I had occasion to visit with friends in Maine last week, and since they were putting me up, I thought it only fair that I bring and prepare dinner for them. Lobsters sounded good to me, but I wanted to treat them to something just a little bit different. The theme for the meal, then, became nuts.

    Here’s the menu:
   
    Pan-roasted one and one-half pound lobsters with bourbon, tarragon and cream; risotto with Gorgonzola cheese, green peas and walnuts; roasted wedges of acorn squash; and grapenut custard pudding with maple syrup.    

      Here’s the execution:            

      With your chef’s knife in one hand, and the lobster held still on the cutting surface, push your knife through the head between the eyes. Make sure you apply enough pressure so it happens quickly. The lobster will die instantly, although the legs and tail will twitch a little. I know, me, too. I always apologize just before I do it.

    Turn the lobster over onto its back, and run your knife down the center of the body and tail, all the way through, so the lobster is split in half. With a spoon, remove the loose brown and green innards, and separate the knuckles/claws from the body.

    With a mallet, crack the knuckles and the claws.Chop a shallot finely, and chop some fresh tarragon. The amounts of each depend on how many lobsters, but let’s say for two, you’d want one shallot, and about a tablespoon of tarragon.

    Heat a cast iron skillet on high, and add 4 tablespoons of butter (one-half stick), and two tablespoons of canola oil. The oil has a higher burn temperature, and will help the butter from burning badly. Add the chopped shallots, and saute for a moment.

    Add the lobster halves, flesh side down, the knuckles and claws, to the pan. Don’t move the lobster halves - - let them develop some brown. After about 2 minutes, turn the knuckles/claws.

    Add a half cup of bourbon to the pan and flame it while you swirl the lobsters in it. Add the tarragon, swirl a little more, and then put the pan in a 350 degree oven for the lobsters to finish roasting.
   
    Remove from the oven in 5 minutes, take the lobsters out of the pan, and put the pan back on the burner. Deglaze with just a little bit of whatever white wine you’re serving with dinner, scrape the good stuff off the bottom of the pan, add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard and one cup of heavy cream. Whisk and reduce to a sauce consistency, and pour a couple of tablespoons over the flesh of the lobster halves, and serve.

    Here’s the results:

    The nuttiness of the bourbon folds in with the walnuts of the risotto and the acorn squash, and you finish that all up with the grapenuts for dessert. That’s how the theme of the dinner, lobster and all, became nuts.

“What did you have for dinner last night?”

“Nuts. And, oh yeah, there was lobster, and risotto, and squash, and custard, too. But, I had nuts for dinner.”

    If you can get past the knife between the eyes thing, this is a terrific meal. If you can’t, just get a friend to help, because it’s really worth it . . . easy, quick, and oh, so good.