This recipe for Foie Gras with Blood Orange and Ancho Chilies is delicious with seared foie gras, or any prepared foie gras product.  Try this sweet and spicy sauce with bloc of foie gras, foie gras torchon style, or hot seared foie gras.  This is another fabulous recipe from “Foie Gras: A Passion” by Michael Ginor.

Ingredients:

Orange Sauce

4 teaspoons water

4 Tablespoons sugar, plus 2 additional if desired

3 cups orange juice

1/4 cup lime juice

1 cup reduced chicken stock

1 Tablespoon orange rind, grated

1 teaspoon lime rind, grated

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons tequila

Pinch of coarse salt

Pinch of black pepper, freshly ground

2 tablespoons chili chipotle adobe sauce, canned

lemon juice

Ancho Chilies

1 large ancho chili, seeded and deveined

1/2 small onion, minced, about 1/3 cup

2 large cloves garlic, crushed

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup Grand Marnier

1/4 cup orange juice

1/2 tablespoon orange zest

1 tablespoon sugar

pinch of coarse salt

pinch of black pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

Oranges

2 blood oranges, segmented

2 oranges, segmented

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons tequila

Foie Gras

12 ounces fresh raw foie gras, cut into 4 slices

1 tablespoon flour

or 12 – 16 ounces prepared foie gras

Instructions:

Orange Sauce

In a saucepan set over medium heat, combine the water and sugar and heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil.  Cook until the syrup is golden brown, approximately 5 minutes.  Gradually add the orange juice, stirring constantly, then add the lime juice.  Slowly add the stock and cook for 15 minutes.  Add the orange and lime rinds and continue to cook until the sauce is the consistency of a light syrup, about 10 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and swirl in the butter, stirring until it is completely absorbed.  Stir in the tequila, salt, pepper, chipotle adobo sauce, and lemon juice to taste.  If desired, add the extra 2 tablespoons of sugar to intensify the flavor of the sauce.

Ancho Chilies

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the chili in the oven and roast for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and cut julienned strips.  Place the chili strips in a bowl and add the remaining ingredients.  Let marinate for 2 hours.

Oranges

Place the orange sections in a bowl. Sprinkle with the sugar and the tequila.  Set aside.

Foie gras (seared)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Sprinkle the flour on each foie gras slice and shake off the excess.  Place a saute pan over  high heat.  When the pan is hot, add the foie gras and sear for 30 minutes on each side, until browned and crisp.  Place the foie gras in a roasting pan and cook in the oven for 1 to 2 minutes if necessary.  The foie gras should be medium rare.  (if you heat the pan to medium high, and sear for a minute longer, it will not be necessary to finish the foie gras in the oven.

Service

Arrange the oranges in a fan pattern around each serving plate (or one plate if serving on a buffet).  Place the foie gras (seared or prepared) on top of the oranges.  Add a teaspoon of foie gras fat to the orange sauce and swirl to incorporate.  Spoon the orange sauce over the foie gras and garnish with the ancho chilies.

Cassoulet is a perfect dish to make for company on a chilly winter day.  Everything can be done ahead of time, then simply bake the cassoulet for about 30 – 40 minutes before you are ready to serve the dish, heat up the Saucisse de Toulouse and crisp the skin of the duck legs confit.  Serve cassoulet with a green salad with winter fruits such as persimmon, apple, or pear.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of dried white beans (flageolets, navy or great northern)
• 6 cups of water
• 2 onions
• 2 cloves
• 1 carrot (cut in half)
• 1 – 2 garlic cloves crushed
• 1stalk of parsley
• 1 rib of celery
• 1/2 pound garlic sausage, sliced, then slices cut in quarters
• 1/4 pound of diced salt pork or bacon
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 2 tablespoons of rendered duck fat or olive oil
• 4 shallots, chopped
• 1 cup peeled and diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1/2 dry white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 10 duck legs confit
• 6 links Saucisse de Toulouse
• 1 1/4 cups breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons of butter

Instructions:

Boil 6 cups of water. Wash the beans and put in a pan, add the boiling water, and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let soak for one hour. Stud one of the peeled onions with the 2 cloves and add to the beans. Add the carrot, garlic, parsley, celery, diced salt pork or bacon, sausage, and salt. Bring to a boil uncovered, skim off the foam, cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Chop the 2nd onion and the shallots and sauté in the duck fat until the onion turns light brown, add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, chopped parsley and the wine. Stir and cook for 5 minutes, and add to the beans.

