Lobster en Croûte
Poached Lobster and Piquillo Pepper Cream Sauce
Chef Daniel Ontiveros of Carversteak at Resorts World Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV
Adapted by StarChefs | May 2026 | Photo: Will Blunt
INGREDIENTS
Piquillo Pepper Cream Sauce:
Yield: 4 quarts
113 grams butter
175 grams thinly sliced shallots
60 grams thinly sliced fennel
50 grams garlic confit
150 grams piquillo peppers, seeded and sliced into strips
110 grams tomato paste
70 grams Cognac
470 grams heavy cream
120 grams lobster stock
15 grams thinly sliced chives
Kosher salt
Poached Lobster:
Yield: 1 serving
Kosher salt
2 pounds whole lobster
To Assemble and Serve:
Yield: 1 serving
Lemon juice
2 sheets puff pastry
Egg wash
METHOD
For the Piquillo Pepper Cream Sauce:
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add shallots and cook until translucent. Add fennel and garlic. Cook until fork-tender. Reduce heat and add peppers and tomato paste. Cook 10 minutes. Deglaze pan with Cognac. Cook until alcohol has fully evaporated. Add cream and stock. Let simmer until liquid has reduced by half. Transfer mixture to a Vitamix Commercial blender and blend until smooth. Stir in chives. Season with salt and additional Cognac. Transfer to a nonreactive container. Cover and refrigerate.
For the Poached Lobster:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add lobster and poach 3 minutes. Let cool in an ice bath. Once cooled, transfer to a clean work surface. Using kitchen shears, cut a rectangle shape in the head of the lobster. Transfer to a parchment-lined sheet tray and set aside. Separate tail and claw meat and roughly chop. Transfer picked meat to a nonreactive container and refrigerate. Rinse the lobster body under cold water to clean. Transfer to a paper towel-lined sheet tray and set aside.
To Assemble and Serve:
Heat oven to 450°F. Place Poached Lobster meat in a mixing bowl. Season with desired amount Piquillo Pepper Cream Sauce, and lemon juice. Toss to evenly coat. In a saucepan over low heat, warm remaining Piquillo Pepper Cream Sauce. Transfer Poached Lobster mixture to the cleaned Poached Lobster cavity, filling the shell from head to tail. Top with 1 sheet puff pastry, trimming excess dough as needed. Cut lattice pattern with remaining sheet puff pastry. Layer over lobster. Brush with egg wash. Bake 22 minutes, or until puff pastry is golden brown. Transfer whole stuffed Poached Lobster to a serving plate. Serve with ramekin warmed Piquillo Pepper Cream Sauce. Tableside, remove puff pastry.
