Lobster Civet

To prepare the lobster: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Kill the lobsters by inserting the point of a sharp knife into the heads. Remove the tails and claws from the lobsters. Pull the lobster bodies apart, reserving the pieces. Plunge the tails and claws into the water. Cook the claws 3 minutes after the water returns to a boil; remove and drain. Plunge into cold water to stop the cooking; drain again. Cook the tails 2 more minutes; remove and drain. Plunge into cold water to stop the cooking. The lobster tails should not be completely cooked through at this point. Carefully crack the claws and remove the meat in one piece. Set aside. Put the lobster tails and butter in a saute pan or skillet over medium heat and pan-roast 3 to 4 minutes, turning several times. Add the port wine to the pan and stir up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, until the tails are done through. Set aside off the heat.

To prepare the sauce: Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and saute the shallots, garlic, carrot, celery, and lobster body pieces until the vegetables are slightly softened. Stir in the stock, white wine, thyme, and rosemary. Cook until the liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup. Stir in the cognac; avert your face and ignite. Shake the pan as the alcohol burns off. When the flames have died down, add the red wine and the liquid from the lobster tail pan. Simmer over medium-low heat until the liquid is reduced by half, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and strain through a fine-meshed sieve, pressing down on the solids to extract all the liquid. Return to medium-low heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of butter. Keep warm.

To make the socca: In a large bowl, combine the chick pea flour, oil, water, and salt; a stick blender may be used to mix the batter. Stir in the herbs; season to taste with pepper. The batter will be thin, like crepe batter. Melt the butter in a large saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Ladle batter into the pan and tilt the pan to form a circle. Cook until bubbles form in the batter; lift at the edge and flip. Cook on the second side until golden. Remove and stack on a plate.While the batter is thin like crepe batter, the finished crepe should be about twice as thick, and crisp. The socca may also be baked in a large pan, like a pizza pan, at 450 F for about 5 minutes, until bubbles form on the surface, then broiled until the bubbles brown and break.

To finish the tail: Using kitchen scissors, trim off the tail flippers and cut out the thin bottom shells, leaving the meat in the top shells. Cut each into 5 medallions, following the lines on the top of the shell; use the last two shell divisions as one medallion.

To prepare the garnishes: Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat and add the lobster claw meat. Saute briefly on each side to warm. Reduce the heat to medium and add the wine. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until the claw meat is glazed. Remove from heat. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in each of two saute pans or skillets over medium-high heat. Toss the carrot julienne in one pan; toss the salsify julienne in the other. When the vegetables are warmed through, remove from heat.

To serve: Place a socca pancake in the center of each warmed plate. On each, place the medallions from one of the lobster tails in a circle with a double medallion in the center. Criss-cross strips of carrot and salsify julienne over the center medallion and overlap two glazed lobster claws on top. Drizzle sauce around the pancakes. Garnish each dish with a chervil sprig.