Cover and simmer for 1 hour, or until beans are tender, adding more water if needed. The bean mixture should be saucy, with about 1 cup or more liquid when finished. Remove the whole onion, celery, carrot and parsley stalk.

Put the bean mixture in a large earthenware or enamel casserole. Combine the breadcrumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle over the beans, bake at about 350 until the breadcrumbs are brown (up to 40 minutes).

Towards the end of the cooking time, heat the duck legs confit in a frying pan over medium heat, fat side down. When the skin is crisp and browned, turn over just to heat and slightly brown the other side of the legs. Meanwhile, sauté the saucisse de Toulouse in a small amount of olive oil until browned. Cut the sausages in half. Remove the casserole from the oven, top with the duck confit and sausages.

Serves 8 – 10

An easy to make and refreshing salad with duck breast proscuitto, fresh figs, and a sweet and spicy vinaigrette!  The photo below shows this salad with warm goat cheese covered with toasted nuts, which is an easy addition.  Simply slice a piece of fresh goat cheese from a log, roll it in chopped nuts, and warm it in a frying pan.

Smoked duck breast, or Magret de Canard could be substituted for the duck prosciutto as well.

Ingredients:

Moulard duck breast prosciutto

Lettuce (butter, spring mix, or other greens)

12 – 16 Figs, cut into quarters
Red onion, sliced thin

2 tablespoons citrus infused olive oil

2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper

Fleur de sel

Instructions:

Prepare the vinaigrette by mixing the vinegar with sugar, salt, pepper and cayenne, then pour in the oil in a thin, steady stream while mixing with a whip or fork.

Slice the duck breast prosciutto in thin slices.

Mix the greens with the figs and onion slices.  Toss with vinaigrette.  Display the duck prosciutto on top of the salad, or place a small mound of salad on top of the prosciutto slices.  Top with a few grains of fleur de sel. Serves 4

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.

Spicy Thai Chicken Salad is one of the few foods I buy already prepared.  For years, when we lived in Berkeley, California, I purchased this salad at Andronico’s market.  A few years ago I decided to attempt to make this salad myself.  Of course, I had to make a few changes, including substituting smoked duck breast for the chicken.  I love to prepare this salad during the summer.  It’s very refreshing and low calorie, and it is a great recipe for entertaining since it can be made well in advance.

Asian Smoked Duck Salad

Serves 6 -8

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 small head of red cabbage, cut into 1/2 inch dice

• 2 red bell peppers, cut into 1/2 inch dice

• 1 bunch green onions, sliced

• 1 ½ lbs. sugar snap peas, ends cut off and cut into thirds on the diagonal

• ½ cup cilantro, chopped

• 2 smoked duck breasts, fat removed, and cut into 1/2 inch dice

• toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Dressing

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

• 2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced

• 1/3 cup soy sauce

• 2 tbs. rice vinegar

• 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

• 1 tbs. peanut or olive oil

• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper.

Instructions

Prepare all salad ingredients and mix in a large bowl. Sesame seeds may be mixed into the salad, and/or used as garnish when serving. Combine salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Pour dressing over the salad and mix well. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

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

My favorite way to cook is to find a recipe I like, substitute about 75% of the ingredients, and create a totally new recipe.  Last night’s experimentation was a big success! This absolutely delicious duck breast and foie gras recipe doesn’t take long to prepare, but does require some coordination on the timing.

Any raw foie gras may be used for this recipe, but the most suitable product is “foie gras cubes”.  The foie gras comes in a one-pound shrink wrapped package (retails for only $45).  Use the smaller pieces for the sauce, since they will be emulsified in the blender.  Reserve the larger cubes to sauté.

