Lobster Pasta with Herbed Cream Sauce

This is a recipe of love...a recipe that will be enjoyed and savored by people who love lobster, elegant dining, and the occasions that call for an extra-special seafood dinner! If you’re a novice cook and looking to make an impression...be forewarned--this recipe will have your guests giving you a standing ovation!

At first glance, this is one of the most deliciously divine and delectably decadent lobster dishes around! The title of today’s recipe; Lobster Pasta with Herbed Cream Sauce will surely summon images of a hushed, elegant, candlelit supper club from decades past—complete with pristine white tablecloths, fine crystal stemware and heavy, polished silver tableware, plus the ubiquitous tuxedoed servers standing at the ready with wine or champagne in one hand, and white serving cloths delicately draped across an arm, all the while soothing piano music is playing in the background at the just the right volume to allow diners to engage in quiet, discreet conversations.

As much as the imagery of that elegant supper club restaurant may harken one to a bygone era in dining, enjoying rich, succulent lobster is as popular today as it was back then! Today’s 5-star recipe is brought to you for your culinary dining pleasure by our friends at EpiCurious.com. Note that while the serving size appears quite plentiful and almost enough to serve an army, you’re likely to still have enough leftovers for another full meal the following evening!

Yield: 10 Servings

INGREDIENTS:

• • 3 - 1 ¾-pound live lobsters
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • 2 large plum tomatoes, chopped
  • ⅓ cup dry white wine
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 2 fresh tarragon sprigs
  • 2 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 2 fresh Italian parsley sprigs
  • 6 cups whipping cream
  • 1 ½ pounds fettuccine or linguine

Serving suggestion: cooked white rice

DIRECTIONS:

Bring very large pot of salted water to boil. Add lobsters. Boil until cooked through, about 12 minutes (or cook in batches if necessary). Using tongs, transfer lobsters to large rimmed baking sheet. Remove meat from tail and claws; place meat in medium bowl. Remove any roe from bodies and place in small bowl. Cover and chill meat and roe (if any). Remove tomalley (green matter) from bodies and discard. Reserve bodies and shells.

Heat oil in a heavy large pot over high heat. Add reserved lobster bodies and shells. Sauté 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add tomato paste; stir 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, wine, vinegar, garlic, tarragon, thyme, and parsley. Add cream; boil 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer just until lobster flavor infuses cream, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Strain sauce into large bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard contents of strainer. (Lobster and sauce can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill.)

Transfer sauce to heavy large saucepan. Cut lobster meat into bite-size pieces; coarsely crumble roe, if using. Add to sauce. Gently rewarm over low heat, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain; return pasta to pot. Add sauce; toss over medium-high heat until sauce coats pasta, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to large bowl and serve.

...As we said earlier, this is a recipe of love, and you have to have love for the people you’re making this marvelous meal for! It’s one of the most delicious of seafood recipes you could ever prepare, and it takes a lot of effort to make—and is worth every minute! In addition, with the versatile nature of pasta, this recipe can work just as well with shrimp, prawns, mussels or any type of meaty fish. You might also wish to steam or cook the lobsters at a separate time during the day and then store the shells in ziplock bags. It will save plenty of prep time later.

Chop some additional herbs and serve them on the side for guests to add to their dish as desired. Another word to the wise...if you’re counting calories...stop! This dish is rich and creamy, and worthy of every bite and minute it takes to cook it!