Serves 2 – 3
It’s Valentine’s Day, you forgot to make dinner reservations, so you’re knee-deep in Pinterest, trying to find a meal you can make fast with stuff that isn’t going to break the bank or be hard to find. Oh yeah, it’s also gotta be somewhat impressive and romantic. This is basically the finale of Master Chef ®️ you didn’t ask to be a part of.
Pretty much anybody can set up a few candles and set the mood with sexual, The Weekend-heavy playlist. No problem there. But if you’re attempting a Beef Bourguignon, Chocolate Soufflé situation-and you have exactly 45 minutes to execute-that’s a problem.
❊ cure fire alarms, crying, sweating, and emergency takeout ❊
But that doesn’t mean you have to pull a Mrs. Doubtfire and pretend you whipped up a Michelin-star-level meal (though, maybe keep that seamless order on standby). Do-able, fancy-looking, delicious romantic dinners DO exist. We know cause we’ve got you covered. So if you’re down to the wire and lacking an Ina Garten-level skills, take a breath, do a shot of tequila, and follow this five star recipe. This is impressive, indulgent and elegant and is way more budget friendly than eating at any restaurant. If you REALLY want to be impress you could serve 1 tail for each person. (See note)
- 1½ pounds (595g) lobster tails, thawed if frozen
- 3 tablespoons (90ml) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup (118ml) heavy cream
- 4½ ounces (128g) black truffle butter
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces (226g) fresh or dry fettuccine pasta
- 3 tablespoons (90ml) chopped fresh chives
- 3 ounces (85g) finely grated Parmesan cheese (about ¼ cup)
- Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the lobster tails and boil for 8 to 10 minutes until the shells curl and the lobster meat turns white. Drain, transfer to a cutting board, and cool for 15 minutes. Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut through the top shell lengthwise. Remove the meat and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
- While the lobster cooks prepare the brown butter; n a large saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Cook until the butter begins to foam and then turns brown, about 1 to 1½ minutes. Once the butter has a nutty aroma and dark brown specks in the bottom of the pan, its ready to use. Toss the lobster in the butter and set aside.
- Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Follow the directions as per the pasta package cooking directions for al dente. (tender but still firm to the bite)
- Meanwhile, in a large (12-inch) (30cm) sauté pan, heat the cream over medium heat until it comes to a simmer. Add the truffle butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper, lower the heat to very low, and swirl the butter until it melts. Keep warm over very low heat.
- Add the drained pasta to the sauté pan and toss it with the truffle-cream mixture. Add the brown butter lobster, Parmesan, chives and toss. As the pasta absorbs the sauce, add as much of the reserved cooking water as necessary to keep the pasta very creamy.
- Serve the pasta in shallow bowls and garnish each serving with a generous sprinkling of chives.
Note: If you want to serve the full lobster tail for each person for presentation, remove the tail from the shell and toss the whole tail in the brown butter for 1 minute. Remove and place on a cutting board and cut into ⅓ inch thick medallions. Place the lobster on top of the tossed pasta and fan the medallions.
Truffle butter is available at most heath food store, i.e. Whole Foods, Sprouts, & Trader Joe’s
Kitchen Sessions 