Although this recipe has a long list of ingredients, it is very doable and has the wow factor, to impress you guests.
Tomato Sauce:
2 Medium sized tomatoes, halved.
2 tsp tomato paste
2 tsp vodka
1 tsp strained white horseradish juice
1 Tbl Sherry vinegar
1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
8 drops tabasco sauce
Up to 1 day ahead, make the tomato sauce: Squeeze out the tomato seeds and cut the tomatoes into large chunks. Puree in a blender or food processor, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing firmly on the tomatoes to extract as much juice as possible. Place the juice in a bowl and whisk in the tomato paste, vodka, horseradish juice, vinegar, salt and pepper.. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Whisk in the tabasco and refrigerate until very cold.
Lobster Salad:
2 (1 1/2 lb) lobsters, poached
3 TBL mayonnaise
1/4 tsp chopped fresh tarragon
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Fine sea salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 hours before serving, make the lobster salad. Cut the lobster into medium-fine dice. Place it in a bowl and mix in the mayonnaise, tarragon, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill
Guacamole:
1 medium avocado
1 scallion, white part only, thinly sliced
1 small ripe tomato, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch dice
1/2 small jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp olive oil
sea salt to taste
Fresh pepper to taste
2 hours before serving, make the guacamole. Halve the avocado, pull out the pit and peel, and cut the flesh into cubes. Place the cubed avocado in a bowl and mash in coarsely with a fork. Mix in the scallion, tomato, jalapeno, coriander, lemon and limes juices, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate.
Garnish:
3 medium-size ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded, each cut into 8 wedges
4 tsp vinaigrette
2 tsp Dijon
1 tsp sea salt
2 pinches pepper
3 TBL red wine vinegar
3 TBL sherry vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup corn oil
8 fresh basil leaves, cut across into 1/4-inch wide stripes
Set aside 20 tomato wedges. Cut 5 1/2 inch squares out of each of the rest. Season with salt and pepper and toss with the vinaigrette.
Up to 30 minutes before serving, put a 2 1/4 inch mold or cookie cutter in the centre of the serving plate and spoon 1/4 of the guacamole into it. Smooth the top and remove the mold. Using an ice cream scoop, top with a ball of lobster salad. Arrange 5 tomato wedges evenly around the plate, skin side down. The wedges should look like flower petals. Put 1 of the tomato squares under the centre of each tomato wedge to lift the petal off the plate. Refrigerate the plates until just before serving.
Just before serving, spoon the tomato sauce around the tomatoes and guacamole to cover the plates. Scatter the sliced basil over the lobster salad and in between the tomatoes.
Based on a recipe from : Le Bernardin Cookbook: Four-Star Simplicity by Eric Ripert and Maguy Le Coze
