Estimated Time: 45 min

Start

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Plunge lobster into boiling water and remove from heat. After 10 minutes, remove the lobster from the water and allow to cool.

2 Remove the ends from the peppers and split them in half. Remove the seeds and white ribs from the inside of the pepper and press against a surface so that the pepper lays flat with the skin side up. Place on an ovenproof tray and brush the skin with a small amount of olive oil. Broil the pepper under a high heat until the skin blisters and slightly blackens. Remove from heat, cover with a sheet of plastic wrap and allow to cool.

3 When the pepper has cooled enough to be handled, carefully scrape blackened skin from the flesh of the pepper.

4 Using a small heart shaped cutter, stamp as many small hearts as possible from the pepper meat and set them aside for garnishing the plate.

5 Pur?e the reserved pepper flesh in the bowl of a small food processor or blender (feel free to add water to the mixture if it is too thick to process). Place the pur?e in a small saut? pan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until the pur?e becomes a thick paste.

6 Return the paste to the food processor bowl and add 3/4 of the lemon juice and the prepared mayonnaise. With the food processor running slowly add 3/4 of the oil in a thin stream. Process until the mixture is emulsified and thickened. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

7 Break the lobster by hand into its major parts (tail, claws, arms). Using a sturdy shears remove the meat from the shell in whole pieces. Cut the tail and arm meat in 1/2 inch dice and place in a bowl, reserve the claw meat in whole pieces.

8 Add the red pepper dressing to the diced lobster meat. Add the minced basil and toss lightly.

9 Combine the remaining lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl and season with remaining salt and remaining pepper.

10 Arrange the pepper hearts around the outside edge of a large white plate.

continued in part 2