Saffron Cream Sauce

I don't do a lot of improvisation in the kitchen. Oh, sure, I guesstimate sometimes instead of measuring strictly. And I might substitute an herb or two here and there. Most of the time, though, I'm working from a recipe. Sometimes though, I can't find a recipe for something I really want to make. So I go online, do a few Google searches for the general idea and then experiment. This one was a great success.

We decided to have lobster ravioli for our Valentine's Day dinner. Now I confess that I bought the ravioli itself from Holy Ravioli, a great store here in Dallas. But I needed a sauce. I knew it had to be cream-based, but also pretty delicate, so no tomatoes allowed. Rediscovered some saffron in my spice cabinet and had my inspiration. Here's the result.

Saffron Cream Sauce
Makes about one cup.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (or olive oil)
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1/2 cup thinly diced shallots
1 cup heavy cream
1 generous pinch saffron threads, crumbled

In a saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. (Do not let them brown.)

Add the white wine and simmer until reduced to about 3 tablespoons. Add the cream and saffron and simmer until thickened and reduced slightly. If desired, strain out solids.

Serve over pasta, chicken, or vegetables. (Cauliflower would be yummy.)

Alternate method for lobster ravioli
I wanted to gild the lily with a little lobster meat in the sauce, so here are a couple additional steps I took.

Steam one or two small (about 6 ounce) lobster tails for 4-6 minutes. Remove meat from shell and set aside.

Add 1/2 cup or so of the lobster cooking water to the sauce when you add the cream.

Cut or tear lobster into small pieces. After sauce has thickened, stir into sauce to warm. Obviously in this case, you're not going to strain before pouring over your lobster ravioli.

Food/Wine Pairing:
Of course, we had to have sparkling wine on Valentine's Day, so I took my own advice and served Lucien Albrecht Cremant d'Alsace. It complemented the richness of the lobster ravioli and sauce nicely, with just enough acidity to cut through the cream. It served almost like a squeeze of bright lemon over it all.