Aspic of Lobster

Prepare a wooden foundation about two inches thick and furnished with a slightly raised border on the outer edge so as to uphold the entree when dressed. The aspic mold should be chosen slightly narrower than the bottom of the dish, which is to be covered with paper. Suppress the shells from the tails and claws of two or three small cooked lobsters; cut the tails lengthways in two and also split the claw-meat in two, then put them into a vessel and season. Prepare a garnishing of carrots cut into balls with a small vegetable spoon, blanch and lay them in the vessel and with them mix gherkin balls cut the same size, small cooked Brussels sprouts, small blanched olives stuffed with anchovies, and a seasoning of salt, oil and vinegar. Incrust on ice a dome-shaped mold wider than its height, decorate the sides and bottom with designs of hard-boiled egg white, truffles and gherkins; coat the mold rather thickly with jelly; fill the inside with the halved lobster tail and claws, pressing the red side of the meat against the jelly; fill up the hollow space with the prepared carrot balls seasoned as for a salad and finished with mayonnaise sauce with jelly (No. 613). Let the aspic harden on ice for one hour at least. Incrust also on ice twelve small timbale molds (No. 2, Fig. 137); decorate the bottoms with rounds of truffles, the sides with small round pieces of white of egg and coat them over lightly with jelly; as soon as this is hard fill them up with lobster cream, the same as for No. 2470, and keep them for twenty-five minutes on ice. Just when ready to serve dip the dome mold into hot water, wipe it off quickly and invert the aspic on the raised-edge foundation; on top of it fasten a small lobster cream "pain" molded in a channeled mold, and against the edge of the bottom of the dish unmold the lobster cream timbales, after dipping the molds into hot water. This is to be served with a separate mayonnaise sauce (No. 606).