Executive Chef Todd Howard
INGREDIENTS
Lobster
2 Nova Scotia lobsters, 1-½ lbs each
(or fresh Lobter meat from your local fishmonger)
½ of a vanilla bean, seeded
1 lemon, zest and juice
salt and pepper to taste
Truffle Butter Sauce
Reduction for butter sauce (yields 1 cup)
– 100 ml of white wine vinegar
– 50 ml white wine
– 4 cloves of garlic
– 2 sprigs of thyme
– 1 tsp black pepper corns
– 1 bay leaf
½ pound of cold butter diced into small cubes
1 tsp white truffle oil
Gnudi
500 g fresh ricotta cheese, strained overnight to remove moisture
1 large egg
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
1 lemon zested
1 cup flour
Garnish
10 sprigs of chervil or basil
20 grape tomatoes, cut in half and dried in the oven at low temperature
thinly-shaved truffle (optional)
METHOD
Truffle Butter Sauce
In a medium saucepan, combine all the ingredients for the reduction and bring to a boil. Reduce by half and then gradually whisk in the butter, while still hot. Season with truffle oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Strain through a fine sieve and set aside for later use.
Gnudi
Lightly flour a clean work surface. Divide the dough into 3 or 4 parts and then roll each piece between your palms into a log that is 3/4 inch in diameter. Using a small knife or a pastry scraper, slice each log into 10-12 1-inch pieces. Transfer to a floured tray and refrigerate until needed.
Lobster
Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside. In a large pot, bring 6L of salted water to boil. Add lobsters to the pot of boiling water. Once the water returns to the boil, cook for 4 ½ minutes. Remove lobsters from the water and plunge them into the ice bath.
Remove the tails and claws from the body – you can reserve the bodies for a lobster soup or sauce. To remove the meat squeeze the bottom part of the lobster tail until you hear it crack, then proceed to pull the bottom of the shell in an upward motion (the meat should open up into one big piece and this eliminates shells in meat). With the back of a knife or a nutcracker, crack open the lobster claws and the attached arms. Using a skewer, remove the meat, trying not to break it apart. Rough chop the meat to ¼ inch pieces and set aside.
TO FINISH
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil on high heat. Add the gnudi and boil until they float, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
In a medium saucepan on low heat, bring butter sauce, vanilla bean and cooked lobster meat up to temperature. Add the cooked gnudi and toss together. Season with salt, cracked pepper and lemon juice.
Divide the gnudi, lobster and sauce among four warm bowls. Garnish with oven dried tomatoes, fresh chervil or basil. Add shaved truffles as well if desired.
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