Foie gras, Marsala shallots, frissé and hazelnut toast

Foie gras is a strange thing.  It causes upset to many people because of the way its made, but frankly, it tastes so darned good, I can't help myself.  It is the de facto standard ingredient for restaurants chasing stars

I've yet to find a source of fresh foie - I think the restaurants take all that makes it to these shores - so I've often found myself wondering what to do with the preserved stuff you get in jars.
I love seared foie gras - it gets that crispy, caremelised outer skin and almost turns to liquid on the inside - but that's hard to achieve with a jar of foie.  It tends to break-up into pieces so small that they disappear the moment they make contact with the pan.  However, my little bro turned-up with a new one on me this Christmas - a vacu-packed preserved whole liver that had been squeezed almost into block form.  (Note - it wasn't 'bloc-de-foie gras' as that is often made with bits and off-cuts, it was 'entier' but in a solid mass.)  This cut nicely into thick slices when well-chilled, enabling me to sear it quite successfully in the pan (leaving the ends for a slice of toast for supper...)

This recipe was inspired by a dish I had a Petrus earlier in the year - there it was served with rhubarb and hazelnuts.  I remember the nuts being the key ingredient here - providing great crunch factor.  Rather than rhubarb, I've used shallots cooked down with sweet Marsala wine until decadantly soft, sticky and giving.  The 'jus' left over made a concentrated dressing for the whole thing - just a teaspoon each was ample. 

The recipe below provides enough for a rich and decadant starter for four people.

Foie gras, Marsala shallots, frissé and hazelnut toast
4 small shallots
Small splash of olive oil
1 wine glass Marsala
1 wine glass chicken stock or water
4 long slices of baguette
Olive oil
200g preserved foie gras
Fleur de sel (or sea salt)
A couple of handfuls of frissé lettuce
20 hazelnuts, shelled, peeled and briefly roasted

Begin by quickly browning the peeled shallots in the olive oil in your smallest saucepan.  Add the Marsala and allow to bubble for a few minutes, burning off the alcohol.  Add the stock or water and bring to a gentle boil.  Allow to simmer for around an hour until the shallots are cooked through thoroughly and nicely brown.  The wine and stock should now be thick and syrupy - but there should be enough to drizzle later.  Slice each shallot longways into four.

Drizzle the bread slices with olive oil and bake for a few minutes - allow them to crisp but not burn!  Slice the foie into four thick pieces.  Put a dry pan on a high heat.  When it is very hot, add the foie slices.  As soon as you have the four slices in place, gently start to turn them over - they really need just a few seconds on each side to caremelise - any longer and they'll dissapear!

Put the toasts onto plates, lay a slice of foie on each, sprinkle with a little fleur de sel, top with a small handful of lettuce, place five hazelnuts across each longways and drizzle each assemblage with a teaspoon or so of the shallot-Marsala juices...
Prepare your guests for amazement...

Sorry, no photo yet - need to get my brother to email me one!

tags: fowl  france  

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