Escalopes de Foie Gras à la Ravignan

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •2½-inch (6.5 cm) round cutter with a blunt rolled back
• •Rolling pin
• •Parchment paper
• •Pastry brush
• •Heavy baking sheet
• •Thin instant-read thermometer
• •Small saucier and warmed sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Chill the working parts

   Set a heavy baking sheet on the middle rack and heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Keep the brioche paste, chicken forcemeat, foie gras, and truffle cold until each is needed. Cold filling holds its shape and cold foie gras gives you time to seal the pastry before its surface softens; if either feels greasy, return it to the refrigerator for ten minutes.

   The forcemeat must be raw, fine, and cold enough to hold the mark of a spoon. A coarse sausage filling changes the texture and makes a clean seal harder.
2. 2

   Roll and cut

   Roll the brioche paste between two sheets of parchment to an even one-third inch (8 mm) thick. Cut 8 roundels with a 2½-inch (6.5 cm) cutter, pressing straight down so their edges remain neat. Set 4 roundels on a clean sheet of parchment for the bases and keep the remaining 4 cold for the covers. If the dough springs back or shrinks under the cutter, stop and chill it for ten minutes; ça se rattrape, and rested dough will hold the correct diameter.

3. 3

   Build the centers

   Spread about 2 teaspoons of chicken forcemeat over each base, leaving a completely bare one-third-inch (8 mm) margin. Set a truffle slice in the center, then a thick roundel of raw foie gras, followed by a second truffle slice. Coat the stack with another 2 teaspoons of forcemeat, smoothing it into a compact dome without pushing any filling onto the margin. Keep the layers centered. More filling is not generosity here; it is pressure against the seal.

4. 4

   Seal the parcels

   Brush the undersides of the 4 cover roundels very lightly with 2 teaspoons (10 ml / 10 g) of the water, concentrating on their edges. Lay them over the filling and ease the dough down without stretching it thin. Press the edges together with your fingertips, then turn the round cutter over and use its blunt rolled back to press the joined margins firmly all around. If filling has touched the margin, lift the cover, scrape the edge clean, moisten it again, and reseal. If the dough has split, patch it with a thin piece of cold brioche paste and press until seamless. Ça se rattrape. Chill the sealed parcels for ten minutes.

   Run a clean fingertip around every seam before chilling. Any greasy spot marks a weak seal and must be cleaned and pressed again before the parcel reaches the oven.
5. 5

   Gild and chill

   Beat the egg with 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 5 g) of the water. Gild the parcels by brushing their tops and sides with a thin, even coat of beaten egg, taking care not to leave puddles around the bases. The word gild is exact: the egg supplies the deep golden sheen under heat. Return the parcels to the refrigerator for five minutes while the oven and baking sheet finish heating.

6. 6

   Bake in hot oven

   Slide the parchment and parcels onto the preheated baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes without opening the door, until the brioche is deeply golden and firm around the seams. Insert a thin instant-read thermometer through the side of one parcel into the center; because the forcemeat contains raw chicken, it must reach 165°F (74°C). If it has not, bake for 2 minutes more and check again. Should a seam open and release some fat, do not handle the hot pastry or attempt to pinch it closed. Finish cooking it to temperature, lift it carefully with a spatula, and serve that parcel first. The lost richness cannot be put back, but dinner is not ruined.

7. 7

   Warm sauce and serve

   While the parcels bake, warm the Périgueux sauce over the gentlest heat, stirring until it flows glossily from the spoon. Do not boil it. If it tightens while waiting, remove it from the heat and whisk in the remaining 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 5 g) of water. Rest the baked parcels for 3 minutes, then arrange them in a circle on a warmed platter, as the original service directs. Carry the Périgueux sauce to the table at the same time in a warm sauceboat, keeping it beside the pastry rather than flooding the crisp shells. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Buy raw foie gras from the lobe, not cooked torchon, terrine, or pâté. Chill it thoroughly before cutting; a warm lobe smears under the knife and begins surrendering its fat before the parcel is sealed.
• •Fresh black truffle gives the clearest perfume. Outside its season, use a good whole preserved black truffle, drained and dried carefully. A damp slice introduces liquid exactly where the foie gras and forcemeat need a close embrace.
• •Périgueux sauce is served beside the parcels so each cut shell receives sauce at the table while the remaining pastry stays crisp. The sauce is part of the formula, not a decorative flourish.
• •A mature red Bordeaux with softened tannins suits the foie gras, truffle, and dark sauce better than a forceful young bottle. The dish is already rich and needs wine with composure.

Advance Preparation

• •The unsweetened brioche paste, chicken forcemeat, and Périgueux sauce can be prepared up to one day ahead. Keep the dough and forcemeat covered and cold, and refrigerate the sauce separately.
• •The parcels may be filled and sealed up to 4 hours before baking. Cover them lightly and keep them at or below 40°F (4°C); gild them only when the oven is heating.
• •Bake as close to service as possible. The enclosed fat keeps the center generous, but the brioche loses its proud crust if it waits too long.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 190g)