Surf and Turf...kind of

Well, it is pretty obvious that I am not a food photographer.  I typically use my smart phone as my main camera because is always with me and you never know when you will have the urge to take a picture.  On a positive note, I actually know a couple of food photographers, so maybe there will be hope for me.  Last night was one of those nights that a picture needed to be taken.  My wife and I were invited over to our good friends house for dinner.  The menu was broiled lobster, pan seared duck breast with Cassis sauce, squash and potato puree with roasted garlic, and a nice salad with balsamic vinaigrette.

We started off with the seafood course.  To prepare the lobster the shells were cut down the back and the small "ribs" on the underside of the shell were snipped on both sides so make opening the shell easier.  The meat was pulled out, still attached to the end of the tail, and then rested on top of the shell.  Next it was given a generous brushing of butter, a bit of salt, and a sprinkle of sweet paprika, then placed under the broiler for about 5 minutes.  You really need to keep an eye no them, especially when your friends have an oven that has a nuclear setting.  It was done perfectly.  I managed to snap this picture as everyone was circling the table like a pack of hungry wolves.  I was actually getting kind of nervous because they had all had kind of a wild look in their eyes.  I took the hint and found my place a the table before anyone got hurt.  I wish I could eat like this all the time, but as things go, this is a treat I only get once or twice a year.

After reducing the first course to a pile of empty shells, the wolves seemed more calm.  We went back to the kitchen to make the duck breast.  Duck breast is one of the simplest dishes to make and I think I like it as much as a good steak.  The duck is seared in a cast iron pan that is hot.  Smoking hot.  We lightly scored the skin so some of the fat can render out, gave them a sprinkle of salt, and pepper, then put them into the pan skin side down.  This is one of those dishes where you really need a good vent hood.  Once the skin is sufficiently crispy, they were flipped and cooked on the flesh side just until lightly browned.  They should be rare to medium rare.  Next we took them out of the pan and let them rest on a cutting board.  In the meantime we drained off all but about 1 TB of fat from the pan and added minced shallot, current preserves, Cassis, and some good balsamic.  While it was reducing, we sliced the duck breast and put them on a nice big plate.  The sauce was adjusted for salt and then spooned over the center of the meat.  My buddy Steve was feeling creative, so he added some decoration to the plate.

This was paired with some of the wonderful squash, potato, and roasted garlic puree.  Throw in a nice salad and it was the perfect meal for a rainy December evening.