Got a little off-track with my Michael Mina memory, back to the recipe at hand. Michael's recipe calls for preparing the lobster soup & salad, using one master recipe, three different ways. As ambitious as I was feeling I still chose to make only one version of the soup and salad. I decided on the Tomato, Basil Cioppino, Heirloom Tomato Salad with Avocado Mousse.
Here he is without his rubber bands and wishing he had his freedom earlier when he had the chance to attack me.
It was time to prepare the lobster for cooking (I can hear Sarah & Jeff now calling me Lobster Kevorkian). 
I cut him into pieces, separating the tail(for the salad), claws (for the soup) and body (for stock).
One of the ingredients needed for the Avocado Mousse is Tomato Water. It needs to made at least 3 hours in advance or as long as overnight. Start by processing tomatoes and a little water in a blender until the mixture is liquid.
Line a fine-mesh strainer with a double layer of cheesecloth and set over a bowl.
Sprinkle with salt and transfer to the refrigerator and allow the tomato water to slowly drip out.
Next up was the stock:Firmly pull the bodies and shells apart. Heat a large stockpot over medium-high heat and coat with 2 tablespoons of the oil. When the oil gets hazy, add the lobster shells and bodies. Stir often until the shells are well seared and bright red, 3 to 5 minutes. Shell equals flavor.
To keep the alcohol from flaming, remove the pot from the heat and add brandy. Carefully return the pot to the stove and cook out the brandy until it is almost totally evaporated. Push the shells to the sides of the pot and add oil and the onions, fennel, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook and stir until the vegetables are tender and begin to caramelize, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir tomato paste and cook until the color deepens, about 2 minutes. Pour in white wine and deglaze by scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Continue cooking until all of the liquid is evaporated, about 1 minute. Pour in just enough cold water to cover by 2 inches, about 1 gallon. Slowly bring to a boil, uncovered, skimming any foam and impurities that rise to the surface. Add thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns and coriander. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for about 1 hour, skimming occasionally to keep the stock clear. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve into another pot and discard the solids.
I rubbed the lobster tails with olive oil and seasoned them with salt and pepper before putting them under the broiler, flesh side up, for 5 minutes. They went into the refrigerator to cool for the salad.
Cut ripe heirloom tomatoes crosswise into ¼-inch thick slices. (For a great presentation, use a cookie cutter to punch out uniform circles and remove the skin.) Lay the slices in a single layer in a baking dish and season well with salt and pepper. Pour the vinaigrette over the tomatoes and marinate at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving.
To serve: Spoon 1 tablespoon of the Avocado Mousse (recipe below) onto the plates and spread into a circle with the back of a spoon. Lay 1 slice of each type of tomato, placing the slices next to each other in a triangle shape. Place half a grilled lobster tail across each salad and pile up ½ cup of arugula on top. Garnish with a few basil leaves. Spoon any of the leftover vinaigrette from the salad over the greens.
Stir in coarsely chopped Roma tomatoes and continue to cook until they break down and the moisture evaporates, 5 to 10 minutes.
Add dry white wine and simmer for a couple of minutes to burn off some of the alcohol. The mixture should not be totally dry. Add the lobster stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.
Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Put the hot soup through a food mill or purée with a standard or immersion blender until the soup is smooth and thick.
Return the soup to a clean saucepan. Place over medium-low heat and add the remaining diced onion, peppers, tomatoes and lobster meat. Cook to heat through, about 5 minutes.
To Serve:
Ladle the cioppino into 4 heated bowls, garnish with a few basil leaves and top with a dollop of Avocado Mousse (recipe below).
Avocado Mousse:
Combine Tomato Water, lime juice and jalapeno in a blender and puree until smooth. Add a coarsely chopped tomato and blend until creamy and thick. Scrape the mixture into a small bowl, season with salt and pepper an stir in creme fraiche until well combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. May be made up to 1 hour in advance.
Time for dessert!!
Cherry Creme Fraiche Sherbet with Cherry Caramel Sauce and Roasted Cherries
To make the sherbet - combine pitted Bing cherries and simple syrup (sugar and water boiled until sugar is dissolved and chilled) in a blender until very smooth. Pass the cherry purée through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Discard the solids. Whisk in crème fraîche, lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Refrigerate until cold. Place the mixture in an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer’s directions. Transfer to a covered plastic container and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.
To make the caramel sauce - place chopped Bing cherries in a blender with a little water and process into a smooth puree, set aside. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When the foam subsides, stir in sugar and lemon juice. Cook until the sugar melts and begins to caramelize into a copper-colored syrup, 5 to 7 minutes. Carefully stir in the fruit purée and boil for 1 minute to bring together. Remove from the heat and slowly add heavy cream, a little at a time (it will bubble a bit so stand back as you pour). Stir to combine and set aside to cool.
To make the roasted cherries - Toss pitted Bing cherries with honey and vanilla in a bowl, spread out in a baking dish and bake at 350 until the fruit is slightly softened, 8 to 10 minutes.
To Serve:
Scoop sherbet into a bowl. Top with roasted cherries and cherry caramel sauce, allowing the sauce to drip down the sides.
I have to admit, this was a lot of cooking to do in one day - and I only made one of three components in the recipe! Next time I would divide the work over two or three days. But it was well worth it, a lot of fun and delicious. The soup was very good, the salad was very, very good and the cherries were off the chart!
