Flambéed lobster soup with Pernod cream

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 small lobster in ice (approx. 400 g)
• 500 ml cream
• 200 ml chicken broth
• ½ tbsp tomato paste
• 4 cl cognac
• 4 cl white port wine
• 4 cl dry vermouth (Noilly Prat)
• 1 dashes of Pernod
• Salt
• Cayenne pepper
• Oil, neutral

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour

Thaw the lobster slowly (2 days in the refrigerator). Then remove the meat from the tail and claws. Cut the meat into small pieces. Reserve enough cream (about 100 ml) to make some whipped cream with a hand mixer. You only need 1-2 tablespoons per plate. If there’s too much, use the rest when making the soup. Keep the prepared whipped cream ready in the refrigerator (without Pernod). Break the red lobster shells into small pieces (you can also use poultry shears). Make sure the pieces are as dry as possible. Pat dry with kitchen paper if necessary. Have the shell pieces, tomato paste, the alcohol, oil, a lighter, and the chicken broth ready on the stove. This will need to happen quickly later. First, heat a slightly wider pot until it noticeably radiates heat when you hold your hand over it. Add a splash of oil, followed immediately by the lobster shells. It should sizzle vigorously (the pot is heated dry, otherwise the oil would burn and smoke first). While stirring, roast the peels vigorously. Add the tomato paste and roast it too, but don’t let it burn. Add the cognac and light it. Be careful: if you don’t have a metal filter in your extractor hood, you should briefly remove the pot from the heat for flambéing. A fat-soaked filter mat, fanned by the airflow from the extractor, burns beautifully! As soon as the cognac is almost completely reduced, add the port wine. Bring it back down, then do the same with the vermouth. Once this is reduced, add the chicken stock and cream. Bring to a boil once, cover, and remove from the heat. Let it steep for 0.5 hours or longer. Strain the soup through a fine-mesh sieve. Season with salt and a touch of cayenne pepper. Be careful with the cayenne pepper. The soup should definitely not taste spicy and make you sweat. There should only be a subtle, pleasant hint of spiciness on the palate. This effect takes time to develop. So when tasting, wait about 20-30 seconds before adding a little more cayenne pepper. Bring the soup back to a boil before serving. Pour a little hot soup over the lobster meat to warm it up. Don’t cook it in the soup, or it will become tough! It will also be easier to divide the meat evenly between plates. Flavor the whipped cream with a dash of Pernod and add a dollop to each plate or soup bowl. Serve with fresh baguette. A dry white wine, such as a Pinot Gris, makes the dish perfect.