Lobster Linguine

My version of Balthazar's Lobster Linguine

I recently came back from a trip to New York, where I spent most of the time going into amazing Deli’s, restaurants, bakeries, cake shops and opening up my taste buds to many new flavours. Whoever said New York had ‘shit food’ clearly never did any research before they went and never chose to assimilate with the locals and ask where to go. I on the other hand, always had a notepad in my hand and read two New York food guides on the plane; Shannon Bennet’s New York and Zagat 2013, both of which provided me with a detailed insight of places that quintessentially cater for foodies like me.

Clearly indulging in my lobster linguine at Balthazar NYC :)

I was fortunate enough to have a booking at Balthazar (a French Bistro is Soho) for Thanksgiving. My mum booked a month in advance, which was a supremely wise thing to do, given that when we arrived there was a queue spanning outside both entrance doors onto the pedestrian walkway to get a table. I was shocked, given that it was Thanksgiving and the streets were deserted, but this restaurant was the complete antithesis. It was buzzing. My mum and I thought that with soo many people to serve that the service was likely to be fantastic, but boy were we surprised. The waiter was very attentive and each course came out in record speed. On top of the service being impeccable the food was scrumptdidillyumptious! I had a goats cheese and caramelised onion tart for entrée, lobster linguine with roasted tomatoes for main and profiteroles filled with vanilla bean ice cream; the only way American’s do profiteroles.

The lobster linguine I had at Balthazar

And this is where the following recipe was inspired. I made this pasta on New Year’s Day – the most beautiful way to reign in the New Year.

Ingredients:

2 punnets of cherry tomatoes

4 cloves of garlic

6 spring onions, finely chopped

1 cup of good quality white wine

½ cup of chopped dill

extra virgin olive oil

1 lobster (pre-boiled), take the meat out and cut/shred it into small pieces

500 grams of linguine

Method:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Cut cherry tomatoes in half. In a ceramic baking dish place tomatoes, spring onions and whole cloves of garlic unpeeled. Generously coat with olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano. Bake for 30 minutes. Add the lobster meat and wine. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. In the mean time boil the pasta. When finished baking add herbs and toss through pasta.

Bon appétit!