Lobster and Beet Salad
By: Anonymous
Published: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 - 4:01pm

Ingredients




3 pounds x live lobsters - (2  ea)
3 lrg red beets
Coarse sea salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
6 fresh thyme sprigs
1 lrg golden beet
2 tablespoons sherry-wine vinegar plus
2 teaspoons sherry-wine vinegar plus more
4 teaspoons walnut oil
2 leeks, white and light-green julienned
2 cups vegetable oil
Coarse salt to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream very cold
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly-grated horseradish
1 tablespoon sherry-wine vinegar
Coarse salt to taste
Freshly-ground white pepper to taste
1 tablespoon finely-chopped chives

Preparation

1 In a large stockpot, bring 2 inches of salted water to a boil. Add lobsters, cover, and steam for 10 minutes. Remove lobsters from pot, and set aside to cool. 2 Remove the meat from the claws. Shell and devein the tails. Cut each of the tails in half lengthwise. Cut each half in half lengthwise; set aside (the lobster can be prepared a few hours in advance and kept, refrigerated, covered with damp paper towels and plastic wrap). 3 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack positioned in the center. 4 Wrap red beets in parchment paper and aluminum foil with a pinch of salt and pepper, and three sprigs of thyme. Repeat with the golden beet. Place on a baking sheet, and roast until fork-tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Set aside until cool enough to handle. 5 Peel beets. Place in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons sherry-wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon walnut oil. Season with salt and pepper. Process until finely chopped; transfer to a medium bowl, and set aside. 6 Thinly slice the golden beet. Fan the slices out on a plate. Drizzle with remaining 2 teaspoons sherry-wine vinegar and 1 teaspoon walnut oil; set aside for garnish. 7 To make the Fried Leeks: Wash the leeks in a medium bowl of cool water. Drain, and dry well with paper towels. Heat oil in a deep saucepan to 300 degrees on a deep-frying thermometer. Carefully add leeks to the oil, and cook until light-golden brown. Remove, and drain on paper towels. Lightly season with salt. 8 To make the Horseradish Cream: In a small bowl, whisk together the cream, horseradish, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in chives. 9 Season lobster meat with salt and pepper. Lightly drizzle with vinegar and walnut oil. Place a small mound of red beets in the center of each plate. Arrange lobster on top of beets. Garnish each plate with a few slices of golden beets. Top with fried leeks. Spoon the horseradish cream around the perimeter of the plate. 10 This recipe yields 6 servings.