Ingredients
Serves 6 as a starter
6 large, evenly sized, firm tomatoes
1-2 lobster, cooked, cut into bite-sized chunks
50g butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
½ cup verjuice or dry white wine
1 cup cream
2 pinches saffron threads
1 small fennel bulb, finely shaved, tops reserved and finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Heat cream in small saucepan or microwave until nearly boiling. Add saffron threads and leave to cool and infuse.
Melt butter in a frypan over medium-low heat. Add shallot and cook until soft, but not coloured. De-glaze pan with verjuice, stirring until it has almost entirely evaporated - about 3 minutes. Add saffron cream and fennel bulb. Lower heat and simmer, cooking until sauce has reduced to about half. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir through most of the chopped fennel tops, leaving enough to scatter across the finished dish.
To skin tomatoes, use a sharp knife, cut a cross, about 1cm long at the base of each tomato. Plunge the tomatoes into boiling water for about 30 seconds, then plunge them into iced water. Remove and drain on paper towel. You should then be able to pull off the skin from each tomato in four pieces.
Remove the core end and all seeds from the tomatoes, taking care not to make any holes in the tomato. Make the hole at the top large enough to be able to refill the tomatoes with lobster mix comfortably.
Place tomatoes on a serving platter (or six individual dishes) and fill with lobster mix. Drizzle any remaining sauce around the tomatoes and scatter with chopped fennel leaves.
Serve hot or at room temperature.
To cook a lobster if you buy it green:
In a large cooking pot, bring salty water to boil (3 tbsp salt per 4 litres of water).
Drown lobster in large bucket (with lid) in fresh water (until mouth is motionless) - 20-40mins.
When water is boiling add lobster. When water returns to gentle boil start timing:
600 - 800grams = 9 to 10 minutes
800 - 1000gm = 11 to 12 mins
1000gm = 12 mins
For every 100gm over 1000gm add another minute
2kg+ = 22 mins
For every 100gm over 2kg add another 0.75 mins
After cooking for required time place lobster in ice salt water to cool (to prevent further cooking) - approx 20 mins. After cooling place lobsters on its back cover and place in refrigerator (or on ice). Shelf life is 4 days or wrap in newspaper & plastic and freeze for up to 3 months.
For further recipes visit the Goulburn Valley website: www.gvtomatoes.com.au