This dish is one of the signature spring dishes at the Plaza Café. I add it to the menu as soon as asparagus and morels come into season. I made this dish recently at a private dinner, and it's amazing, especially when paired with the perfect wines as suggested below by Christopher Kiegiel.
Yield: 4 appetizer servings
INGREDIENTS:
Pencil asparagus, peeled - 16 ea
Morels, cleaned and roasted - 4 ozs.
Shallots, minced - 2 ozs.
Butter - 1 T
Lobster meat, blanched - 8 ozs.
Lobster sauce - 6 ozs.
White truffle oil - 2 ozs.
Dried lobster coral (optional) - as needed
Lobster antennae curl (optional) - 4 ea.
PROCEDURE:
1. Brush asparagus with olive oil and grill over low flame
2. Sweat shallots with butter; add morels
3. Add lobster sauce and then lobster
4. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper
5. Position asparagus on plate; nappe ragout over base of spear
6. Drizzle tips with white truffle oil
7. Garnish with dried roe and fried antennae curl
And now for Christopher's Perfect Pairings
Do yourself a favor and MAKE THIS DISH! What a homerun. Doug and I recently orchestrated a private wine dinner to benefit a charity, and this was one of the courses served. I paired this wonderful dish with the 2008 Ramey Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard. Talk about decadent! The combination of the delicate flavors of the lobster-morel ragout and the sturdy backbone of this California Chardonnay paired incredibly well. I was initially concerned that the truffle oil and asparagus would be a little overwhelming for the wine, but that was not the case. It just goes to show you that a little experimentation can yield surprising results. Here are a few more suggestions that I think might work well too. Bon Appetit!
2006 Breggo Cellars Pinot Noir Donnelly Creek Vineyard - $49.95 - 91 ST
"Vivid red color. Intensely perfumed bouquet of spicy red berries, candied cherry, Asian spices and fresh rose. Vibrant, sharply focused raspberry and bitter cherry flavors betray no rough edges and pick up cinnamon and white pepper on the back end. A suave, open-knit wine that offers compelling freshness and finishing energy." - Stephen Tanzer
2008 Ramey Wine Cellars Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard - $54.99 - 94 ST
"Vivid gold. Ripe pear, orange zest and smoky minerality on the nose. Deeply pitched but energetic, offering bright orchard fruit flavors and a deeper note of peach pit. Then spicy, dry and penetrating on the finish, which features notes of iodine and bitter herbs. Shows an intriguing blend of richness and vivacity and should be even better with a few years of bottle age." - Stephen Tanzer
2009 Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay Wolff Vineyard - $17.95 - 91 ST
"Pale yellow. Musky, powerfully scented aromas of orchard fruits, smoky lees, truffle and iodine; smells like a top-notch Chassagne. Weighty and round but sharply focused, offering fresh pear, peach, tangerine and buttered toast flavors. The iodine element returns on the long, smoky finish. Lots going on here, especially for the price." - Stephen Tanzer