Roasted Maine Lobster with Wild Mushrooms

Located one block from thewaterfront in Portland's Old Port District, Fore Street has become one of the most highly acclaimed restaurants in New England. Chef and co-owner Sam Hayward prepares menus based on what's fresh, in season, and local – featuring mostly organically grown or handharvested foods from a community of Maine farmers, foragers, fishmongers, and cheese makers. For summer, Chef Haywood recommends this rich and succulent lobster dish paired with Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc.

(Serves four)

Roasted Maine Lobster with Wild Mushrooms:
4 live 1½ pound Maine lobsters
Sea salt and fresh-milled black pepper
12 tablespoons softened unsalted butter, divided
½ pound fresh morels or other wild mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed
2 medium shallots, peeled, diced fine
1 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc

Herb Mixture:
1 tablespoon chopped chervil leaves
1 tablespoon sliced chives
1 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves
1 teaspoon chopped tarragon leaves
½ teaspoon chopped rosemary

In a large stock pot bring one gallon of water to a rapid boil over high flame. Add 3 Tbls. sea salt. Remove the rubber bands from the lobsters' claws. Immerse lobsters in the boiling salted water, cover the pot tightly, and cook until the water begins to actively simmer, about five minutes. ( The lobsters' shells will be mostly red, but their flesh will be only partially cooked.)

With tongs, remove the lobsters from the pot and drop them into cold water chilled with ice cubes. Chill lobsters at least five minutes. Remove them from the ice water, twist off the claws, and separate the claws from the knuckles. Push the meat out of the knuckles. With nutcrackers or the back edge of a heavy French knife, crack the claws, leaving them otherwise intact.

Place the lobsters on their backs, and with the sharp edge of a heavy French knife, split them evenly lengthwise. Remove the gritty organ directly between the eyes from each half, and spoon out the tomalley, the soft green organ in the body cavity. If any of the lobsters are female, you may also see some dark red material. This is coral, the lobster's unripened eggs, and, like the tomalley, it's loaded with concentrated lobster flavor. Remove any intestinal material that is visible in the tail muscle.

Add 4 Tbls. of tomalley and coral into the food processor with 8 tsp. of softened butter, and process until smooth. Scrape the bowl frequently with a rubber spatula. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a non-reacting skillet, melt 2 Tbls. of softened butter and sauté the wild mushrooms over high flame for about three minutes, or until nearly tender. Season with sea salt and black pepper, and set aside. Melt 2 Tbls. of softened butter in the same skillet, add the minced shallots, and cook over moderate flame one minute. Add the white wine, increase the flame, and boil until reduced to about R cup. Whisk in the tomalley butter over moderate flame to make a creamy sauce. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Keep warm.

Place the lobsters, shells down, in a non-reacting roasting pan, place the knuckle meats and wild mushrooms in the body cavities of the lobsters. Arrange the claws around the lobsters. Season the tail meat with sea salt. Spoon a little of the tomalley butter sauce over lobster and roast the lobsters in the oven for five to eight minutes, or until the tail muscles are opaque, the shells red. Baste the lobsters with any fluids that collect on the bottom of the roasting pan. Remove the lobsters from the oven, arrange them on dinner plates, and spoon remaining sauce over the lobsters. Sprinkle on the herbs. Serve immediately.