New Year's Lobster

The tree stood tired and sparkling, having fulfilled its festive duty. Some of our neighbours had already taken their trees down. On New Year's Eve, I went to the fish market, stood in a long queue and overheard the other customers ordering lobster. I thought: this is a sign. I had been eyeing them up for a while, passing the aquariums in the fishmongers on my way to music classes with my little one. On any other day, only a couple of lobsters would be languishing in their compartment. But now, for the Christmas period, there was a whole pool of them. And there was me, willing and able to transform anything into a gourmet dish, set the right mood and impress my main admirer – my husband. It would have been better if the lobster I got had been caught locally. They say the Dorset Blue lobster is especially good. Mine was from Canada, and I hoped it wouldn't be inferior to its British cousin. As it turned out, I was right to choose a smaller lobster – they taste better than the larger ones as their meat is firmer. But how do you cook it? Boil it for 12 minutes in salted water. I won't share more to avoid the graphic details. Suffice it to say that my fingers were trembling with nerves. You can serve lobster hot or cold. Keep seasoning to a minimum so as not to overshadow the delicate flavour of the meat. A spritz of lemon is lovely with cold lobster, while hot lobster pairs nicely with garlic butter and a hint of parsley.