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Lobster tails boiled in champagne with fresh herbs.
This show stopping dish is surprisingly simple to make, and comes together fairly quickly. Impressive as an entree, and absolutely decadent as part of a surf and turf presentation.
Ingredients
8 Lobster tails
1 bottle dry champagne or sparkling wine
2 cups heavy cream
1 stick unsalted butter, plus 1 tbsp
2 small shallots, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp white pepper
Preparation
Using kitchen shears, split tails down the back and spread apart to expose flesh (this makes removing the meat from the shell much easier when eating). Tie the tails back together with kitchen twine so they stay intact while cooking.
Mince 1 small shallot very finely.
Mince 1 garlic clove very finely.
Pour champagne into a very large pot and add tarragon. Place lobster tails into champagne mixture and turn heat to medium-low. Bring to simmer and cook 8-12 minutes, turning the tails several times so they cook evenly, until lobster meat is opaque. Remove lobster tails and set aside.
Continue simmering champagne mixture over low heat.
In a small saute pan, melt 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter over medium heat. Add shallot and cook for 1-2 mintues, then add garlic and continue cooking until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add cognac and light mixture aflame to burn off alcohol. Remove from heat and add to champagne mixture.
Add heavy cream to champagne and increase heat to medium-high. Bring to boil and cook until slightly thickened and reduced by 1/3, about 10-12 minutes.
Whisk butter into champagne and cream about 1 tbsp at a time, stirring to emulsify after each addition.
Add lobster tails back to mixture to warm, plate and serve.
Suggested Pairings