In February I had the joy of welcoming two Maine-iacs for the weekend. Although their mere company would have brought unmitigated pleasure, they brought along four crustaceans of the delicious breed and then cooked them up right before my very eyes with expertise and perfection. Thank you, Digenes and Elisabeth, for the lobster (or should I say lobstah as I was painfully instructed?) but mostly for the most enjoyable weekend.

Potatoes

Small gourmet red potatoes

Whole thyme

Vegetable oil

Salt & pepper

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. What potatoes and dry thoroughly. Cut potatoes in half and then dry once again. Place the potatoes in a shallow roasting pan. Add a thin layer of vegetable oil in order to finely coat the potatoes. Sprinkle on thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly with your hands leaving potatoes in one layer on the bottom of the pan. Cook for 30-45 minutes depending on desired crispiness.

Lobster

Fill large soup kettle with enough water to completely submerge your lobsters (or lobstahs). Add one tablespoon of salt per half gallon of water. Bring the water to full boil and drop in the lobster head first. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Cool for 3-5 minutes.

Serve with melted clarified or unclarified butter.

Asparagus

Snap asparagus stalks discarding the woody stems.

Place the asparagus in low frying pan and cover with water.

Steam to the desired tenderness.

Drizzle with Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise Sauce

2 egg yolks

3-4 ounces butter

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon water

Salt and pepper

Lemon juice

Place vinegar and water in small saucepan. Boil until reduced by half. Allow to cool. Place over low flame. Add egg yolks and whisk until sauce begins to thicken. Gradually beat in butter. DO NOT allow sauce to boil. Season and add lemon juice to taste.

Clarified Butter

Melt butter in a small pan and refrigerate. When the butter has solidified, pop off the top and scrape the bottom. The solidified part is your clarified butter.