I like doing surf-n-turf on Christmas Eve. Lobster seemed like the thing to do … but since we were making Beef Wellington (heavy portion), lobster tail seemed like it would be too much. Eric suggested lobster ravioli — this provides both seafood and a side dish, so it filled the bill!

Baked Lobster Ravioli in Lemon Butter Limoncello Cream Sauce

RAVIOLI:

• 1 pkg won ton wrappers
• 1 lb lobster tail meat 2 cups cooked/diced or 4 small tails
• 1 large shallot, finely diced
• 1 tsp lemon juice or limoncello
• 1/4 cup ricotta
• 2 Tbsp Asiago cheese
• 1 Tbsp mascarpone cheese
• 2 tsp chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup melted butter

LEMON BUTTER LIMONCELLO CREAM SAUCE:

• 4 Tbsp limoncello (can substitute lemon juice)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 stick of salted butter (1/2 cup) cut into 1/2″ cubes
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• garnish: finely chopped parsley

FILLING:

Boil the lobster: If the lobster tails are frozen, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator. To cook small 8 oz tails, bring 6 cups salted water to boiling in a 3-quart saucepan. Add the lobster tails. Simmer, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes or until shells turn bright red, the meat is not translucent, and the tails will curve. For larger or smaller tails, adjust the cooking time as needed. Drain in a colander, cool, remove the meat from the shells (discard), and dice into 1/2″ pieces.

Instead of dicing the lobster, I used a food processor to shred it. This only took a few pulses — be careful, it’s easy to make paste.

In a medium saute pan, heat olive oil and saute the diced shallot for two minutes. Add the lobster and parsley, and stir until mixed for 2 more minutes, let cool down.

Add the lobster meat mixture into a bowl, add lemon juice (or limoncello), ricotta, Asiago cheese, and mascarpone. Mix until combined.

RAVIOLI:

Take 1 wonton wrapper, place on a board and fill with 1 tsp of the lobster filling. Don’t overfill your ravioli or they won’t seal, this will be plenty once you press the air out and cut or fold.

Place another wonton wrapper on top, press down to push the air out, and cut with a ravioli (heart-shaped) cutter of your choice. Wonton ravioli can be cut into shapes: round, square, or heart using an inexpensive ravioli cutters, and the cutter will seal the edges.

If you don’t have a cutter, simply place the tsp of filling onto one wonton sheet, and fold into a triangle corner to corner, and press the air out, and press edges closed with your fingers. That’s it! Easy..

Place all filled ravioli onto a parchment lined tray, and brush with melted butter.

Bake Ravioli 400 F for 10 minutes. The edges of the ravioli will brown slightly and get a crispy edge. The baking adds amazing flavor!

SAUCE:

In a small pan, simmer the limoncello, lemon juice, and whisk in the cubed butter until well combined, then pour in heavy cream, whisk to mix and turn off heat.

Drizzle sauce over baked lobster ravioli, and garnish with finely chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Hot California Rolls with Kona Lobster Mousse

Ingredients in boldface have separate recipes, which follow the main recipe.

• Soy Mustard
• Lobster Mousse
• 2 Tbsp Aioli
• 1 Tbsp Chili Pepper Aioli
• 2 oz Dungeness crabmeat (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (from 1 ear corn)
• 1/2 avocado, diced
• 3 sheets nori (8″ square)
• Tarragon Vinaigrette
• 4 Tbsp salmon caviar
• 4 Tbsp wasabi tobiko
• mixed salad greens

Prepare Soy Mustard, Lobster Mousse, Aioli, and Chili Pepper Aioli.

In a mixing bowl, combine the crabmeat, plain aioli, cayenne, lemon juice, corn, and avocado.

Cut one nori sheet in half lengthwise and place on a work surface. Spread the crab mixture in a line across the long side and roll up. Place a full nori sheet on a work surface. Spread with an even layer of the mousse. Place the crab roll on top of the mousse and roll up. Repeat with process with the remaining half and full nor sheets. Wrap both rolls in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm the mixture and facilitate handling.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Slice each roll in 6 pieces. Place a pearl-size amount of the Chili Pepper Aioli at the top of each slice. Transfer the slices to a lightly oiled non-stick baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the mousse is cooked through.

To serve, arrange 3 slices of the rolls on each plate and drizzle with the soy mustard. Pour the vinaigrette around each plate. Garnish with the salmon caviar, wasabi tobiko, and salad greens. Yields 4 servings.

Soy Mustard

• 1-1/2 Tbsp mustard powder
• 1-1/2 Tbsp warm water
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce

In a bowl, mix the mustard powder with water to form a smooth paste. Stir in the soy sauce and set aside.

Lobster Mousse

• 1 tsp butter
• 1 shallot, minced
• 4 fresh uncooked lobster tails (about 4 oz each), shelled & chopped
• 1 egg white
• salt, to taste
• 1-1/4 cups heavy cream

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and sweat for 45 seconds, or until translucent. Let cool and transfer to a food processor. Add the lobster, egg white & salt; puree until smooth. With the machine running, slowly add the cream in a steady stream until fully incorporated; do not overmix. Refrigerate until needed.

Aioli

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 egg + 1 yolk
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup olive oil
• salt & ground black pepper

In a blender, combine the mustard, garlic, egg, egg yolk, & lemon juice; puree. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until incorporated. If the mixture becomes too thick, thin with a little water. Season with salt & pepper. Keep refrigerated. Makes 1-1/2 cups.

Chili Pepper Aioli

• 1/4 cup Aioli
• 1/8 tsp cayenne, or to taste

In a bowl, thoroughly combine the Aioli and cayenne. Keep refrigerated. Makes 1/4 cup.

Tarragon Vinaigrette

• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp tarragon vinegar
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp minced shallots
• 2 cups olive oil
• salt
• up to 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup tobiko

In a blender combine the egg, mustard, vinegar, garlic, and shallots; puree. With the machine running add the olive oil and blend until incorporated. Season with salt.

If the mixture becomes too stiff, add the water, a little at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. The vinaigrette should be pourable. Yields 4 servings.

Stuffed Lobster Tail

• 4x 6 oz lobster tails, in shell
• olive oil
• 2 cups prepared bread dressing/stuffing

While this recipe can made with any size lobster tails, small ones don’t allow much stuffing.

Preheat a grill to medium heat.

Rinse the lobster and pat dry. Using kitchen scissor, cut the back shell from the front to the tail, but do not cut the tail. Flex the shell to spread it.

Using a sharp knife, cut the lobster meat 2/3 through, but do not cut all the way. Gently spread the meat and rub with olive oil.

Put the lobster on the grill, cut side down, and grill for 5 minutes with the cover closed. Remove from grill.

Mound dressing in the cut of all 4 tails. Place the lobster back on the grill, dressing up, and close the lid. Grill for 10 minutes, or until lobster is cooked through.