Virgin Lobster baked with cinnamon and pine straws - by Michelin Star Chef Thomas Herman of Nimb

This dish is created by one of the top Michelin Star Chefs of Copenhagen; Thomas Herman. He is the owner of Restaurant Herman in Hotel Nimb in Tivoli.

When I saw this dish I thought of my mother in law, Susan, who is a brilliant cook herself. The combination of lobster and cinnamon would probably appeal to her. It almost seems like the fresh lobster of Florida where she resides, the taste of cinnamon from her Lebanese roots and the pine and lemon thyme combination that it very 'new nordic cuisine' brings us together again accross the Atlantic. Susan, this is for you. I love you and miss you.

Small appetizer, serves 4 

Virgin Lobster 

• 8 large virgin lobster in the shell and head
• 2 fresh, new sprouts of small biodynamic pine needles (use only the very soft part)
• 8 thin sticks of cinnamon
• 1 handfull of fresh lemon thyme
• 8 tea spoons peanut oil
• Salt and pepper 

Virgin lobster oil

• Shells from the lobster
• Grape seed oil 

Take out the meat from the lobster and save the shells and head in a bowl. Rinse and clean the lobster tails. Keep the tails refrigerated untill they are to be used.

Mince the shelles thoroughly and roast them slightly in a bit of oil in a caserole. our over the grape seed oil until it overs the shells. Turn down the burner to low and let the oil sit at about 80 C / 180 F for about 20 minutes so the oil will take flavor from the shells. Remove the caserole from the burner and let it sit and cool off for at least an hour. When cool, strain the oil through a fine strainer or coffee filter. Make sure only the oil is strained so no other fluids or impurities mix in. Disgard the shells.

Let the oil cool to room temperature and now it's ready for use for lobster mayonnaise.

• 4 egg yolks 
• 1 tea spoon sherry vinegar 
• 1 table spoon water
• 2.5 cups of lobster oil
• Salt and white pepper 
• (If you can get it in a specialty store: pine needle oil)

All ingredients have to have exactly the same temperature and may not be too cold Whisk the egg yolks with a bit of salt for a few minutes. Add the sherry vinegar and water. Whisk the oil in a little by little. You have to whisk constantly. If they mayo gets too thick you can add a little more water atleast at room temperature.  Pisk æggeblommerne med salt et par minutter og tilsæt herefter sherryeddiken og vandet.
Adjust flavor with pine needle oil, salt, pepper and sherry vinegar. 

Enter the lobster tails: 

Take out the lobsters about an hour before serving. Take 8 pieces of tin foil approx. 5 x 5 inches and ley them out on your counter top. Put a lobster tail on each piece of tin foil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Pick the soft part from the pine needles and put about 10-12  pine needles on each lobster tail.

Then put a cinnamon stick on each lobster tail and twigs of lemon thyme. Finally pour over a tea spoon of of peanut oil over each lobster tail and wrap the tin foil around it all. Pre-heat the oven to 210C/410F. Put the tin foil packages on room temperature a baking plate. A pre heated plate can over cook the lobster. Bake them for 5-6 minutes depending on size. Be careful they don't over cook.

• Serve
  Take the baked lobster tails out of the tin foil wraps and distribute on 4 plates. Use the cinnamon and lemon thyme as decoration. Serve the lobster mayonnaise in little side dish bowls. Dip the lobster tails in the mayo and enjoy. A good thing would be serving the dish with wet naps as you are supposed to use your fingers eating this dish.
  
  A nice, warm piece of french bread would compliment this dish.

Appetizer by Michelin Star Chef Thomas Herman is served!