Ep 18. The French Chef: Lobster a l'Americaine

In season 1 episode 18 of The French Chef with Julia Child, titled "Lobster a l'Americaine," Julia focuses on a classic French dish that has been Americanized: Lobster a l'Americaine. Julia starts off by providing a brief history of the dish, which originated in France but became popular in America in the early 20th century. She explains that it is essentially a lobster dish with a tomato-based sauce, which is slightly spicy and has a hint of brandy.

Julia begins the show by demonstrating how to kill and prep a live lobster for cooking. She then proceeds to cook the lobster, which involves poaching the lobster in a large pot of boiling water with a variety of herbs and aromatics. After the lobster is cooked, Julia removes the meat from the shell and sets it aside to use later.

The next step is to prepare the tomato-based sauce, which involves sautéing onions, garlic, and tomatoes in butter. Julia then adds a variety of herbs and spices to the sauce, including thyme, bay leaves, and cayenne pepper. After the sauce has simmered for a few minutes, Julia adds brandy and ignites it to burn off the alcohol and create a rich, complex flavor.

Once the sauce is finished, Julia adds the lobster meat back into the pot and simmers it for a few minutes to allow the flavors to meld together. The last step is to add a touch of cream to the sauce, which helps to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes and adds a luxurious richness to the dish.

Throughout the episode, Julia provides a wealth of cooking tips and techniques, such as how to properly crack open lobster claws and how to keep the sauce from curdling when adding cream. She also emphasizes the importance of using high-quality, fresh ingredients to achieve the best results.

As always, Julia's love of cooking and joy in sharing her knowledge with others shines through in this episode of The French Chef. Lobster a l'Americaine may seem like a daunting dish to tackle, but with Julia's expert guidance and infectious enthusiasm, home chefs will be inspired to try their hand at this classic French-American creation.