Anniversary Lobster with Sweet Ginger ♥ Wolfie says.."Don't Mess With a Good Thing"

We have eaten in our share of  "Celebrity Chefs" restaurants, never a bad choice but never a choice to one of Wolfgang Puck's. Was right across from it in Caesar's Palace, but we were there for Emeril's Raw Bar and  B.Flay's Mesa Grill. You know the old saying, next time. After 7 trips to Vegas, there may never be a next time. We are entering the last phase of our travels and there are so many places yet to explore.

I do know he is famous for his lobster dishes, so when two things happened at the same time, I knew where to go for inspiration.

What am I yabbering about? What else, but my anniversary and a sale on lobster tails! Who wouldn't take that as a sign of good things to come. I'm surprised you didn't guess that!!
The Nudge is on a lobster kick this month, from lobster mac n cheese to lobster and crab cakes, so it was only natural he quickly agreed to lobster tails for our Anniversary dinner.

I knew right where to get the recipe for a very special lobster dish, Wolfgang's site.
His Lobster with Sweet Ginger is famous, so that was what I was going to cook.

For all of you who think I should have been fair to let him pick the dish, I did give him him two choices, this one here and this one there. Both were different enough but sounded delicious nevertheless and the best thing of all, I had all the ingredients either way, no trip to the store in a torrential downpour (but if not, he would be worth that trip).

Instead of whole lobsters, we bought 4 ounce tails (included the shell). Unless I need lobster shells for a bisque or am hosting a New England clam bake, we both feel whole lobsters are a waste of money.

As with most of Wolfgang's recipes, it requires a few steps but if you prep your ingredients ahead of time and read the recipe a few times, the whole process comes together easily and a few things can be done ahead of time and while the lobster is in the oven, the final sauce is done when the lobster is done.
The whole process takes under 30 minutes.

The sauce sounded to die for so it was only natural to make a small amount of brown Basmati rice to soak it  up and simple grilled zucchini slices...yum!

If you are wondering, I made a Bailey's Irish Cream Chocolate Mousse for dessert.
I only wish it was a better weather day.

Lobster with Sweet Ginger

Makes: 2 servings

* 1 piece fresh ginger, approximately 1- inch

* 2 cloves garlic, minced

* 3/4 cup plum wine, divided (I used sake)

* 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

* 2 tablespoons peanut oil

* 1 (2-pound) lobster split lengthwise (I bought tails)

* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

* 4 scallions cut into 3/8 inch slices

* 1 teaspoon curry powder (we don't like, so omitted)

* 1/4 cup dry white wine

* 1/2 tablespoon chili flakes

* 1/2 cup fish stock, clam juice or base

* 1/2 cup cream

* 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

* Salt and black pepper, freshly ground

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

1. Peel the ginger, reserving the peels, and cut into fine julienne strips. Cut the peels into coarse strips and set aside. 
2. In a small saucepan, cook the ginger and garlic with a 1/2 cup of the plum wine and the rice vinegar until 1 tablespoon of liquid remains. Remove from the heat and set aside. 
3. Place a heavy heatproof 12-inch skillet over high heat until it is very hot. Add the oil almost to the smoking point. Carefully add the lobster halves, meat side down. Cook for 3 minutes. Turn the lobster over and add 1 tablespoon of butter.  Continue to sauté the lobster shells until they are red and the butter is a nutty red. Transfer the lobsters to the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the lobster is just cooked. Remove from the oven, remove the lobster from the skillet and keep warm. 
4. Add the scallions, ginger peels and curry powder to the skillet. Saute the mixture lightly for 15 seconds, then whisk in the remaining plum wine, white wine, stock, chili flakes and the vinegar. Reduce the liquid to about a 1/2 cup. Add the cream and reduce by half, then whisk in the 1 tablespoon of butter. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. 
5. Crack the lobster claws with the back of a large chefs knife.
6. Spoon the sauce over the lobster and remember that 1 tablespoon of ginger sauce in step 2? Spoon just enough of that glaze over the exposed lobster meat. It takes this dish to the over-the-top, OMG level.

Wolfgang Puck: This dish will dazzle your guests and make you look like a superstar in the kitchen. The flavors are strong and complex. When you present the lobster you can either place it on individual plates or on a large platter for family style. It’s the type of dish that you reserve for a really important night.