This recipe came about when our local food market was having a sale on live lobster. Being one to never look a cheap lobster in the mouth (wherever that might actually be) I bought ten of them. You'd think that wouldn't be enough, but actually, after a couple of dinners of boiled lobster, I was looking for a way to use it other than just dipping it in melted butter, as good as that is.
This dish falls into the fancy schmancy category but really isn't particularly difficult to make...however, the ingredients ARE expensive, so this is a "trot out to impress" recipe. By the way, it seriously breaks the "no cheese with seafood" rule of Italian cooking...but I don't care because it tastes great.
This is all about assembly like any good lasagna. I make my own lasagna noodles, cook them until they float to the top of the boiling water, then throw them in cold water until I'm ready to assemble. You can start with dry lasagna noodles, although I don't recommend them...they tend to be rather thick and this is a more delicate lasagna than your basic beef, tomato sauce, cream sauce Bolognese. If you DO use dried lasagna noodles, see if you can get the ones that are flat all the way across, without the curly edges, but in any case, cook them until they are almost done, about a minute or two short of what the box says, and throw into the cold water as I mentioned when using the fresh. So, you've got a bowl of mostly cooked lasagna noodles.
Chop the lobster into chunks. Don't mince, don't slab. Nice chunks. If you use sea scallops, chop them, say, quartering them. If you use bay scallops, no chopping is needed.
Melt a tablespoon of butter in a saucepan on low and add the onions. Cook until clear, then add the garlic, cook for 30 seconds, then add the seafood, cooking it until it just starts to become opaque. Do NOT over cook. Add the cognac or brandy, toss a couple of times in the pan, then put the seafood mixture into a bowl.
Now we make the sauce. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, and add the flour, stirring to make a roux. After it has cooked for a minute or so, but before it browns, add the milk, stirring it in with a whisk so that it doesn't lump. Stir in the paprika. Bring to a simmer and as it starts to thicken, add the Asiago cheese, stirring to melt it in. Taste. If you need a little salt, add it, but the cheese probably has enough.
I use an 8 by 8 baking pan. Spread a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom. Arrange a layer of noodles on the sauce. Layer half of the seafood on top. Pour a thin layer of sauce on the seafood. Add another layer of noodles, then the rest of the seafood then a thin layer of sauce. Now add one last layer of noodles. I like to save my best looking noodles for last so I get a "clean" top. I press down on the top layer of noodles to make sure that all the bubbles are out and there isn't a bunch of air inside the lasagna. Pour the last of the sauce across the top. Sprinkle or layer the mozzarella or provolone on top.
Cover with foil and put into a 350 oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and let it go 10 more minutes to brown up the top a bit. Or you can slip it under the broiler.
Pull the lasagna out of the oven and let it sit for at least 15 minutes. It will set up and be much easier to serve and eat, unless you are fond of molten lava in your mouth, in which case, dive right in.