If black truffles are in season, you could certainly add thin slices of fresh black truffles to the mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:

2 large duck breasts, skin scored with a diamond pattern (score in both directions) and seasoned with salt and pepper

4 shallots, sliced thin

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1/3 cup cognac or brandy

2 cups rich chicken or duck stock

1 pound foie gras cubes, separate the larger pieces from the smaller scraps

salt and pepper

4 russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

4 oz black truffle butter

1 head red cabbage, sliced thinly

1 red onion, sliced thinly

2 jalapenos, chopped (seeds removed)

Instructions: Place the potatoes in a pot of cold salted water.  Bring to a boil and cook about 15 minutes or until tender.  Smash the potatoes and add about 4 oz of black truffle butter.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Set aside to keep warm.

While potatoes are cooking, saute the shallots in olive oil with the sugar until caramelized.  Deglaze the pan with brandy or cognac and reduce the liquid to 1/4, about 2 tablespoons.  Add the chicken stock and continue cooking until the liquid is reduced to about one cup.  Pour the hot sauce into a blender and immediately add about 4 – 6 oz of the smaller pieces of raw foie gras while the blender is still running.  Leave the foie gras sauce in the blender to keep it warm.

While the potatoes are cooking and the shallots are caramelizing, put the duck breasts skin side down in a medium hot frying pan.  Cook for about 12 – 15 letting the fat render away, and allowing the skin to get crispy.  During the last minute or so, turn the breast over with meat side down.  Set the breasts aside and cover with foil.

Next, heat about one tablespoon olive oil and add the onion and jalapeno and cook until the onion is golden brown.  Add the cabbage and cook for about 10 minutes or until until cooked to your preference.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

When everything is ready, heat the pan with the rendered duck fat to medium high and sear the duck breasts for a minute or two.  Slice the duck breasts.

While the duck breasts are reheating, heat another frying pan to medium high.  Put the reserved larger pieces of foie gras in the hot pan.  Turn the foie gras over as each side gets golden brown. Remove the foie gras from the pan and cover with foil.

To plate, place a scoop of black truffle butter mashed potatoes on the plate. Put a serving of cabbage next to the potato.  Fan the duck slices slightly overlapping the potato.  Pour the foie gras sauce around the edges (the empty parts of the plate), leaving a pool of foie gras sauce in each plate. Place the seared foie gras on the outside edge of the plate near the potato.

This recipe is quite easy to prepare, especially if you have good quality stock on hand. Flash frozen portioned foie gras would work equally well in this recipe allowing you to skip the cleaning and deveining procedure.

Verjus is the juice of unfermented grapes and is used similarly to vinegar.  It can be used for salad dressing and sauces, and has the benefit of being less acidic, therefore pairing better with wine.

Serves 4 – 6

Ingredients

• 1 Duck foie gras, 1.5 lbs
• 1 tablespoon of flour
• 1/2 cup white verjus
• 1/2 cup “fond brun” (A rich, brown stock. See recipe below.)
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 lb of peeled white grapes or gooseberries for garnish

Instructions

First devein the foie gras and slice it into 8 – 10 pieces, each piece should be 3/4 inch to 1 inch thick. Sprinkle the foie gras slices with salt, then dust the slices on each side with flour.

Heat a heavy frying pan over medium high heat.  When the pan is hot, but not smoking, place the foie gras slices in the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side to obtain a golden color.  The fat that renders in the pan can be spooned over the foie gras to assist the cooking process.  Do not overcook the foie gras.  Ideally, the foie gras will be golden and crispy on the outside and somewhat molten on the inside.  Keep the foie gras warm between two heated plates (the foie gras will cook a little more while it is resting).

Heat the rendered fat from the foie gras itself (you may want to only use a portion of the fat), pour in the verjus, scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon and cook until it is reduced by half.  Pour in the “fond brun” and let it cook for another 1 or 2 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place 2 slices on each plate, pour the sauce on top of the slices and garnish with the grapes or gooseberries.  Serve immediately.

Fond Brun Recipe

First, roast about 3 pounds of beef or veal bones in oven at 450° for 40 minutes. Halfway through the cooking time add 1 onion cut into 4 pieces, 2 sliced carrots and a sliced celery branch.

Pour the mixture in a clean sauce pan. Add 8 pints of water, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, 1 bouquet garni and 6 pepper corns. Let it simmer for 3 to 4 hours, skimming often.

Strain the mixture many times, while pressing the mixture in order to retrieve the juice and refrigerate. Remove the solid oil from the top.

This makes 4 pints of fond brun.