Butternut Squash Lobster Risotto

Butternut squash lobster risotto is the autumn version of the dish Hell's Kitchen is known for. The restaurant's menu at Caesars Palace lists the lobster risotto as butter-poached lobster tail on truffle risotto with crispy onions, and this recipe keeps the two parts that matter, a properly built risotto and lobster poached gently in butter, and swaps the truffle for roasted butternut squash used two ways: half puréed into the rice so every grain turns orange and sweet, half roasted in cubes and folded in at the end for bite. Fried sage and Parmesan finish it. It serves four as a main course and takes about an hour and a half, most of it the squash roasting while the stock heats.

The recipe card at the bottom has the amounts and the numbered steps. The guide covers roasting the squash and why it goes in twice, which rice to buy and why the stock has to be hot, building the risotto and the butter-and-Parmesan finish, poaching the lobster and the temperature that keeps it tender, and serving and leftovers. It sits in the site's recipes section beside the classic Hell's Kitchen lobster risotto, the asparagus risotto that shares its base method, and the Hell's Kitchen risotto roundup.

Butternut Squash Two Ways: The Purée and the Roasted Cubes

The squash is roasted before it goes anywhere near the rice, because roasting is where its flavor is made. Winter squash is starch and sugar, and dry oven heat drives water off the cut surfaces until they climb past the point where sugars caramelize, about 320°F, and the amino acids and sugars together brown in the Maillard reaction from about 284°F; a squash boiled or steamed for a purée never gets there, because a wet surface cannot exceed 212°F. Illinois Extension gives the basic method, unpeeled pieces cut side down in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes or longer until a fork slides in; this recipe runs the oven hotter, at 400°F, so the cut surfaces brown: cubes take 25 to 30 minutes and a halved squash cut side down 40 to 45.

Buy a squash that has sat a while. Unlike most vegetables, butternut improves in storage: Oregon State Extension explains that a squash keeps developing after harvest, its starch converting to sugar and its carotenoids increasing, and that one picked immature stays bland, so a heavy, hard-skinned, fully tan squash beats a shiny green-streaked one. One squash of about two pounds does both jobs here: the neck is cut into half-inch cubes and roasted, the bulb is halved, seeded and roasted cut side down, then scooped and blended with a ladle of hot stock into a smooth purée. The purée gives the risotto its color and a sweetness that runs through every grain; the cubes give it something to bite, caramelized at the edges. Both can be done a day ahead.

The table's one non-negotiable is the rice. Rice that is boiled first and then toasted makes a pilaf, not a risotto; the grain has to go into the pan raw and dry, or none of what follows happens.

The Rice: Carnaroli or Arborio, and Why the Stock Is Hot

Risotto is creamy because of the rice's starch, not because of cream, and the two Italian varieties that do it best trade off against each other. Arborio and carnaroli are short-grain rices whose starch is high in amylopectin, the branched molecule that swells and leaks out of the grain into the liquid as it cooks; stirring rubs that surface starch off and turns the stock into a sauce. Riso Scotti, one of Italy's large rice mills, describes arborio's big pearly grains that swell and release starch for an especially creamy risotto, and its carnaroli as richer in amylose, the straight starch, so the grain stays firmer and holds its shape longer. Carnaroli is the better choice for a risotto that carries a purée and a topping, because it forgives the extra minute the lobster always seems to need; arborio is creamier and less forgiving. Either way the grains must never be rinsed, which washes off the starch the dish depends on.

The starch only works above about 150°F, where the granules take up water and gelatinize, which is why the stock sits at a simmer in a second pan and goes in hot. A ladle of cold stock drops the pan below that threshold and the rice stalls until the heat recovers, cooking unevenly, chalky at the center and blown out at the edges. Toast the rice in the oil with the shallot for a minute or two first, until the edges of the grains turn translucent around a white dot at the center; that light toasting firms the outside of each grain so it survives 20 minutes of stirring. Then the wine, cooked almost dry: its acidity is what keeps a sweet squash risotto from tasting flat, and the alcohol mostly leaves, though not all of it; the USDA retention table puts alcohol at about 40 percent remaining after 15 minutes of simmering, so the 20 minutes of ladling that follow take care of most of what the first minute did not.

