Roasted Lobster with Rhubarb Sauce over Braised Greens {For We Olive}

A friend introduced me to We Olive last year when she brought me to the Paso Robles store while our husbands and kiddos did boy-things at the J-Squared Ranch on Mothers' Day weekend. Think bows and arrows! Pia and I headed into Paso Robles for a much-needed break from all things testosterone. And, as we usually do, when we get some girl time, we ate. Tasted, nibbled, imbibed, and tasted some more.

We started off at We Olive where we tasted olive oils that ran the gamut from fruity and light to grassy and robust. We also tasted oils that were infused with everything from blood orange and Meyer lemon to piquant peppers.

And we both walked out with multiple bottles of some delicious oils and vinegars, wholly inspired to go home and create delicious dishes that highlighted our purchases. Here's a dish I make that pairs well with We Olive's Lemon Olive Oil. The oil is soft and buttery with a hint of lemon. I decided it would be the perfect complement to some roasted lobster. It was!

No need to wait for a special occasion, this makes a delicious celebration of romance...on any day of the year.

Roasted Lobster
1 lobster tail per person
We Olive's Lemon Olive Oil*
freshly ground salt

*Feel free to substitute any lemon olive oil that you have on-hand.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Using kitchen shears, cut each lobster tail down the back, stopping at the last segment before the tail piece. Bend back the tail until you hear a loud crack. Slip a knife between the meat and the bottom membrane, freeing tail meat from the shell. Pull the meat up and over the shell, closing the shell shut beneath it. The tail meat, then, piggybacks on top of the shell. Here's a video if you need more help.

Coat the lobster meat with a generous coating of We Olive's Lemon Olive Oil and sprinkle with freshly ground sea salt. Bake for 1-2 minutes per ounce of weight, if fresh. It might take longer if the tail is frozen.

Rhubarb Sauce
To complement the citrus-y lobster, I made a simple sauce with fresh rhubarb to spoon over the top. Rhubarb has such a short growing season here, I enjoy it while I can! And after you use it for this, you can spoon it over ice cream for dessert.

4 C rhubarb, trimmed and cut into chunks
3/4 C organic turbinado sugar
1/2 C white wine

Place all of the ingredients in a large, flat-bottomed pan. Cook until the rhubarb is softened and the liquid has been reduced. This sauce is slightly more liquidy than a jam.

The Dish...
Place the cooked lobster tails on a bed of braised greens. Top with a tablespoon or two of rhubarb sauce.

'Twas a hit! The boys wolfed it down, then showed me - with the shell - how the lobster moved while it was alive to propel itself with its tail.

Last year I submitted a recipe to the We Olive recipe contest and I won! So, at Pia's urging again, I am submitting this to We Olive's 2013 recipe contest. Wish me luck!