Sometimes you just want something super fancy and extra decadent…Champagne and lobster will help you achieve that!! I don’t normally cook like this, I try and keep things simple and easy to make, but every once and a while I want to try something that is challenging. For me, lobster is both a challenge and takes a long time to prepare. Lobster in itself doesn’t take a long time to cook, in fact, over cooking is one of life’s greatest sins, but pulling out the rich lobster flavor can take some time. Overall, I do not recommend this dish for a week day meal, but I do recommend for a special occasion that you want to put some extra time and care into.
Ingredients
Two 1 1/2-pound lobsters, preferably female
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
2 thyme sprigs
2 tbs. tomato paste
1/2 cup Champagne or Sparkling White Wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 pound dried pappardelle
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup snipped chives
Recipe (adopted from Food and Wine)
Crack the claws and knuckles and remove the meat. Using scissors, cut along the inside of the tail shells and remove the meat. Remove and discard the dark intestinal veins from the tails. Put all of the lobster meat in a bowl and refrigerate. Remove the dark-green eggs from the bodies and top of the tails and reserve.
Put all of the shells, eggs and remaining lobsters bits into a pot and add 3 cups of water and boil for 30 minutes. Strain the liquid and set aside.
In a large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil. Add the shallots and thyme and cook over moderately high heat until the shallots soften, about 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook until the paste darkens. Add the wine and boil until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Add the reserved 3 cups of lobster cooking liquid and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat until reduced to 3 cups, about 20 minutes. Strain the lobster broth through a fine sieve and return it to the saucepan.
Return the lobster broth to a boil, add the heavy cream and boil over high heat until reduced to 1 cup, about 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to low. Slice the lobster tails 1/3 inch thick.
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the fettuccine, stirring, until al dente. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter, toss well and cover.
Add the lobster meat to the sauce and bring it just to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, occasionally moving the pan back to the burner to keep the sauce very warm. Stir in half of the chives. Pour the sauce over the pappardelle and toss to coat. Transfer to shallow bowls and serve with the remaining chives.
I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I did!
TheClassyDish 