Lobster, cream, cognac, pasta…I’m in!

This lobster pasta with cognac cream sauce is somewhat extravagant, I admit. But if you can get you hands on lobster without breaking the bank, or in the unlikely event that you should happen to have lobster leftovers, you owe it to yourself to try this dish. It basically contains pure goodness, if you ask me: lobster, cream, cognac, ripe cherry tomatoes, pasta and of course a generous sprinkle of good Parmesan cheese on top. Really, what’s not to like?

You can of course go all in and buy a couple of whole fresh lobsters and boil them yourself. But since I’m a chicken when it comes to staring a live thing in the eye before dropping it in a pot of boiling water, I always get either a freshly cooked lobster from the fish mongers, or I get frozen lobster meat from a grocer’s I trust. I fully admit my double standards here. But honestly, frozen and/or pre-cooked lobster meat is perfectly fine, and it saves you the ordeal of having to dismantle the meat from the lobster, which in itself can be a rather tricky affair unless you have the right tools… and sorry, but a hammer is not the answer here.

If you do decide to take the short cut, like me, then this dish is very fast and easy to make, and you’ll have dinner served within 20 min. You need to keep watching it, though, to ensure nothing overcooks, and make sure the lobster only goes in the sauce for a few minutes before serving. If the lobster cooks too long it will turn into shriveled rubber, and then the glamour and extravagance, well, kind of fades.

Lobster pasta with cognac cream sauce (serves 4)

Ingredients

At least 2/3 lbs (300 g) lobster meat (if you have more, don’t hold back), cut into bite size pieces

2-3 tbsp canola (rapeseed oil)

2 shallot onions, chopped finely

4 cloves garlic, chopped finely

½ lbs (250 g) ripe cherry tomatoes, halved

2½ oz (75 ml) cognac (or brandy)

2 cups (500 ml) full cream

Salt and pepper

A bit of olive oil

About 2 oz (60 g) freshly shaved or grated Parmesan cheese

A handful arugula, pea shoots or watercress for garnish

10 oz (300 g, uncooked) linguine or fettucine pasta

Optional: freshly baked bread or baguette

Directions

1. First, make sure all the ingredients are prepared and chopped and ready to use. Also prepare a pot with water and start bringing it to a boil, so it is ready for the pasta.

2. Then heat up the canola oil in a large and deep (sautée) pan. Once the oil is hot, throw in first the chopped shallots and stir well for a couple of minutes and then add the chopped garlic and continue stirring for a minute or two. Turn down the heat a bit to make sure the onions don’t brown.

3.. Next, add the halved cherry tomatoes and turn up the heat to maximum and stir for about two minutes. Now pour in the cognac, and let it mix into the tomatoes and onions and burn off the alcohol, and then after another minute or two add all of the cream. Let the cream sauce come to a boil and then turn the heat down to low-medium while the cream keeps simmering. Let the cream sauce reduce and thicken for about 10 min. Add salt and pepper to taste. While the sauce simmers cook the pasta according to the instructions on the pack.

4. Once the sauce has thickened and the pasta is ready, add the lobster meat to the sauce, only for about 1 minute. Take the sauce off the heat, and add the cooked pasta and quickly mix the two. Garnish four plates with a bit of greens, and then divide and place the lobster pasta on top. Finish off with a sprinkle of Parmesan, freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

In for more pasta or easy summer dishes? Try out these: