Foodie Junkie Girl: Crabmeat and Lobster Stuffed Manicotti

Valentine's Day is right around the corner last year I made baked lobster tails and the year before that I made manicotti I decided I liked them both so why not combine them, but nix the tomato sauce for a Béchamel sauce and add crabmeat AND lobster to the mix! MMMMM Perfect sexy Valentine's Day Dinner! Lets get started!

What you need:

6 tbl of butter
5 tbl. flour
shallot, minced
pad of butter
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
4 c. milk of if you dare Heavy Cream (it's what I used in the test kitchen)
1 lb. Manicotti cooked
8 oz of lump crabmeat
4-8 oz of lobster tails (if you cannot find it freshly prepared in the seafood section then buy the tails and roast in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10-15 min with a bit of butter let cool and chop)
1/8 teas. Freshly grated nutmeg
15 oz. ricotta cheese (I used whole milk cut calories by using part skim)
Parsely for garnish
salt (very very little), pepper, and cayenne pepper, Babineaux Seasoning (if you have)
2 cloves of garlic minced
Fresh Lemon Juice (half a lemon)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large pot cook manicotti in boiling water, cook til "al dente" which means to cook until firm but not hard. Set Aside.

In a med large saucepan. Melt butter on med. high heat add one tabl. of flour at a time stirring briskly to dissolve after each addition.

Pour in milk or heavy cream one cup at a time and whisk briskly so that sauce is smooth there should be no lumps. Whisk quickly and briskly after each addition, remember no lumps. Lower heat and add nutmeg. Continue to stir. Add 4-6 grinds of the pepper mill and a couple of pinches of cayenne pepper. Congrats you made Béchamel sauce but we will add cheese for this recipe. Stir, lower heat and stir in 1/4 c. Parmesan Cheese. Set aside and stir occasionally.

In a large skillet heat on med high heat a pad of butter saute shallot and garlic set aside.

In a large mixing bowl add lobster, crabmeat, lemon juice, ricotta cheese, shallot and garlic mixture, pepper and cayenne pepper. Combine, I used a big fork it helps break up the fresh lump crabmeat (please don't use artificial crabmeat)

Take a 13 X 9 baking pan. Pour one half of the Béchamel sauce in the middle of the dish.

Take the cooked and cooled Manicotti and stuff with the crabmeat mixture. I used my hands and took a little bit of the crabmeat mixture at a time and pushed into the manicotti. Don't worry if the manicotti is flattened a bit the the stuffing will puff it up. Also don't fret if the pasta breaks you can turn the torn side facing the béchamel sauce at the bottom of the baking dish. Stuff until you have filled the baking dish.