Butter—Poached Maine Lobster with Leeks, Pommes Maxim, and a Red Beet Essence

I’ve been serving lobster with beets and leeks for more than a decade, and the combination has gone through many evolutions. In New York, I served it with potatoes and a fine julienne of crispy beets. In L.A., I did the Jackson Pollock thing, with splatters of reduced beet juice and a tower of mashed potatoes. In its current form—lobster with leeks, a thin sheet of pommes Maxim, which originated at Maxim’s in Paris, and a red beet essence—I think I’ve found the perfect inte