Langosta Rellena

As we looked ahead at this recipe, a couple of measurements just didn't look right to me - specifically 1/4 cup Tabasco sauce and 1 tablespoon salt for something that was to serve 2 people. Since my dear husband is a stickler for following instructions exactly, and since I didn't want to waste $50 worth of lobster on something that was inedible, I figured I would make the recipe ahead of time, substituting canned ham (which he would be happy to throw away!) for the lobster. I also couldn't quite envision how the combination of butter, flour, milk and egg would turn out. Would it be like a souffle, a creamy white sauce or a Dutch baby? 

Stuffed Ham

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup Tabasco sauce
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 cup white wine
• about 1 cup diced ham

Melt the butter and oil in an ovenproof skillet. Stir in flour and incorporate well. Add the milk, Tabasco, egg and salt. Stir until thick. Add wine and lobster. Dot with butter. (Forgot that step!) Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Serves 2, or 16!

I discovered I was correct in my assumption that it would be inedible! The texture was kind of like polenta (similar to another recipe from this cookbook - Pampano Papillot), and it was way to Tabasco-y and salty. And why on earth is it called "stuffed"? If anything the batter is stuffed with meat, not the other way around. Yes, it should be stuffed down the disposal. However, we really don't like wasting food, so I'm trying to come up with ideas to salvage it. 

First, I topped a small slice with an egg. Adding some fried potatoes to the plate as well worked quite well; at least it made the disaster palatable.

Second, instead of easy-over eggs, we tried scrambled, and also added an extra slice of ham to the concoction. It was fine, but I liked the first version better.

Third, I made a mushroom sauce to serve over it. That did a pretty good job at toning down the undesirable flavors.

Finally, I tried Wayne's suggestion to deep fry it. I cut the remainder into bite-sized cubes, dipped them in flour, then milk, then bread crumbs before dropping them into hot oil to cook. I was expecting them to fall apart, but, surprisingly, they didn't. I quite liked the crunchiness. I had considered making a cheese sauce to dip the nuggets in, but we still had leftover mushroom gravy, so used that instead.

When the time comes to make it with lobster, Wayne agreed to change the printed measurements for Tabasco and salt. Consequently, this experiment is deemed a success! (Actually, he back tracked, and will just halve the Tabasco - 2 tablespoons - and salt - 1 1/2 teaspoons.)

Langosta Rellena, or Stuffed Lobster

meat from a 2 pound lobster (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup butter

1 cup flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup white wine

We couldn't find a two-pound lobster, so got two pounds worth of lobster tails instead. After cooking them, we had one pound of lobster, or about 3 cups worth of meat. Because of that, there's a bit of lobster in every bite. So, surprisingly, not only was this edible, it was almost delicious, and we won't mind eating the leftovers, because there really are at least six servings, not two!

We liked it best topped with a dollop of sour cream and mild salsa!

Look at my beautiful anniversary flowers! I'll serve some Langosta Rellena as an appetizer for our Sunday anniversary dinner this year.