Prep Time  1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time  45 minutes

Total Time  2 hour 15  minutes

Serves 4 people

In 2004, when Art Culinaire approached me for their upcoming “pulverized” issue, I found myself momentarily perplexed—I wasn’t even familiar with the term and had to look it up. Back in those days, armed with a BlackBerry, turning to Google wasn’t my immediate reflex.

Upon understanding what “pulverized” meant, a realization dawned on me: the importance of narrating my own journey, a narrative that was inherently simple yet profound. Having split my life almost evenly between Africa and the United States, my culinary style naturally mirrored my bilingual speech—distinctly American, yet with an unmistakable African inflection. I was determined to blend the professional techniques I had acquired with the rich tapestry of my cultural heritage in every dish I crafted.

For the magazine issue, I contemplated featuring Maine lobster—a choice inspired by its potential synergy with manioc, a crop I grew up cultivating and which, when transformed into tapioca, offers a soft, silky texture that complements without overshadowing the lobster’s delicate flavor. The dish was conceived to highlight these two core ingredients, subtly enhanced by the aromatic presence of vanilla and anise, two of my most cherished scents.

This recipe made its debut in the Fall 2004 edition of Art Culinaire, issue #74, marking a moment of pride and reflection on my culinary journey. You can explore the recipe and its story here.

rite communal dinners. 

Ingredients

• For the Lobster: 
• 1-gallon water
• 4-1.5lb lobsters 
• ¼ cup vanilla syrup 
• salt to taste 
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp parsley, chopped
• For the Vanilla syrup: 
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• For the Tapioca:  
• 2 cups tapioca
• 3 cups milk
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp onion, diced
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• ½ cup white wine
• 3 cups lobster stock, warm
• ¼ cup corn kernels
• 2 tbsp cream
• 2 tsp butter
• ½ tsp truffle oil
• 1 tsp parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• For the Fennel Confit: 
• 4 baby fennel
• 1cup olive oil,
• ¼ lb butter
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 sprig thyme 
• ¼ Cup clam juice
•  Salt to taste
•  Pepper to taste
• For the Lobster-Egg Dust:
• ½ fresh lobster egg
• 2 cups water
• salt to taste

Preparation

For the Lobster: 

1. Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan; add lobster and steam over high heat for 8 minutes. 
2. Remove lobster from water and immediately transfer into iced water. 
3. When cold, separate tail and claws from lobsters and remove flesh. Brush lobster with vanilla syrup, season with salt and pepper and reserve.
4. In a lightly oiled sauté pan over medium high heat, place lobster tails and cook for 1 minute. 
5. Add the butter and parsley. Cook fro 1 more minute. Remove from heat and serve warm.

For the Vanilla syrup: 

1. Heat sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean. 
2. Add pod to syrup. Bring to simmer over medium heat, about 5 minutes. 
3. Remove from heat. Cover and steep 30 minutes or until cold. Discard vanilla pod.

For the Tapioca:  

1. Soaked tapioca in milk for 1 hour, drain, rinse and set aside.
2.  In a saucepan, heat oil. Saute onion for 3 minutes. 
3. Add tapioca and garlic and cook for 2 minute. 
4. Deglaze pan with white wine. Cook until almost dry. 
5. Add lobster stock and cook until tapioca is tender. 
6. Remove from the stove and chill. 
7. To order, heat some tapioca with lobster stock and corn. Add cream, butter, truffle oil, salt, pepper and parsley. Serve.

For the Fennel Confit: 

1.  Cut fennel in quarters. 
2. Put all ingredients in a saucepan, cover and bake in a 300°f oven for 30 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and serve warm.

For the Lobster-Egg Dust:

1. Bring water and salt to a boil. Drop in the eggs. Cook for 2 minutes. 
2. Remove from water and chill. 
3. When cold, remove sac to release eggs. Spread eggs on a sheet tray. Place the tray in the oven with just pilot on for 30 minutes or until dry. 
4. Transfer to a grinder and grind to powder.