Building the Risotto, and the Butter-and-Parmesan Finish

The stock goes in half a cup at a time, and the next ladle waits until a spoon dragged across the bottom of the pan leaves a trail that fills in slowly. Ramsay's rule in his MasterClass is the rule for every risotto: keep the rice moving, keep the pan at a steady simmer rather than a boil, and taste from 15 minutes on. Stir the squash purée in at about the 15-minute mark, when the rice is two-thirds done, so it has time to marry with the starch but not so long that it scorches on the bottom; the risotto turns orange at once. The rice is done when it is tender with a faint firm bite at the center, 18 to 22 minutes from the first ladle, and loose enough to spread when spooned onto a plate, all'onda, "like a wave." If it mounds, it needs another splash of stock.

The last minute happens off the heat and it is what separates a restaurant risotto from a home one. Fold in the roasted squash cubes, then beat in the cold butter and the grated Parmesan hard for 30 seconds. Italians call this the mantecatura, and it is an emulsion: the fat from the butter and cheese is whipped into the starchy liquid around the grains, which thickens it to a gloss and holds it there. Cold butter emulsifies better than soft because it melts slowly into the sauce instead of pooling on top. Use real Parmigiano Reggiano grated fresh; the consortium ages it a minimum of 12 months, and pre-grated tubs carry anti-caking starch that turns the finish gritty. The old rule that cheese and seafood never meet is broken here on purpose, as it is at Hell's Kitchen; half a cup for four is seasoning, and the squash wants it.

Butter-Poached Lobster: The Temperature Decides It

Lobster is poached in butter because butter cannot get very hot, and lobster cannot take much heat. Shellfish proteins begin to set at temperatures far below meat's, and the window between tender and rubbery is narrow: the meat is done, firm, pearly and opaque, at about 140°F, the FDA's seafood guidance puts the safe target at 145°F, and much past that the proteins contract hard enough to wring the moisture out and the tail turns to rubber. A pan of butter held just below a simmer, well under the boil, cannot overshoot the way a grill or a 500°F oven can, and it seasons the meat as it cooks. The Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative describes the same method: melt the butter over low heat, lay the tails in flesh side down, spoon butter over them, turn once, and take them out when the shells are bright red and the meat is firm and opaque.

Split the tails lengthwise through the shell so they cook in 5 to 8 minutes and show the meat on the plate, and add a tablespoon of water to the butter before it melts so it stays a creamy emulsion rather than separating into clear fat; a probe thermometer in the thickest part, pulled at 140°F, takes the guesswork out. Ramsay's advice on shellfish in his MasterClass is the buying rule: lobster should smell of the sea and nothing else, and tails should be firm and bounce back when pressed. The knuckle and claw meat, already cooked if bought picked, goes into the butter for the last minute only to warm through. Fry the sage leaves in a spoon of that same butter over medium heat for 20 to 30 seconds until they stop bubbling and turn crisp, then drain them on a towel; their water is gone and they shatter.

Serving, Wine and Leftovers

Spoon the risotto into warm shallow bowls so it spreads, set two tail halves on top with the knuckle and claw meat, scatter the fried sage and shave Parmesan over. A spoon of the poaching butter over the lobster is the restaurant touch; the Hell's Kitchen plate adds crispy fried onions, which work here too. A lightly oaked Chardonnay or a Viognier carries both the sweet squash and the butter; the lobster tail guide covers the other ways to cook the tails, and the lobster spaghetti is the same shellfish on pasta.

Risotto waits for no one; the starch sets as it cools and a bowl that sat five minutes needs a splash of stock and a stir. Leftover risotto keeps two days refrigerated and reheats over low heat with stock, stirred until loose, though it never quite returns: cooled starch recrystallizes, the retrogradation that also stales bread, and the grains firm up. The classic use is arancini, chilled risotto rolled into balls, breaded and fried. Keep any leftover lobster separate and add it cold or barely warmed; reheating it takes it past the temperature it was pulled at. The squash purée and cubes, and the stock, can all be made a day ahead, which turns the hour and a half into 30 minutes at the stove.

