[Sca-cooks] Re: European lobsters

[Olwen the Odd]

>Also sprach Olwen the Odd:
>>In a message dated 10/21/2002 10:42:32 AM Eastern Standard Time, Devra
>>writes:
>>>
>>>>  The pictures of the lobsters in the Dutch paintings (17th cent?) in
>>>>the
>>>Albany exhibit all seemed to have fairly
>>>>  substantial claws...
>>>>  Devra the Baker
>>>>  _______________________________________________
>>>
>>>KEwl. Someone else who went. I even dropped money on the book, I enjoyed
>>>it
>>>so much.Anybody want scans of the lobsters??
>>>
>>>Andrea
>>
>>I would.  I would still like to know if there is any chance they served
>>only
>>the claws and tails.  Anyone???
>>Olwen
>
>I haven't seen any specific reference to it. I suppose it's possible
>they were dressed in different ways before serving, but they
>certainly appear to have been cooked whole, and live. (I STR a
>practice of sticking the claws into the mouth and/or vent before
>cooking, possibly sort of like trussing a bird.) The author of the
>Proper Neue Boke of Cokery talks at some length of how to dress a
>crab before serving, sort of a precursor to Crab Imperial (i.e. the
>meat is picked out of the shell and stuffed back into the carapace
>with seasonings), but those are crabs. Chiquart mentions picking the
>meat out of crayfish shells, seasoning it (vinegar and parsley, IIRC)
>and restuffing it back into the shells, before frying them face down,
>presumably sort of crusting them over and sealing the meat into the
>shell for service.
>
>But the short answer is no, I've never seen any evidence of Europeans
>serving only the tails and claws of a lobster.
>
>Adamantius

This is good.  It gave me flashing visions in my mind.  I shall have to
share this with Hans.  Oddly enough, we were discussing lobsters just last
evening.
Olwen

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