Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Lobster, Shrimp & Scallop Newburg Pasta






Seafood Newburg, with its sherry and brandy-spiked cream sauce, is an ultra rich adaptation of classic Lobster Newburg, but featuring jumbo shrimp, plump sea scallops and chunks of fresh steamed lobster. An uber-delicious dish for any special occasion, Seafood Newburg Spaghettini was the entrée for our New Years Eve dinner, as we helped ring in 2013.




Chilled bottles of Crément were the perfect accompaniment 
with the Seafood Newburg

Even the putti were merry!

One of four fabulous appetizers — chèvre and Raincoast cranberry & hazelnut crisps

Whitefish caviar

Raspberry Point oysters

To start - scrumptious Salade Dorothea



Seafood Newburg is a great dish to make for a party, because the sauce can be prepared earlier in the day, in addition to cracking open the steamed lobsters and ferreting out every last tasty morsel. A versatile dish, Newburg sauce can be made with any variety of seafood, and can also be served over puff pastry vol-au-vents, cooked rice or thin pasta.



Fresh steamed lobsters and gorgeous sea scallops



My one stop shopping for the freshest seafood is Diana's at Lawrence and Warden in uptown Toronto, where I was allowed to hand pick my lobsters out of the tank. Gratefully, Diana's will also steam them, so that the little lovelies aren't doing an 'Annie Hall' across the kitchen floor when they arrive home. Also, I'm a wimp — I can't bear to put them in a pot alive! 



A good glug or two of brandy and sherry make this dish rich and heavenly



Simple and straight forward, the recipe starts with sautéing a generous amount of butter and minced shallots in a large saucepan over low heat for about 3 minutes, until the shallots begin to brown. A combination of flour, paprika, curry powder, nutmeg, cayenne and salt are then blended in to make a thick paste. One third of a cup of sherry and brandy are added, and the mixture is whisked until smooth. 




Flour, paprika, curry powder, nutmeg, cayenne and salt are cooked with butter 
and minced shallots in a large saucepan over low heat, then the sherry and brandy 
and whisked in until the mixture is smooth 



The final steps for the sauce is to bring heavy cream and tomato paste to a low simmer over medium heat, then gradually added to the paste, whisking constantly until the mixture is thick and creamy. The sauce can then be removed from the heat, covered and set aside until needed.




Warm cream and tomato paste are added to the sauce towards the end, 
which gives the Newburg sauce its golden saffron hue and delicious silky texture




Just before dinner is to be served, the scallops, shrimp and lobster are sautéed in butter so that they're just warmed through, with enough Newburg sauce to cover, then simmered for a few minutes. If the sauce is too thick, a little more cream can always be added. Seafood Newburg is fabulous served over rice, vol-au-vents or thin spaghettini pasta, and simply garnished with a flurry of chopped chives. Wonderfully fragrant, outrageously delicious and swooningly luscious, it's heaven on a plate!







Lobster, Shrimp and Scallop Newburg Pasta
Serves 10

10 tbsp flour
2 1/2 tbsp paprika
1 1/4 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
pinch of cayenne
17 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup of minced shallots
5 cups cream
5 tbsp tomato paste
2/3 cup brandy
2/3 cup sherry
2 lobsters, poached or steamed
30 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
15 large sea scallops
1 bunch of chives; half chopped and half left whole
2 450g packages Spaghettini pasta


Poach or steam the lobster for 4 or 5 minutes. Once they're cool enough to handle, pull the meat and roe from the shells and chop into large bit size pieces; cover, chill and set aside.

Combine the flour, paprika, curry powder, nutmeg, cayenne and salt to taste, in a small bowl and set aside. Melt half of the butter in a large saucepan over low heat, then add the minced shallot. Cook for 3 minutes until the shallots begin to brown. Add the flour mixture and stir until it's well mixed. Then add the sherry and brandy and whisk until smooth. 

Meanwhile, in small saucepan, bring the cream and tomato paste to a low simmer over medium heat, being careful not to let it come to a boil. Add the hot cream mixture to the flour gradually, whisking constantly until the mixture is thick and creamy. Remove from the heat, cover and set aside until needed. The sauce can be made a few hours ahead, then simply rewarmed when ready to begin cooking the seafood.

Set a pot of salted water to boil over high heat, and cook the spaghettini until it's almost done, then drain in a colander and cover to keep warm. The pasta will continue to cook when it warms in the sauce. In a large sauté pan, melt the remaining butter over medium heat and when it starts to bubble, add the scallops and shrimp and sauté until they are barely cooked through. Then add the chopped lobster plus a tablespoon of chopped chives, and warm through, adding just enough Newburg sauce to coat the seafood and simmer lightly. If the sauce is too thick, just add a little more cream and adjust the seasoning. Add the al dente cooked pasta to the saucepan of Newburg sauce and toss until warmed through.

To serve, place little mounds of the pasta into warmed dinner bowls and top with generous spoonfuls of seafood and finish with a flurry of chopped chives.












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