Lobster Tortellini in Crystal Shellfish Consommé

⏱ 210 min · Serves 4

Silky handmade pasta parcels stuffed with sweet lobster and mascarpone, floating in a shimmering, egg-white-clarified shellfish broth. It takes an afternoon, but the moment that clear amber consommé hits the bowl you'll understand why. Pure restaurant theatre, made at home.

Per serving: 610 kcal · 42.0g protein · 58.0g carbs · 23.0g fat

Ingredients

• 2 live or cooked lobsters (about 500g each), or 300g cooked lobster meat plus 600g shells
• 300g '00' pasta flour
• 2 whole eggs plus 4 egg yolks
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 80g mascarpone
• 1 tbsp finely chopped chives
• 1 tbsp finely chopped tarragon
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil (for the shells)
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 fennel bulb, diced
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 100ml dry white vermouth
• 2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 star anise
• 1 strip orange peel
• 2 litres cold water
• 3 egg whites
• 1 small leek, white part only, finely chopped
• Sea salt and white pepper
• Chervil or micro fennel, to garnish
• Good olive oil, to finish

Method

1. If using live lobsters, chill them in the freezer for 30 minutes, then plunge into boiling salted water for 4 minutes. Cool in iced water, then pick all the meat from tails and claws. Reserve the shells.
2. Make the pasta: mound the flour, make a well, add 2 whole eggs, 4 yolks, salt and 1 tbsp olive oil. Bring together and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Wrap and rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
3. Crush the reserved shells. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pot and fry the shells hard for 5 minutes until deeply fragrant. Add onion, carrot, fennel, celery and garlic; cook 8 minutes. Stir in tomato purée, cook 2 minutes, deglaze with vermouth.
4. Add tomatoes, star anise, orange peel and 2 litres cold water. Bring barely to a simmer and cook gently, uncovered, for 45 minutes, skimming often. Strain through muslin and chill until cold — you should have about 1.2 litres.
5. Clarify: whisk the egg whites with the chopped leek to a loose froth, whisk into the cold stock, then set over low heat. Stir gently until it steams, then stop stirring. A raft will form; make a small hole and simmer very gently, never boiling, for 30 minutes. Ladle the consommé out through the hole and pass through damp muslin. It should be crystal clear. Season carefully.
6. Filling: chop two-thirds of the lobster meat finely (keep the best claw pieces whole for garnish). Fold through mascarpone, chives, tarragon, lemon zest, salt and white pepper. Chill 20 minutes.
7. Roll the pasta to the thinnest setting (you should read print through it). Cut 7cm rounds, place a teaspoon of filling in each, brush edges with water, fold into half-moons pressing out air, then wrap the corners around your fingertip and pinch. You want 24 tortellini. Rest on a semolina-dusted tray.
8. Warm the reserved claw meat gently in the butter with a splash of consommé; keep warm.
9. Cook the tortellini in well-salted simmering water for 2–3 minutes until they float and the pasta is silky. Meanwhile bring the consommé to just below a simmer.
10. Place 6 tortellini in each warm bowl, add the buttered claw meat, then pour the hot consommé at the table. Garnish with chervil and a few drops of good olive oil.