 | Lobster Salad with Mango CaviarRobert Lia / Director of Food & Beverage, Braemar Country Club Inc., Tarzana, CA; Photo by Robert Lia |
| For the Avocado Squares: | |
| • | 1 avocado |
| Method for the Avocado Squares: | |
| 1. | Quarter one avocado. Vacuum seal each quarter, skin and pit removed. Flatten each bag with a mallet, similar to carpaccio. Freeze and reserve for use. This is a very simple way of dressing up your menu and presentation. |
| For the Mango Caviar: | |
| • | 50 g. The Perfect Purée Mango Puree, thawed |
| • | 150 g. mango fruit |
| • | 120 ml. simple syrup |
| • | 220 ml. water |
| Method for the Mango Caviar: | |
| 1. | Blend and strain all ingredients, return to scale to verify weight, then adjust with simple syrup if necessary. Pour through cheesecloth or a micron filter to eliminate pulp and air bubbles. |
| 2. | Add sodium alginate .8% = 3.36 grams |
| 3. | Blend. This step is very important. Mix the sodium alginate with the mango juice using an immersion blender until the sodium alginate is completely dissolved. If this is your first time doing this, be aware that this may take longer than expected. |
| 4. | Prepare a calcium chloride bath: 500 g. (18 oz.) purified water with 2.5 g. calcium chloride. Blend with an immersion blender. |
| 5. | Drip mango juice (mixed with alginate) into the calcium chloride bath using a syringe or pipette. Stir carefully. Strain out the mango “caviar” and rinse carefully with purified water. Serve immediately. |
| 6. | Watch video below where Robert demonstrates the process of making mango caviar. |
| For the Chili Oil: | |
| • | 1 tbsp. cayenne pepper |
| • | 1 tbsp. paprika |
| • | 1 cup grapeseed oil |
| Method for the Chili Oil: | |
| 1. | Using a saucepan, combine all ingredients together and heat. Allow to cool and steep for at least one day. Spices will settle to the bottom. Reserve the oil and discard the spices. |
| For the Basil Oil: | |
| • | 2 lb. basil, leaves only |
| • | heavily salted boiling water |
| • | 2 cups grapeseed oil |
| Method for the Basil Oil: | |
| 1. | Blanch basil, shock in ice bath then ring water out. Freeze basil, preferably overnight. In a blender, add basil and oil. Blend thoroughly. Steep overnight, stirring occasionally. Strain with cheesecloth then keep chilled. |
| 2. | For nuclear green basil oil, use frozen basil, frozen oil, frozen blender and stir frequently while steeping the blended basil and let steep for one to two days. Then strain through cheesecloth. |
| For the Chorizo Lavender Honey Vinaigrette: | |
| • | 1 cup Japanese vinegar |
| • | 2 tbsp. whole grain mustard |
| • | 1/2 cup lavender honey (available at specialty grocery stores) |
| • | 1 tsp. chervil, chopped |
| • | 4 oz. chorizo, oil rendered and reserved separate from the meat |
| • | 3 cups grapeseed oil |
| Method for the Chorizo Lavender Honey Vinaigrette: | |
| 1. | Render the chorizo fat and reserve both the chorizo and fat separately. Using a bar mixer or immersion blender, mix all ingredients together except for the grapeseed oil. Slowly drizzle in grapeseed oil to form an emulsion. Chill and reserve. Reserve chorizo meat for garnish. |
| Assembly: | |
| Remove one avocado square from the freezer and the plastic vacuum seal bag. Place at an angle in the center on the plate. Drizzle with the vinaigrette then place the half lobster tail along with the claw and knuckle meat in the center of the avocado square. Drizzle this with vinaigrette as well. Top the lobster with the micro red shiso. Garnish the plate with the mango caviar, basil and chili oils. | |
