Nicatous Lodge Lobster Pie

This is a heritage recipe from Denise and Gary Betz, who ran Nicatous Lodge from 1997 to 2003. Gary Betz, Jr., grew up in a housekeeping sporting camp that his parents, Nancy and Gary Sr., still run in Grand Lake Stream.

“We had an annual wild game potluck at Nicatous, and we also ran a lot of specials. This was something people really enjoyed. Adjust amounts to the number of people being served.” - Denise Betz

• 2 tablespoons butter 
• ¼ cup white wine 
• 1 cup well-packed lobster meat 
• 3 tablespoons butter 
• 1 tablespoon flour
• ¾ cup light cream 
• 2 egg yolks 
• about ½ cup seasoned cracker crumbs or breadcrumbs

In a saucepan, combine butter and wine and boil 1 minute. Add the lobster and set aside. In another saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Add the flour and stir until the mixture bubbles. Remove from the heat and slowly stir in the cream. Drain the wine-butter mixture from the lobster and add that liquid to the cream mixture.

Return pan to the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is smooth and thick. Remove from the heat. Stir in the egg yolks and pour the sauce into the top of a double boiler over hot, not boiling, water (the sauce may curdle if the water is boiling). Stir about 3 minutes. Add the lobster.

Spoon the mixture into a small pie dish and sprinkle with crushed seasoned crackers or breadcrumbs to cover. Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes.

From The Maine Sporting Camp Cookbook by Alice Arlen