With Valentine’s Day this coming weekend, my blogs this week will be devoted to recipes in celebration of the holiday. With numerous restrictions still in place for many of us, a gourmet-style dinner prepared at home is in order. My suggestion is a riff on Beef Wellington.

Beef Wellington is an English dish comprised of a beef fillet, covered with paté and mushrooms, then wrapped in puff pastry and baked. It is a great dish, but I’m upping the game. Today’s recipe showcases lobster tails instead of beef and replaces the paté with a spinach mixture. Once the mushrooms, herbs and seasonings are added, it is all wrapped in puff pastry as in the traditional version and baked to golden perfection. This is upscale restaurant quality food!

Lobster Wellington (adapted from foodnetwork.com) Total Time Required: 55 minutes, Active Time: 30 minutes, Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 (8-ounce) raw lobster tails in the shell, thawed
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 10-ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• zest of 1/2 lemon (about 1 teaspoon), plus wedges for serving
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4-ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry (17.3-ounce package), thawed
• 1 large egg, beaten 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425º F. Position a wire rack on a baking sheet and set it aside. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Put the lobster tails in a large heat safe bowl, pour in the boiling water to cover them and let it sit until the shells just begin to turn orange, about 4 minutes. 

Use kitchen shears to cut the shells and remove them from the meat. Insert a wooden skewer lengthwise through each tail so that the lobster stays flat and does not curl up while cooking. Set the tails aside.

Microwave 4 tablespoons of the butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals until melted, about 1 minute. Stir in the spinach, garlic, lemon zest, a large pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper, then set it aside.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, thyme, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are soft and starting to turn brown in spots, about 5 minutes.

Roll each puff pastry sheet into an 11-inch square. Spread half of the spinach mixture on each sheet and sprinkle with half of the mushrooms.

Cut each sheet in half, making 4 rectangles. Place a lobster tail at one end of each rectangle, parallel with the short side.

Roll the pastry pieces around the lobster and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.

Brush the pastry with the beaten egg.

Bake until deep golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the skewers, slice widthwise into pieces, and serve with lemon wedges.

A gourmet dinner in under an hour, prepared at home! ~Linda

Lobster Wellington (adapted from foodnetwork.com) Total Time Required: 55 minutes, Active Time: 30 minutes, Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 (8-ounce) raw lobster tails in the shell, thawed
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 10-ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• zest of 1/2 lemon (about 1 teaspoon), plus wedges for serving
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4-ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry (17.3-ounce package), thawed
• 1 large egg, beaten 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425º F. Position a wire rack on a baking sheet and set it aside. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Put the lobster tails in a large heat safe bowl, pour in the boiling water to cover them and let them sit until the shells just begin to turn orange, about 4 minutes. 

Use kitchen shears to cut the shells and remove them from the meat. Insert a wooden skewer lengthwise through each tail so that the lobster stays flat and does not curl up while cooking. Set the tails aside.

Microwave 4 tablespoons of the butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals until melted, about 1 minute. Stir in the spinach, garlic, lemon zest, a large pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper, then set it aside.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, thyme, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are soft and starting to turn brown in spots, about 5 minutes.

Roll each puff pastry sheet into an 11-inch square. Spread half of the spinach mixture on each sheet and sprinkle with half of the mushrooms. Cut each sheet in half, making 4 rectangles. Place a lobster tail at one end of each rectangle, parallel with the short side. Roll the pastry pieces around the lobster and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg. 

Bake until deep golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the skewers, slice widthwise into pieces and serve with lemon wedges.