Foie gras and fruit is always a great pairing.  The sweetness of fruit balances the rich and creamy foie gras perfectly. This recipe for seared foie gras with apples is very easy to prepare and is delicious.  Flash frozen portioned foie gras or slices from a fresh lobe of foie gras can be used with equally good results.

Be sure to save the rendered foie gras fat.  Foie gras fat can be used to fry potatoes (my favorite use of foie gras fat!), vegetables or even fish or scallops.  If the foie gras fat needs to be filtered, you can use a fine strainer or even a coffee filter.  The fat might be little brown in color, but as long as it is not too dark, it should be just fine for reuse.  The foie gras fat can be kept in the refrigerator for months, or can be frozen and kept in the freezer for six months or more.

Ingredients:

4 tart green apples, peeled and sliced into 8 slices each

2 tablespoons butter

8 portions flash-frozen foie gras

or fresh duck foie gras, 1.5 lb

1 cup veal, beef or chicken stock (home-made is best, but good quality store-bought is OK too)

4 tablespoons white verjus

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

salt and pepper

fleur de sel

Instructions:

Sauté apples in butter in a large, heavy frying pan, one batch at a time.  Turn each piece over once to ensure each slice is golden and soft.  Remove from pan and keep warm.  Heat the same pan over medium high heat.  Sear the foie gras until golden brown and crisp on the outside, about 1 minute on each side.  Do not crowd the foie gras in the pan. This may be done in two batches if needed.  Keep the foie gras warm.  Remove the foie gras fat from the pan (save for another use).  Deglaze the plan with verjus.  Add the stock and reduce by half.  Wisk the remaining 2 tablespoons butter into the sauce.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, place 4 slices of apple on each plate.  Place seared foie gras to the side of the apples.  Spoon sauce on top of apples and foie gras.  Finish with fleur de sel.

I’ve probably said this about other foie gras recipes in the past, but this really is my favorite preparation.  The recipe is just slightly altered from the original recipe which can be found in Michael Ginor’s epic cookbook “Foie Gras: A Passion”.  The original recipe calls for a whole lobe of foie gras to be poached in a sweet wine such at Sauternes.  The first time I tried this recipe, I poached the foie gras exactly as described in the recipe.  It was wonderful that way; however, I generally prefer seared foie gras over poached foie gras.

The beauty of this recipe is it’s simplicity in ingredients and preparation.  The result is a dish that tastes clean and familiar, relying on the natural complexities of the ingredients.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 – 6 small bulbs of fennel

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

3 tablespoons chicken broth

coarse salt

8 portions of flash frozen duck foie gras

or 8 slices of fresh duck foie gras, 1.5 lb

4 tablespoons sugar

1 ½ teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper

1 cup chicken or duck broth

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions:

First, cut the stalks from the fennel bulbs.  Reserve a few feathery ends for garnish.  Cut each bulb into 8 wedges.  Place the fennel, butter or olive oil chicken broth and a pinch of coarse salt in a covered pan and braise until the fennel is soft and just slightly golden, The fennel should remain moist and may need additional broth or water added during the cooking process.  Keep warm.

Preheat the oven to 400°.  Devein the lobe of foie gras if using fresh product.  If using portioned flash frozen foie gras, remove any visible veins.  Heat a large frying pan on medium high heat.  Sear the foie gras until golden brown on the outside, about 30 seconds to one minute on each side.  Put the foie gras in the oven in a roasting pan and cook for one to two minutes if necessary.  The foie gras should be medium rare.

Place the sugar in a small nonstick frying pan.  Over medium heat, allow the sugar to melt slightly, then add cracked pepper.  Let the sugar caramelize while swirling the pan.  Add the chicken or duck broth.  Reduce over medium heat until the sauce has the consistency of a light golden syrup.  Add salt and lemon juice.

To serve, place the braised fennel in the center of each plate, top with the foie gras, and drizzle the sauce over the top and around the edge of the plate.  Chop reserved feathery fennel ends and sprinkle as garnish.

Serves 4 as a main course or 8 as an appetizer.

Foie gras is so versatile, it can be paired with almost anything, literally.  I love to add a piece of seared foie gras to almost any savory dish consisting of fish, filet mignon, lamb tenderloin, chicken, duck, pheasant or other poultry, or game meats such as venison, elk and boar.  Foie gras is wonderful combined with sauteed vegetable or potatoes.

