1. Remove all meat from the lobster. Cut the tender claw meat into 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) dice and set aside. Roughly chop the remaining body meat.
2. Combine the chopped body meat with the lobster body bones in a medium saucepan (2-3 qt / 1.9-2.8 L). Cover with 3 cups (710 ml) cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook uncovered for 25-35 minutes, until the stock has reduced to approximately 2 cups (475 ml) — the surface should look slightly syrupy and the liquid level will have visibly dropped by roughly one-third.
3. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding solids. Set strained stock aside.
4. In a separate medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter completely (it should foam and then subside, about 1-2 minutes). Add the flour all at once and stir constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture (a roux) smells faintly nutty and is pale gold — this is the technique of cooking a roux, which eliminates raw-flour taste and forms the base for a velouté-style sauce.
5. With the roux over medium-low heat, add the hot strained lobster stock gradually — a few tablespoons at a time at first — whisking constantly after each addition so no lumps form. This gradual incorporation is tempering: slowly raising the temperature of the roux liquid before adding the remainder prevents lumps. Continue adding stock in a thin stream, whisking, until all stock is incorporated.
6. Raise heat to medium and cook the sauce, stirring frequently, for 5-8 minutes, until it is smooth, thickened enough to coat a spoon, and no raw-flour taste remains (dip a clean spoon: the sauce should hold a line drawn through it with a fingertip).
7. Remove from heat. Stir in the 1/2 teaspoon salt, few grains cayenne, and 1/2 tablespoon (7.5 ml) lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning.
8. Add the reserved lobster claw dice. Stir gently to combine. Serve immediately, or keep warm over very low heat, stirring occasionally, for no more than 10 minutes to avoid toughening the lobster meat.
9. Optional — if the lobster contains coral (the dark greenish-red roe found near the tail): prepare Lobster Butter by pressing the coral through a fine sieve and working it into softened butter. Add a small amount of flour to form a paste, then stir this paste into the finished sauce to thicken and colour it further. (See Farmer's Lobster Butter recipe in the same chapter for proportions.)
Your family has recipes like this too.
The handwritten cards, the dishes only grandma remembers — save them before they fade. Free to start.