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This was published 1 year ago

It’s ugly and no longer cool, but this is still the king of luxury dishes

By Ben Groundwater

The dish

Lobster Thermidor, France

Lobster Thermidor - maybe not cool, but it’s delicious.

Lobster Thermidor - maybe not cool, but it’s delicious.Credit: Alamy

Plate up

I know, I know. Lobster Thermidor is not cool. It’s not trendy. It’s about as fashionable as skorts. But I’m here to tell you that as far as luxurious dishes go, as far as opulent plates that scream “this diner has a lot of money and doesn’t care who knows it”, lobster Thermidor deserves a place in the pantheon. Just consider the basics. You take yourself one lobster – already, not exactly a bargain-basement foodstuff – and pull out the rich, succulent meat. That meat is then chopped into large hunks and cooked in a decadent sauce of white wine (and/or Cognac), shallots and cream. The mix of meat and sauce is then scooped back into the lobster shell, topped with Gruyere cheese and grilled until golden. I mean, come on – you want this dish.

First serve

As with so many great dishes of the world, there are competing origin stories for lobster Thermidor. Napoleon Bonaparte was apparently a noted lobster fan – aren’t we all, mate – and there’s a theory that this favourite dish of his was named for the month in which he first sampled it (“Thermidor” being the 11th month in the French calendar at the time). Another, more compelling theory is that the dish is named after a play of the same name, by Victorien Sardou, which opened in Paris in 1891. Two bistros close to the Comedie-Francaise theatre, Chez Marie and Cafe de Paris, laid claim to the development of the recipe, inspired by the play hosted nearby.

Order there

In Paris, you can sample an appropriately luxurious lobster Thermidor at Bistrot Paul Chene.

Order here

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In Sydney, you can order lobster Thermidor at various stalls in the Sydney Fish Market. In Melbourne, try it at the appropriately named Lobster Cave in Beaumaris. In Brisbane, head to Gambaro.

One more thing

Much like the dish named in its honour, the play Thermidor proved controversial. It opened in 1891, though was closed by authorities after just two showings when Republican members of the audience took offence to its content and almost started a riot. Cancel culture, eh? It re-opened in 1896.

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Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/link/follow-20170101-p5e5jb