Yield: 4-6 Servings

Ingredients:

Brioche buns:
• 1 ounce fresh yeast
• 2 fluid ounces water
• 3 fluid ounces whole milk
• 12 eggs
• 3 ounces granulated sugar
• 1 ounce salt
• 36 ounces flour
• 1 pound unsalted butter, softened

Lobster BLT:
• 1 carrot, cut in large chunks
• 1 onion, cut in large chunks
• 1 leek, cut in large chunks
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 thyme sprig
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 live lobster
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 shallot, minced
• ½ cup mayonnaise or aioli
• 1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, chopped
• 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ripe avocado, diced
• 6 slices Hemplers bacon
• 3 heirloom tomatoes
• 1 bunch arugula
• Sea salt

For lobster:
Place the carrot, onion, leek, bay leaf, thyme, and lemon in large pot with two gallons of water and bring to a boil. Place lobster in the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Remove lobster and shock in a bowl of ice water. Remove all meat from the shell. Dice lobster meat and transfer to a medium bowl. Gently fold in garlic, shallots, mayonnaise or aioli, tarragon, avocado and extra virgin olive oil. Cool in refrigerator.

Pan-fry bacon until crispy and save the rendered fat. Slice brioche rolls in half, toast lightly, and brush toasted sides with rendered bacon fat. Slice the tomatoes and toss with arugula, olive oil and sea salt to taste.

To assemble sandwiches, place a spoonful of the lobster mixture on the bottom half of roll and top with crisp bacon slices, tomatoes, arugula, and top half of roll.

Wine pairing:
A medium-bodied Chardonnay such as the Denogent Pouilly-Fuissé 2002

Packing tips:
Slice and toast brioche rolls ahead of time. When cool, place them in a large re-sealable plastic bag. Wrap cooked bacon slices in a paper towel and then wrap again with aluminum foil. Place the lobster mixture and tomato/arugula mixture in separate sealed plastic containers. Since the lobster mixture contains mayonnaise, put it at the bottom of your cooler where it is the coldest and remove it just before you are ready to assemble the sandwiches.