Categories: Fish/sea 
      Yield: 4 servings 
  
---------------------------------THE PASTRY--------------------------------- 
      8 oz Flour                               3 oz Cold butter 
      3 oz Cold lard                           3 tb Ice-cold water (or more) 
 
--------------------------------THE FILLING-------------------------------- 
      1    Live lobster *                    1/2 pt Milk 
      5    Eggs **                           1/2 pt Single cream 
  
  *Note: the lobster should be good and lively.  A "cripple" - that is, one 
  with only one claw for which you should pay less - will do fine for this 
  dish. ** Leave out one of the egg whites, it is not needed for this recipe. 
   
  Make the pastry first.  Sieve the flour with the salt into a roomy bowl. 
  Chop the lard and butter into the flour with a sharp knife.  Finish rubbing 
  in the fat to flour with the tips of your fingers.  Work in enough ice-cold 
  water to give you a ball of soft (but not sticky) dough.  Cover with 
  cling-film and leave the dough to rest in a cool place for half an hour or 
  so.  Bring a panful of salted water to the boil - enough to swim the 
  lobster.  Kill the lobster (or have you fishmonger do so) with a knife 
  slipped in behind its head.  Or plunge the creature in the boiling water 
  and hold it under with a wooden spoon (lobsters do drown). 
   
  Cook the lobster for 3-4 minutes - just long enough to turn the shell 
  scarlet and make the lobster easier to skin.  Drain it, sever the head and 
  cut in half, taking care to save the greenish black brain (rather like 
  liquid seaweed).  This will turn anything into which it is stirred 
  wonderful sunny scarlet as it cooks.  Reserve the brain for making lobster 
  butter.  Otherwise it can go into the tart filling. 
   
  Remove the lobster meat from the body, claws and head (leave out the dark 
  intestine which runs right down the body - and the stomach at the top of 
  the head).  Slice the body meat into medallions.  Leave the claw meat 
  whole. 
   
  Bake the tart-case blind (lined with foil weighted with dried beans instead 
  of filling) in a medium oven, 375 F (190 C) gas mark 5, for 10 minutes. 
   
  Beat the milk, cream and eggs together and season.  Pour the mixture into 
  the cooled tart tin.  Arrange the lobster pieces over all.  Bake at 400 F 
  (200 C) gas mark 6 for 30 minutes, until the egg-filling is set. 
   
  Source: Elisabeth Luard in "Country Living" (British), February 1989. Typed 
  for you by Karen Mintzias