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Boiling a Lobster and Preparing

To boil a lobster, fill a large kettle with warm water; grasp the lobster by the back, plunge it into the kettle head I first. Add a tablespoonful of salt and a dash of cayenne; cover the kettle and simmer gently for an hour; remove at once from the water; when cold, twist off the claws, separate the tail from the body, take out carefully the green, fatty portion and the "cord." Draw the body from the shell, remove the stomach, which is found in the head, immediately underneath the eyes, and throw it away; split the body and pick the meat from the cells. Cut the tail shell on the under side and remove the meat in one piece. Split this meat and remove the "vein" or intestine, which runs the entire length. The soft, spongy fingers between the body and the shell should also be thrown away. Crack the claws, take out the meat in one piece and prepare it with a silver knife. "LOBSTER A L'AMERICANE."

Make a "mirepoix," consisting of shallots, carrots and a small piece of garlic. Chop this fine and fry in olive oil, but not brown. Cut two lobsters in pieces crossways and put them with the "mirepoix," letting all fry together for a time and add a wineglassful of good claret and one of sherry, a tablespoonful of tomato sauce and one of Spanish sauce. Let this simmer for twenty-one minutes and finish with a good lump of butter. Add cayenne pepper and season highly.