Butternut Squash Lobster Risotto (Gordon Ramsay Style)

Roasted butternut squash two ways, a purée stirred into carnaroli risotto and caramelized cubes folded in at the end, hot stock a ladle at a time, a cold-butter and Parmigiano Reggiano finish, and lobster tails poached gently in butter to 140°F with knuckle and claw meat, topped with fried sage. Serves four as a main course.

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 65 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Servings 4 servings

Calories 640 kcal

Ingredients

  

• For the squash
• 1 butternut squash, about 2 lb
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• For the risotto
• 5 cups chicken or lobster stock
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, plus 2 tbsp cold, for the finish
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• 1⅓ cups carnaroli or arborio rice
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated, plus more to serve
• For the lobster and sage
• 2 lobster tails, 5 to 6 oz each, split lengthwise through the shell
• 4 oz cooked lobster knuckle and claw meat
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp water
• 8 fresh sage leaves

Instructions

 

• Heat the oven to 400°F. Cut the neck of the squash from the bulb. Peel the neck and cut it into ½-inch cubes; halve the bulb lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Toss the cubes with 1 tablespoon of the oil, salt and pepper and spread them on a sheet pan; rub the bulb halves with the remaining oil and set them cut side down on a second pan. Roast the cubes until tender and browned at the edges, 25 to 30 minutes, and the halves until a knife slides in easily, 40 to 45 minutes.
• Scoop the flesh from the roasted halves into a blender with ½ cup of hot stock and blend smooth; season with salt. You need about 1 cup of purée. Keep the remaining stock at a simmer in a saucepan.
• In a wide, heavy skillet or sauté pan, heat the tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat and cook the shallot until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the rice and stir 1 to 2 minutes, until the edges of the grains look translucent. Add the wine and stir until almost fully absorbed, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add ½ cup of hot stock and stir often until nearly absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes. Continue adding stock ½ cup at a time, stirring often and waiting until each addition is nearly absorbed before the next. At about 15 minutes, stir in the squash purée. Cook until the rice is tender with a slight bite and the risotto is loose and creamy, 18 to 22 minutes in all. You may not need all the stock.
• While the rice cooks, melt the 6 tablespoons of butter with the water in a small saucepan over low heat. Lay the lobster tail halves in flesh side down, spoon butter over them, and poach gently, turning once, until the meat is firm, pearly and opaque and the shells are bright red, 5 to 8 minutes, or 140°F on a thermometer in the thickest part; the butter must never boil. Add the knuckle and claw meat for the last minute to warm through. Lift the lobster onto a warm plate. Fry the sage leaves in 1 tablespoon of the poaching butter in a small skillet over medium heat until crisp, 20 to 30 seconds, and drain on a towel.
• Take the risotto off the heat. Fold in the roasted squash cubes, then add the 2 tablespoons cold butter and the Parmesan and beat vigorously for 30 seconds until glossy. Season with salt and pepper and loosen with a splash of stock if it mounds on a spoon.
• Spoon the risotto into warm shallow bowls so it spreads. Top with the lobster tail halves and the knuckle and claw meat, a spoonful of the poaching butter, the fried sage and more Parmesan. Serve at once.

Notes

Rice goes in raw and unrinsed; never pre-cook it. Keep the stock simmering; cold stock stalls the rice. Pull the lobster at 140°F (firm, pearly, opaque) and keep the butter below a simmer, or the meat turns rubbery. The squash purée, cubes and stock can be made a day ahead. Leftover risotto keeps 2 days and reheats with stock; add leftover lobster cold or barely warmed.

More risotto: Hell's Kitchen lobster risotto, asparagus risotto, and mushroom risotto. The lobster: how to cook a lobster tail.

Butternut Squash Lobster Risotto FAQs

The questions that come up most: whether frozen lobster tails work, which stock to use, carnaroli versus arborio, whether the risotto can be made ahead or frozen, how to reheat it, whether it needs wine, whether cheese belongs with lobster, and what to serve with it.