Lobster and Foie Gras a l'orange

Foie Gras has become a bit of a tradition for Kerries Birthday, I order a couple of slices from Dartganan and figure out what to do with it from there. This year I found this recipe on the Cointreau website and just couldn't get it out of my head. I used a loaf of French pain de campagne and cut off the crust. I really hesitated to do so because I love a good crusty bread but I'm glad I did, the pan fried bread was a perfect crunchy element for a dish that could have been too soft. If I had left the crust on it would have made it too hard to cut through and it could have been hard to eat. With the crusts off it was easy to slice through it and get a complete bite of crispy bread, buttery foie gras, tender lobster and the slight acidity of the oranges. The shallot and Cointreau sauce was a perfect complement and cut through the richness of the dish.  For a dish this decadent it was incredibly simple. You can easily cook the lobster up ahead of time.

A note on foie gras, make sure you let it come to room temp before trying to pan sear it. it only cooks for 15-20 seconds per side so if it is cold it won't have the right texture. I use the joy of cooking recipe which is simple, season the foie gras on both sides with salt and pepper.  Heat a pan up with a very thin coat of vegetable oil, you want  the oil to get right up to almost smoking, add the room temp foie gras, sear on one side for 15-20 seconds and then flip, cook for another 15-20 seconds and then remove from the pan and let it drain on a paper towel.

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INGREDIENTS

2 qts water
2 lobsters of about 450g (2lbs) (Maine lobsters)
180g (6oz) fresh slices of foie gras
salt
White pepper, freshly ground
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon shallots, peeled and minced
1/4 cup (60ml) Cointreau
1/4 cup (60ml) lobster or chicken stock
2 slice white bread, crusts removed, buttered and pan toasted
10 mandarin orange slices 
2 fresh thyme sprigs

PREPARATION

1- Poach lobster for 6 minutes in boiling water; drain; chill
2- Remove tail and claws from shells; slice tail into 4 medallions; reserve.
3- Heat skillet over medium heat; season foie gras; crisp sear on all sides; drain on paper towel; reserve.
4- Heat butter in skillet over medium heat; add shallots; sauté until golden; deglaze with Cointreau; add stock; reduce by 60%.
5- Add lobster to skillet; sauté 30 seconds.
6- Place foie gras and lobster on toast; drizzle with sauce; garnish with thyme and mandarin slices; serve.