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Little Bombs of Lobster a LA Berlin

Molded lobster purée set in aspic jelly, turned out and garnished with truffle and chervil.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 12 ingredients
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Why it works: Lobster and anchovy match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and 470 recipes mention both. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓

The recipe

Ingredients

Contains: egg, fish, shellfish (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)

Directions

Prepare the molds

  1. Thinly line little bomb molds with aspic jelly.

  2. Decorate the tops with cut truffle to form a star.

  3. Arrange a row of small round pieces of truffle around the middle of the molds.

  4. Create a border of cut truffle and sprigs of chervil at the bottom of the mold.

  5. Cover the garnish with more aspic jelly.

Fill and unmold

  1. Fill the molds with lobster purée and set aside to cool.

  2. Once cold, dip each mold in hot water and turn out the bombs.

Serve

  1. Serve on a border of aspic jelly, decorated with truffle and chervil.

  2. Garnish the center with a wax figure and surround it with mayonnaise mixed with diced vegetables.

  3. Add sprigs of chervil and tarragon around the top near the figure, and chopped aspic jelly around the dish.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.

  1. Lobster + anchovytop 3% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together470 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  2. Chervil + artichoketop 2% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together34 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  3. Pepper + lemontop 2% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together27,039 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  4. Artichoke + lemontop 3% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapmoderate
    Mentioned together636 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

  5. Chervil + lemontop 4% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapmoderate
    Mentioned together358 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Aspic jelly
Sets into a clear, firm coating that holds the garnish and shapes the bombs.
Lobster
Provides the main flavor and a soft, smooth texture when puréed.
Mayonnaise
Adds richness and a creamy texture to the vegetable garnish around the dish.
Anchovies
Adds a salty, savory depth that enhances the lobster flavor.

The step that matters

Cool the lobster filling fully before unmolding. Aspic is gelatin-based and only sets firmly when cold. If the filling is not fully chilled, the bombs may not hold their shape or may slump when turned out.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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