INGREDIENTS:
Pasta Dough
1¼ cups unbleached flour
1¼ cups semolina flour
4 large eggs at room temp
½ teaspoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons water
8 black trumpets mushrooms
2 each 1½ pound
Maine lobsters
1 egg lightly beaten
1 gelatin sheet
5 saffron threads
¼ cup butter
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
3 ounces Mascarpone
fresh chopped chives
salt and pepper
truffle oil
Consommé
1 Tablespoon canola oil
3½ pounds Maine Lobster shells
1 cup chopped fennel
1½ cups chopped carrots
3 cups button mushrooms
1 cup chopped shallots
1 cup dry vermouth
6 quarts water
3 cloves garlic
½ cup fresh tarragon
3 pounds chopped tomatoes
¼ cup chopped fennels
½ cup chopped carrots
½ cup chopped onion
4 large egg whites
DIRECTIONS:
To Prepare the Tortellini
In a food processor, pulse the flour and semolina for a minute. In a bowl, mix the eggs and olive oil. With machine running, add egg mixture and then the water. Keep blending until the dough comes together. Remove dough and knead it on a floured surface until smooth about 8 minutes. Wrap in film. Attach pasta machine to prep bench and set rollers to the widest setting. Cut the dough into 4 pieces working with one at a time mold the dough into a think oblong. Run it through the machine. Fold the dough into quarters and keep repeating until dough is smooth and has strait sides. Last time rolled through pasta machine, don't fold. Reset machine to the second finest setting and roll through supporting the fragile pasta with one hand while cranking with the other. Rest the pasta sheets on a dry floured flat surface. Cut into 2-inch squares. In the center, place small dollop of Mascarpone, 1 ounce of Maine Lobster tail and knuckle meat, chopped chives, a couple drops of truffle oil and season with salt and pepper. Brush the edges with egg wash, fold the square into a triangle, then bring the two far comers together, and moisten with egg. As the tortellinis are made, place them on a lightly floured sheet pan. Refrigerate until ready to cook. Just before serving blanch the tortellini's in boiling salted water for three minutes or until just past al dente. Remove from water with slotted spoon and drain well.
Consommé
Heat the oil in a rondeau over medium high heat until it begins to smoke. Add shells and sauté 10 minutes. Add fennel, carrots, shallots, and mushrooms and continue cooking for 15 more minutes, add vermouth, garlic, tarragon, tomatoes and water. Let simmer for 2 hours. Strain through china cap and then through chinois. Let cool at room temperature. You should have three quarts of stock.
To Prepare Raft
Finley grind carrots, fennel, and onion in a food processor. Whisk egg whites until frothy and then stir in ground vegetables. Whisk mixture into cold stock. Place the pot over low heat and stir constantly until the stock reaches 130 degrees F. Stop stirring and bring stock to a simmer. Once the raft forms, cut a 2-inch hole in the side of the raft. Let simmer and do not boil. Let the raft act as a filter and simmer for 2 hours keeping the hole open and scooping the impurities aside. Pour through a cheesecloth lined chinois straining any remaining impurities out. Bring consommé back up to a boil and reduce to 4 cups.
To Prepare the Aspic
Take one cup of the hot consommé and stir in one cold water softened gelatin sheet until dissolved set mixture into an ice bath and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate overnight allowing to gel.
To prepare the Saffron Froth
Place 1 cup of consommé and the saffron in a saucepan. Simmer for three minutes, whisk in the butter and vinegar season to your taste. Froth with hand held blender, just before serving.
To Serve
Ladle out one cup of the hot consommé into a large pasta bowl. Place three tortellini in the center of the consommé. Place the black trumpets (grilled) into the dish along with three buttery Maine Lobster claws. Take a chilled cocktail spoon and place on top of one claw and fill with Maine Lobster aspic. Froth the saffron foam and garnish the tortellini with the froth, Maine Lobster antennas, chive springs, and truffle oil.
