Payards Apricot Recipes

PAYARD'S APRICOT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange four 3-inch-by-2-inch aluminum molds or ramekins on a baking sheet.
• Stir sugar, honey and 1 tablespoon water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved. Boil syrup, shaking occasionally, until thick and light brown, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and carefully stir in the butter. Pour syrup into molds to make a 1/4-inch layer in each.
• Arrange 3 apricot halves (or 1 large peach half), cut sides up, in each mold. Place 1/2 almond between two apricot halves and bake 10 to 15 minutes, until apricots are tender and juices bubble. (Time will depend upon ripeness of fruit.) Remove from oven.
• Meanwhile, roll out pastry on floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into four 3 1/4-inch rounds with a biscuit cutter. Prick rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet with a fork and bake at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Using your thumb, smear each round with a very thin layer of corn syrup to glaze and prevent sogginess.
• Discard almond halves.
• Place a pastry round over fruit in each mold, glazed side down. Wrap the bottom of a drinking glass with plastic wrap and press the glass onto the pastry round to compress the dessert and infuse pastry with fruit. Collect overflowing juice for use as a sauce.
• Carefully invert each onto a serving dish; serve with sauce.

SCHRAFFT'S LOBSTER THERMIDOR

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Split lobsters down the middle and remove and reserve meat from tail and claws. Discard everything from the head and remove the front legs, without detaching the cartilage that holds the head and tail together. Rinse and dry shells and set aside.
• Cut reserved meat into 1/2-inch dice. Sauté in 2 tablespoons butter, add shallot, lemon juice, paprika and cayenne until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. In another pan, sauté mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter until tender.
• Set aside mushrooms and lobster meat. Melt the remaining butter in the pan the lobster was cooked in. Stir in the flour and mustard and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the stock, then the cream, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the lobster and mushrooms and cook 2 more minutes. Season with salt, pepper and lemon.
• Spoon mixture into the shells, sprinkle with cheese and bake until the cheese is lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve immediately.