This weekend I
went home to the countryside and was greeted by dad flourishing two cooked lobsters from his
backpack – he does not habitually wear backpacks, but is a MAMIL, and treats cycling
the 60 mile round trip to Portsmouth fish market like a trip to the corner
shop!
In the summer
there is nothing better than a lobster salad with the best mayonnaise, but the
cold weather required comfort i.e. pillowy brioche to make New England (via
Paris) -style lobster rolls. Brioche
dough is easy to make with a freestanding mixer and the only hassle is it needs
to prove overnight in the fridge (which only meant waiting longer for the lobster!). For the filling, I made a thousand island
dressing, to keep with the American theme and gave diced avocado, old-school
lettuce and vine tomatoes for everyone to build their own. The best sandwich
ever??
Brioche Rolls
Adapted from
Raymond Blanc’s Kitchen Secrets
300g Strong White
Flour
7g Fast Action
Dried Yeast
4 Eggs
1 tsp Salt
1 tbsp Caster
Sugar
50ml Milk, warmed
250g Unsalted
Butter at room temperature, diced into 1cm squares
- Whisk the yeast into the milk and leave for a moment to bubble.
- In the bowl of a free standing mixer with a dough hook place the flour, salt and sugar. Mix on a low speed and add the eggs to form a dough.
- Slowly pour in the yeasty milk and mix for a few minutes.
- With the mixer running, add in the butter one bit at a time, making sure the butter is fully incorporated each time. This takes a while – up to half an hour. By the end you should have a glossy dough.
- Cover with cling film and leave to prove in the fridge overnight. In the morning take out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. This should take 1 ½ hours.
- Divide the dough into 6 equal portions and roll each into a ball. Place widely apart on a well-floured baking tray and leave to prove for another hour.
- Brush with egg wash and cook in the oven until golden and hollow when tapped – about 20 minutes.
Thousand Island
Dressing
- Grill 1 Yellow Pepper and 1 Red Pepper on all sides until blackened. Place in a bowl and cover with cling film. After ten minutes peel off the charred skin, remove the seeds and cut into small dice.
- In a bowl mix 6 tbsp Mayonnaise, 1 tbsp Tomato Ketchup, a splash Worcestershire Sauce, a splash of Tabasco (to taste), the juice of half a Lemon, 1tsp Paprika, a pinch Cayenne Pepper and plenty of ground black pepper. Stir in the diced peppers and serve.
