Lobster Popovers by Boston Chef Lydia Shire

Boston chef Lydia Shire combines two of New England’s most beloved foods into an airy culinary creation you won’t find anywhere else.

For almost four decades, Lydia Shire has been involved with some of America’s finest restaurants—from Boston’s venerable Parker House to the Four Seasons Beverly Hills—but she still exhibits the wide-eyed wonder of a child in a candy store when discussing one of her favorite dishes on the menu at her current establishment, Towne Stove and Spirits in Boston’s tony Back Bay neighborhood.

“I love popovers!” Shire exclaims before launching into an enthusiastic description of exactly how to eat one. “Take a freshly baked popover and poke it open. As the steam escapes, put in maximum butter—the butter must dribble down your chin when you bite into it—then drizzle Lyle’s Golden Syrup from England on the popover.”

The idea of combining lobster with a dash of sweet syrup doesn’t come naturally to most chefs or diners, but it makes sense to Shire, who says the Maine lobsters she uses at the restaurant already have a natural sweetness. Guests obviously agree, since Shire admits that the Lobster Popovers have become so popular she wouldn’t dream of taking it off the menu…or leaving her proximity to the ocean.

“I love our seashore—[residents] are spoiled! I would not trade in New England for any other part of the country,” she says. towneboston.com.

RECIPE

Lobster Popovers  serves 6 

POPOVERS:

2 large eggs, beaten well

1 tbsp. melted butter, plus an additional 6 tbsp.

1 c. whole milk

1 tsp. salt

1 c. all-purpose flour, sifted  

In a large bowl, beat all ingredients very well with a whisk or blender. Refrigerate at least an hour or overnight covered with plastic wrap.  Preheat oven to 400°. Set muffin pan in oven to heat. Melt 6 tbsp. butter. Remove chilled batter from fridge and stir. Divide melted butter into 12 muffin tins and quickly pour in batter. Put pan back in oven with a cookie sheet underneath to catch any drips. Bake for 20 minutes.   

LOBSTER:

2 1-lb. lobsters, cooked, with meat removed

1 stick butter

½ c. Jack Daniels Honey Whiskey

Chopped chives

Juice of ½ lemon

Lyle’s Golden Syrup  

Ten minutes after placing popovers in oven, melt half stick of butter in medium skillet over medium-high heat. When it foams, add lobster chunks and give pan a quick shake. Add Jack Daniels and cook for a few minutes. Remove lobster with a slotted spoon; cook the sauce for a few minutes, then add lemon juice. Remove from heat and add lobster. Sprinkle with chives or chopped curly parsley; let sit.  To serve, remove popovers from oven and set one on a plate. Poke a hole in the tops with a sharp knife and place a teaspoon of butter in the popovers followed by a couple tablespoons of lobster. Drizzle Lyle’s Golden Syrup into the holes and serve.