Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Truffled Lobster Risotto

I'm back! I'm so sorry for my ridiculously long absence, but I blame the divestiture process. Normally for work I  integrate my company's acquisitions, but I was assigned my first divestiture to manage only to discover how much more all-consuming they are than acquisitions.  Who would have thought?! Same amount of work in a fraction of the time we're permitted for an acquisition.
But enough about work.  I was celebrating the end of my current project that kept me in the office, out of the kitchen, and in general, a very neglectful of my favorite side-project outside of work (aside from completing our renovations, of course! I guess there were two things to celebrate!) So after getting two 10-hour nights of sleep to recover, I got back in the mood for a celebratory dinner, which called to mind lobster, truffles, champagne, and raspberries.  Sounds pretty good right? It was delicious! I made a simple green salad of mixed greens and herbs (thank you TJ's for offering that in a bag!) with a vinaigrette of olive oil, raspberry vinegar, and about a TB of finely chopped shallots whisked together for a quick dressing.  A few raspberries on top and voile, a simple side for a delectably rich main course of truffled lobster risotto.
YUM!
Here's what I used taken pretty much directly from, you guess it, Epicurious:
2 frozen lobster tails from Whole Foods (on special for $11.99 for the pair -yes, please!)
4 carrots, peeled and finely diced
2 shallots, finely diced
1/4 cup white brandy
3 TB black truffle olive oil
3 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup aborio rice
1/3 cup whipping cream

1/3 cup chopped chives



To get started, get a salted pot of water going to a rapid boil while you preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Once the water is boiling, add the lobster tails and cook until they are just cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.

Remove the lobster tails, discard the water, and carefully pop the lobster tails out of the shells.  The easiest way to do this is to pull off the middle fin on the tail and then push the tail out of the top.  Be sure to save the shells! They are key to the lobster delicousness.  Once you have the lobster out of the shells, discard the clear part with the lobster legs and break the hard red shell into small pieces (nothing larger than a quarter.) Cut the lobster meat into bite sized pieces and put aside.  Put the shells on a baking sheet and bake in the 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Put one cup of chicken broth into a blender and add the baked lobster shells. Blend the shells with the chicken broth until it's liquefied.

Carefully strain the broth over a fine colander or sieve and retain the broth.
Next, get going on the risotto.  Start with one TB of the truffle olive oil in a heavy saucepan and in a separate pot, put the remaining chicken broth on simmer in the background. Back in the saucepan, heat the olive oil  on high heat and then add the carrots and shallots, sauteing for 2 min.  Add the rice and cook for 2 additional minutes. Turn the heat down to medium - low and add the brandy and stir until the liquid is absorbed, about 2 min more.  Once the rice has absorbed everything, add the lobster stock and about 1/2 of the warmed chicken broth.
Continue to stir and add chicken broth in 1/4 cup intervals whenever the rice has absorbed all the liquid.

Once you have incorporated all the chicken broth (it should take about 20 - 30 minutes) add the heavy cream and lobster meat and heat until warmed through, about 2 minutes.  Turn off the heat, stir in the chives and some salt and pepper and serve warm.  What a delicious treat! The champagne was the perfect compliment as the bubbles cut the richness of the risotto. Enjoy!