Recipe of the week: Native lobster, spiced carrot and verbena

Sea salt flakes and pepper

Stock syrup 390g caster sugar

60g glucose

450ml water

For the lemon verbena sauce 2tbsp olive oil

90g butter

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

¼ head of celery, finely chopped

¼ fennel bulb, finely chopped

1 small garlic clove, finely chopped

12g fresh root ginger, sliced

2 star anise

1 cardamom pod, crushed

Small pinch of fennel seeds

4 black peppercorns

60ml Armagnac

40ml dry white wine

600ml chicken stock

8 lemon verbena sprigs

1 lemon grass stalk

40ml double cream

For the spiced carrot purée 2 cardamom pods

10g ground cinnamon

1 vanilla pod

2 star anise

25g fresh root ginger

400g carrots

200ml carrot juice

Caster sugar, to taste

For the braised carrots 8 baby carrots

20g butter

10g lemon verbena leaves

To finish 4 lemon verbena sprigs

For the stock syrup

Weigh the sugar into a saucepan and form a well in its centre. Weigh the glucose into the well (this will prevent the glucose sticking to the side of the pan). Pour in the water and bring to the boil. Stir with a balloon whisk to ensure that the sugar and glucose do not caramelise on the side of the pan.

Once boiled, remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. The syrup can be stored in an airtight container for one month.

To prepare the lobsters

Bring a big pan of salted water to a rolling boil. Freeze the lobsters for 20 minutes to send them to sleep, then pierce a sharp knife through their heads to kill them. Place in the pan, return to the boil and blanch for two minutes.

Remove the lobsters from the pan and take off their claws and knuckles. Return the claws to the pan of boiling water and continue to cook for a further three minutes. Refresh them in a large bowl of iced water.

Crack the claws and remove the meat. Cut the lobster tail in half lengthways and remove the intestine. Keep the claw and tail meat for the final dish. Break up the knuckles and shells for the sauce.

For the verbena gel

Bring the stock syrup to the boil in a small saucepan, then add all the remaining ingredients except the agar agar.

Remove from the heat, cover the pan with cling film and leave the syrup to infuse for 30 minutes.

Pass through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pan, then stir in the agar agar and cook over a low heat, bringing it to a gentle simmer and stirring continuously for two minutes.

Remove from the heat and pour into a shallow baking tray. Leave to cool, then cover and chill until set, which should take about an hour or so. Once set, blend until smooth.

For the verbena sauce

Heat the oil in a large pan, add 40g of the butter and when it is foaming add the lobster shells.

Add the shallot, carrot, celery, fennel, garlic, ginger and all of the spices. Cook for about five minutes (the lobster shells will become quite red).

Pour in the Armagnac and carefully light it with a match. Add the white wine and, over a high heat, reduce it to a syrupy consistency.

Stir in the stock and simmer gently until it has reduced by two-thirds. Add the lemon verbena sprigs and lemon grass, remove the pan from the heat and leave to infuse for 20 minutes.

Return the pan to the heat, bring the sauce to the boil, then pour in the cream. Return it to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook gently at a simmer for five to 10 minutes, until thickened and the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Pass through a fine-mesh sieve, return to the pan and set aside.

For the spiced carrot purée

In a dry frying pan, toast the spices over a gentle heat for about five minutes. Remove the spices from the pan, then wrap them in muslin and tie up, to create a spice bag.

Put the carrots in a saucepan with the spice bag and pour in the carrot juice. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook gently until the carrots are soft, topping up with carrot juice or a little water if required. Remove the spice bag. Drain and blend to a smooth purée. Season with salt and a little sugar. Set aside.

To braise the baby carrots

Put the carrots in a large sauté or frying pan. Pour in water so that they are submerged by three-quarters. Add the butter and verbena. Braise over a medium heat until tender, topping up with water, if necessary.

To finish and serve

In a pan, reheat all the lobster meat in a little butter, water and a pinch or two of salt over a very gentle heat for five minutes. The gentle heat is essential to retain the meat's delicate texture and prevent it from toughening.

Reheat the sauce and when it is bubbling hot, add the remaining butter, a little at a time, stirring with a balloon whisk. Taste and correct the seasoning if necessary.

Place one large spoonful of the carrot purée in the middle of each bowl. Top with the lobster meat and then the carrots. Spoon lemon verbena gel around the lobster, pour over the sauce and garnish with verbena.

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