconds. Drain immediately, then plunge into iced water to prevent any further cooking.
8. Dry each leaf by spreading it out flat on a tea towel.
9. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
10. Brush and thickly coat the insides of 12 half-round moulds about 6cm in diameter with softened butter.
11. Line the bottom and sides of the moulds with the cabbage leaves and half-fill the moulds with lobster mousse.
12. Place a few pieces of the diced lobster into the mousse and then fill the moulds with the remaining lobster mousse and fold the cabbage leaves over to enclose it completely.
13. Place the moulds in a bain-marie and pour in water heated to 70°C.
14. Cover with foil and bake for 7- 8 minutes until the mousse has set.

Champagne Beurre Blanc

1. Peel and finely chop the shallots and place in small saucepan with the Champagne, orange juice and orange zest.
2. Over low heat reduce until slightly syrupy. Add the cream and bring to simmer.
3. Take pan off the heat and beat in half the cubes of butter a little at a time.
4. Place your pot back on the stove over low heat and beat in the remaining butter, little at a time.
5. When butter is all incorporated, strain through fine sieve.
6. Season to taste and keep in a bain-marie or over low heat until needed.

Tuille de Pain

1. I like to get my pan at a nice medium-high heat on the burner. Mix your water, flour, oil and colouring together using a whisk.
2. Your oil is going to be the first thing you put in the pan, and when your oil is hot enough spoon your tuille de pain mixture into the pan like for when you are making pancakes, and watch out for spatter.
3. When the tuille crisps up remove the tuille from the pan and cut into the desired shape and set aside until needed.
4. Repeat the process until you have enough tuille for each plate.

Seaweed cream

1. In a mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese until smooth with no lumps.
2. Mix in the salt, dried seaweed and white balsamic glaze.
3. Place the mixture in piping bag and leave in the fridge.
4. Cut a small tip off the piping bag just before using you can also place the mixture in squeezy bottles if preferred.
5. Use the seaweed cream to create a circle on your plate and garnish the circle as you like with fresh herbs and flowers.

PLATING

1. Take the plate garnished with the seaweed cream, fresh herbs and flowers and place the warm lobster mousse in the center of your plate.
2. For a main course add two halves of the lobster mousse together to create a sphere (for a starter only use half the sphere).
3. Place a tuille on top of the lobster mousse parcel and then present a generous serving of the warm Champagne Beurre Blanc around the lobster mousse and enjoy.