Lobstah alfredo | recipe — maddy with a Y

So, let’s just say you’re spending your first Valentine’s Day alone in a few years. And, by the way, you just moved so you still have boxes everywhere, your closest friends live about an hour (or more) away, and you are in the midst of a billing bonanza for work. What do you do?

…You cook yourself lobster alfredo for dinner and feel like a total BAWSE in the process.

Full disclosure, I got this recipe from Fed and Fit (thanks lady!) and it COULD NOT be easier to follow.

Ingredients:

LOBSTAH (the recipe calls for about two pounds, I got 3 small lobster tails and it was more than enough for 1lb of pasta. Mine were fresh but you can get frozen too, just make sure they’re defrosted before you steam them.)
Fettuccine, 1lb.
5 tablespoons butter, 1 for the lobster and 4 for alfredo.
3 garlic cloves (i honestly use pre-diced garlic these days.)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup white wine (for lobster)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (grated is best)
fresh chopped parsley; dried thyme, rosemary, and oregano; salt and pepper

Step 1: Steam the lobsters. If they are not pre-cooked, they should be blueish green when you get them, and then turn to a bright orange-red when they’re done.

Mix 1 tablespoon butter, 1 cup white wine, and a generous few dashes of rosemary, thyme, and oregano in a pot deep enough to hold the crustaceans with a lid on top. Steam about 7-8 minutes until the shell turns bright orange/red and then remove from heat. Take the lobsters out and set aside on a cutting board to cool slightly, as you’ll have to touch them to chop.

While the tails are steaming, put a pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta. It’s the worst to have the rest of your luxurious dinner ready and be waiting on a simple starch.

Then, move on to the alfredo. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in a wide saucepan/skillet, and saute the garlic, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes.

Add the 1 cup heavy cream to the saucepan and bring to a very low simmer, stirring frequently to make sure no skin develops on top. Because we’re using heavy cream, you don’t need to reduce the liquid much for a thick sauce - if we were using half and half, or even whole milk, you could make a sauce but it would take a lot more stirring and simmering.

After a few minutes of stirring the hot cream, add the parmesan and whisk or stir until it is entirely combined. It’s extra handy to have one if not several non-metal whisks on hand, so you can whisk in whatever type of pan you are using (don’t use metal on nonstick.)

When the lobsters are cool enough for you to handle, use kitchen shears or a sharp knife to cut the shells off and do a “rough chop” of the lobster meat.

Add to the cream sauce with the parsley and stir until combined.

Add the strained fettuccine (by this time the pasta should be done cooking, right?) to the saucepan. I like to reserve 1/2 - 1 cup of the pasta water in case I need to loosen up the pasta in the pan or thin out the sauce slightly, since it still has the starches from boiling the pasta and will be better than just using plain water.