The recipes themselves were not necessarily static. All the ones I saw had scribbled modifications in the margins—many of them improvements provided by staff. Sometimes there would be a wholesale revamp. One new dish they were serving was a split whole lobster in a cognac and fish broth reduction with littleneck clams and chorizo. The dish is Adams’s take on a famous Julia Child recipe. Before putting a dish on the menu, however, she always has the kitchen staff make a few test runs, and some problems emerged. Her recipe called for splitting a lobster and then sautéing it in olive oil. But the
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