Lobster Stock

• 1/2 pound butter (leftover melted butter plus fresh)
• 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
• Leftovers from four lobsters (claws, innards, legs, carcasses, shells - everything)
• 1/4 cup Cognac
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon (or as desired) dried tarragon, crushed
• Pinch of thyme
• White pepper as desired
• Water (or chicken stock) as needed
• Salt as desired (the stock should be undersalted when finished)

1. Melt the butter in a deep, heavy pot and cook the shallots and garlic over low heat until transparent but not browned.
2. Add all the lobster scraps to the pot and crush them down well with a potato masher.
3. Raise the heat, add the Cognac and flame it.
4. Add wine, tomato paste, tarragon, thyme and white pepper and mix well.
5. Add water to barely cover, plus 1/2 teaspoon salt, mix well, boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
6. Strain broth and discard scraps.
7. Cool broth quickly, uncovered, and refrigerate.
8. When completely cold, remove the cake of recongealed lobster butter from the top and wrap and reserve it in the freezer for future use.
9. Freeze the broth in small containers.

butter, shallots, leftovers, cognac, white wine, tomato paste, tarragon, thyme, white pepper, water, salt

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11763 (may not work)