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Here is a dish that calls for celebration.

Simplicity at its best.

Imagine, as you walk out of your kitchen, plate in hand, out to your dinner party.

The looks of awe and gasps of surprise as you place this dish in front of them.

“What is that perfectly round sphere?”, they ask.

“Is that a lobster tail?”, they ask.

Art on a plate has to be finely tuned.

It must draw reaction and it should generate conversation.

When The Boy created this dish, I was completely taken with the view of the perfect sphere of egg yolk. I stopped, opened my mouth, closed it and continued staring.

It reminded me of a sunset. The colours on the plate were beautiful to look upon.

A lobster dish on its own is enough to generate happiness with its connotations to luxury. So it is something else when a simple unborn foetus of a flightless bird is able to steal the spotlight and be the centre of attention.

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Anybody would be happy to have such a dish purveyed in front of their senses.

Elements on the Plate:

Butter Poached Lobster Tail – Lobster tail poached in Beurre Monte (butter whisked with a tiny amount of water until emulsified). Spoon some warm Beurre Monte over the lobster tail before serving.

Potato Puree – Dutch Cream potatoes barbecued over charcoal. Discard charred skin and blend potatoes in a Spectablend with a small amount of butter and some milk/pouring cream to a smooth consistency. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Lobster Oil – Cook crushed lobster heads, carcasses and shells with grapeseed oil for 20-30 minutes on simmer. Once cooled, strain oil through a very fine sieve. Spoon lobster oil over sous vide egg yolk.

Sous Vide Egg Yolk – Egg (in shell) cooked in a water bath. Carefully remove yolk from whites.

Leeks – Slow roasted until sweet & tender.

Leek Ash – Leeks sliced half (lengthwise) and individually layered flat on a baking tray (single layer) and roast in a hot oven (180 degrees Celsius) until blackened. Keep watch when they start to blacken as you wouldn’t want the whole house to smell of smoke. Remove and set aside the leeks once they reach the colour you desire. Once cooled, blend in a spice grinder until you get a powder form.

Red Cabbage Gazpacho – Any Red Cabbage Gazpacho recipe will do.

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Keeping things simple and to a minimum often requires great thought and restrain.

It is so easy to be overwhelmed by the very many ingredients, textures and tastes that can be portrayed on a dining canvas.

Of course, there are times when we wish to simply throw all 20 ingredients together and have a messy and greasy fry up, the challenge then comes to turning it into a beautiful piece of art that not only looks good, but taste spectacular.

What sort of cook are you? A one-pot, stir-fry expert (like me) or an artist (like The Boy)?