Mini Lobster Clubs Sandwich with Tahitian Vanilla Bean Aioli

Serves 6

When I worked in England in the early 1980s, I took advantage of my six-week vacations to work at other European restaurants. This led to a stage at Michel Guerard’s famous restaurant in Eugénie-les-Bains, France. I was fascinated by his wood-burning oven that was, in some ways, more of an open fireplace. Before sending them out the door to the dining room, the chef cooked half lobsters on racks over the fire, basting them with vanilla butter and then sprinkling them with fresh herbs from his kitchen garden. So simple, smoky, and buttery! At Tru, I was compelled to play with those evocative flavors for an amuse, making a vanilla bean aioli and serving the lobster with pancetta in a “mini club sandwich.” Cook a single 1H-pound lobster and use the tail or claw meat, or buy cooked lobster meat. You don’t need much for an amuse. Everyone loves these cute little bites.

ingredients

3 slices pancetta, each about 1/8 inch thick
Six 1/4-inch-thick slices bread, cut from a baguette
2 tablespoons Tahitian Vanilla Bean
Aioli (recipe follows)
1/2 cup mizuna leaves or other tender greens
3 ounces cooked lobster meat, from the tail or claw of a 1 1/2- to 2-pound lobster (see Note)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

directions

1
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2
Arrange the pancetta slices in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until crisp. Cut the slices in half and transfer to a flat plate. Keep at room temperature until ready to use.
3
Toast one side of each piece of bread under the broiler until golden brown.
4
To serve, spread the untoasted side of each slice of bread with 1 teaspoon of the aioli and place on a small plate. Arrange some mizuna leaves over the aioli and top with a pancetta half. Divide the lobster into 6 portions and season to taste with salt and pepper. Top off each sandwich with a portion of the lobster.