Luxurious foods are always on Valentine menus: lobster, crab, scallops, oysters, and other fish and shellfish, which inspired the fishmonger to comment, “Nothing says true love like dead fish.” Nor is killing the live lobster a prelude to a kiss. Be kind to your sweetheart and shell the seafood before serving.

Lobster meat is easily overcooked; gently heating the lobster in a butter sauce yields a very tender lobster. Lobster and butter a truly a perfect match! This dish is rich enough to be a one-pot dinner and best eaten with a spoon so that not a drop of sauce is missed.

Butter-Poached Lobster on Mac-and-Cheese

• 1 lobster, weighing about 1 1/2 pounds
  
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 sprig of fresh herb (such as tarragon)
  
• ½ teaspoon whole peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1/2 pound butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 lobster, blanched and shelled

To prepare the lobster, bring a pot with 2 inches of water to a boil. Place the lobster in the pot and cover. Steam for 3 minutes. Remove the lobster and chill in an ice water bath. Shell the lobster, cut into pieces (be sure to devein the lobster tail), and refrigerate the lobster meat. Use a meat pounder to break up the lobster body and return the lobster shells to the lobster pot. Cook the shells for 30 minutes, then strain. Use the lobster stock in the orzo recipe.

Combine the wine, vinegar, shallot, fresh herb, and peppercorns in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce to a quarter of the original volume. Strain into a saucepan and add the cream, return to low heat. Tablespoon by tablespoon, add the butter, whisking constantly, to create an emulsified sauce. Stir in the lobster meat. Serve on top of orzo.

For the orzo with mascarpone cheese:

• 1 cup lobster stock
• 1 cup orzo pasta
• ¼ cup mascarpone cheese
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced chives

Cook the orzo, drain, and toss with stock. Fold in the mascarpone, salt, pepper, and chives. Place a spoonful on a plate and top with lobster and sauce.

If cooking lobster is still too intimidating, give a Valentine present by registering for Date Night: Lobster Tales and Other Stories on May 22.