Maine Lobster and Truffle Tortellini with
Creamy Lobster Broth

Rich lobster broth with tarragon provides the creamy backdrop for delicate truffled lobster stuffed pasta.

Recipe by chef Thomas McBreen of Sebasco Harbor Resort, Sebasco Estates.

Recipe Ingredients:

Creamy Lobster Broth:
4 Maine lobster bodies, cleaned (meat to be used in filling)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup shallots, sliced (3 medium)
1/3 cup celery, sliced
1/3 cup carrot, sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/4 cup brandy
1/2 bunch tarragon
3 fresh thyme branches
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 quarts water
2 cups crème fraîche, cold
To taste salt
1 pinch cayenne

Tortellini Filling:
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup cream
1/2 pound Maine lobster meat, raw, chopped and cold
1 large egg whites
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 pinch cayenne
3/4 cup cream, cold
1 1/2 teaspoons truffle oil
2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
2 tablespoons truffle shavings, chopped

Pasta Dough:
8-ounces all-purpose flour
5 large egg yolks
1 large egg, whole
2 teaspoons oil
1 tablespoon water

Herb Salad:
2 tablespoons celery leaves
2 tablespoons parsley leaves
2 teaspoons tarragon leaves
2 tablespoons green onion, thinly shredded
1 tablespoon water

Cooking Directions:

1. For Creamy Lobster Broth: Clean the lobster bodies, removing the intestines, lungs, and tomalley. Crack the shells with a mallet.
2. Preheat a medium sauce pot over high heat and add the olive oil. When it smokes, add the lobster shells. Sauté until red and glistening. Add the shallots, celery, carrot, and garlic. Sauté for 1 additional minute.
3. Flame with brandy and then add the tarragon, thyme, bay leaf, and tomato, and cover all with water. Bring to a simmer. Skim and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.
4. Strain the stock, pounding with a wooden spoon to extract the flavor.
5. Put it into a clean pan and reduce by three-quarters (2 cups remaining volume) over medium heat until flavorful. Add the crème fraîche and cook until hot and slightly thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Adjust the seasoning with salt and cayenne and chill if not serving immediately.
6. For the Tortellini Filling: Mix the bread crumbs with 1/2 cup of cream and allow to soften.
7. Grind the lobster with egg white and the soaked crumbs until smooth. Season with salt and cayenne.
8. With the food processor running add the cream in a steady stream and run only until incorporated. Pass forcemeat through a tamis into a bowl over ice.
9. Gently stir in the truffle oil, chives, and the truffles. Test the forcemeat and adjust with either egg white or more cream (shouldn't be necessary).
10. For the Pasta Dough: Mix together the flour, egg yolks, whole egg, oil, and water into a homogenous dough and knead until smooth and resilient, 8 to 10 minutes. Allow to rest for 30 minutes before rolling and shaping.
11. Roll out the pasta into a long, 6-inch-wide strip. Cut the dough into 3-inch rounds.
12. Moisten the edges with water and place 1/2 teaspoon-mounds of forcemeat in the center of the pasta (a pastry bags works well for this job). Fold the pasta over the filling to form a semi circle, pressing the edges together. Push your thumb into the filling from the straight edge and bring the two tips together.
13. Moisten one of the tips with water and press the other tip to it until it sticks. Reserve on a tray dusted with flour under refrigeration until ready to cook.
14. Boil tortellini in salted water for about 4 minutes. Warm the sauce until hot.
15. Serve 8 tortellini with a ladle of sauce and top with herb salad.
16. This salad should be soaked briefly in iced water to assure the herbs are ultra-fresh and lively.

Makes 10 servings.

Recipe and photograph provided courtesy of Maine Lobster Promotion Council.