Two Fat Ladies: Recipe For Lobster with Latkas

Yesterday we highlighted the Two Fat Ladies: Full Thottle cookbook that was first published in 1998 by the irrepressible Brits. Today we offer a recipe from the book for Lobster with Latkas — one of Clarissa’s offerings.

“I have an unlimited passion for lobsters which I do very well with, thanks to my dear Mr. Clarke of Fisher Row, Musselburgh, the best fishmonger in Britain. I also love latkas, those crispy mouthwatering Jewish potato pancakes. So it seemed to me an excellent idea to combine the two.”

The recipe follows…

Lobster with Latkas

Lobster:
4 boiled lobsters
3 ounces butter
4 ounces shallots, sliced
5 ounces mushrooms, sliced
¼ pint whiskey
freshly ground black pepper
pinch of ground cloves
½ pint double cream (you can use heavy cream)

Remove the meat from the lobsters and cut into pieces. Melt 2 ounces butter and fry the shallots until soft, add the mushrooms and cook gently, then add the lobster and mix well. Cover and cook very gently for 3 minutes. Warm the whisky, set it alight and, when the flames have died down, pour over the lobster. Season with black pepper and cloves and add the cream. Shake over the heat until well-mixed, cover and cook over a very gentle flame for 5 minutes.

Latkas:
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and finely grated
8 ounces onion, grated
6 ounces matzo meal
4 eggs
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
salt and freshly ground pepper
oil for frying

To make the latkas, wash the grated potatoes in several changes of cold water to remove excess starch. Pat dry with a towel and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Season well. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, drop tablespoons of the mixture into the hot oil. Flatten each dollop into a round small flat pancake. Fry on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until the pancake is a pale golden brown and perfectly crisp. Drain on absorbent paper and serve very hot with the lobster. If you are being stylish you can stack the latkas with lobster sandwiched between and the sauce drizzled round the base of the stack.

Full Throttle was published in 1998. Ebury Press, London; Random House. Authors: Jennifer Paterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright. Food photography: James Murphy.