Fruit-based sauces are one of the most classic pairings for foie gras.  The acidity and sweetness of the fruit are an excellent match with buttery foie gras.  The following sauces are easy to prepare, and will go well with any type of foie gras – seared foie gras, foie gras torchon style, bloc of foie gras, or salt-cured foie gras.

Foie Gras Torchon with Pear Currant Chutney

Whole duck foie gras torchon

16 slices of brioche bread

2 bosc pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1/3 inch dice

2 tablespoons dry black currants

½ cup Verjus Blanc

4 teaspoons sugar

Pinch of freshly ground pepper

To make the chutney, combine all the ingredients in a small sauté pan over medium heat and cook, stirring gently, until almost all the liquid has evaporated and the pear is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes.  Remove from the heat and let cool.

Remove crusts and cut brioche bread to desired size and shape.  Toast until golden in a 350° oven.  Slice the foie gras with a hot knife.  Place a portion of foie gras torchon on each piece of toast.  Top with a small mound of pear chutney.

This recipe is from Terra, Cooking from the Heart of Napa Valley, by Hiro Sone and Lissa Doumani.

Foie Gras Torchon with Sour Cherry Reduction

Whole duck foie gras torchon

Or Block of duck foie gras

16 slices of brioche bread

1 ¼ cup red wine

1 cup duck or chicken stock

¼ cup sour cherries

salt and cracked pepper

1 teaspoon cold unsalted butter

For the sauce, cook the wine over medium heat until reduced to 1/8 cup.  Add the stock and reduce to ½ cup.  Add the sour cherries and some cracked pepper and simmer for 2 – 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool.

Remove crusts and cut brioche bread to desired size and shape.  Toast until golden in a 350° oven.  Slice the foie gras with a hot knife.  Place a portion of foie gras torchon on each piece of toast.  Top with a small mound of sour cherry reduction.

I would never think to pair rich and creamy foie gras with another rich and creamy food such as avocado, but this recipe is surprisingly delicious, and easy to prepare.  The first time I seared foie gras I used this recipe from the cookbook “Tetsuya” by Tetsuya Wakuda, published by Ten Speed Press.  I followed the recipe, using a small amount of foie gras.  Much to my surprise, most of the foie gras rendered down to liquid fat, leaving only a very small piece of seared foie gras per person. Since my first attempt, I have prepared this recipe many times, with some slight adjustments noted in the recipe below.

Over the years I have learned how to sear foie gras to perfection.  The most important thing in my view is to only heat the pan to medium high before placing the foie gras medallions in the pan.  If the pan is too hot, the foie gras will be very dark on the outside, but still raw inside.  It is also important not to overcrowd the pan.  It’s best to leave a few inches of space between each piece of foie gras.  There is no need to use any oil in the pan.  The foie gras will quickly release fat once it touches the hot pan.

Flash frozen portioned foie gras is the ideal product for this recipe; however, one could also use a whole lobe, cut into the number of portions needed.

Avocado Puree

1/2 avocado, peeled and sectioned

3 – 4 oz milk

salt and cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon finely chopped chives

Sauce

2 teaspoons honey

4 oz soy sauce

3 teaspoons lemon juice

Other ingredients

4 3/4 inch thick slices of duck foie gras

1 teaspoon of grape seed oil

1 1/2 cups of steamed short-grain rice

1 avocado, finely diced

Garnish

Crushed sesame seeds

Chives cut into 3/4 in lengths

Instructions

To make the avocado puree, blend together the avocado and the milk. Add salt and black pepper to taste, and then add in the chives.

To make the sauce, bring the ingredients to a boil.

Sear the foie gras slices on both sides in a medium hot pan until the outside is golden brown and the inside is just barely cooked.

Mix the rice with the diced avocado.

To serve, place about 1/3 cup of the rice and avocado mixture in the base of each serving plate. Spoon on a little avocado puree and add the foie gras. Spoon on some sauce and garnish with the sesame seeds and chives.

Serves 4

http://www.enjoyfoiegras.com/products/foie-gras.html Learn the differences between several prepared foie gras products: foie gras terrine, foie gras torchon style, block of foie gras, pate de foie gras, or whole foie gras in a jar.

Emulsified foie gras: Pate de foie gras mousse
Partially emulsified, 30% large pieces of foie gras: Foie gras bloc (foie gras block or block of foie gras)
Whole foie gras prepared (the most premium foie gras products): Terrine, torchon style, whole foie gras in a jar