Escalopes de Foie Gras à la Talleyrand

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •6-inch (15 cm) flan ring or deep springform, at least 1½ inches (4 cm) high
• •Rimmed baking sheet and parchment
• •Pie weights or dried beans
• •Rolling pin
• •10-inch (25 cm) heavy skillet
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Broad metal spatula
• •Warm sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the pâte brisée

   Combine the 140 g flour with ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few pea-sized pieces remaining. Add the yolk and 1 tablespoon of ice water, then press the dough together without kneading. If it still crumbles, add more water one teaspoon at a time; if it becomes sticky, chill it rather than burying it in flour. Ça se rattrape. Shape the pâte brisée, the short pastry shell, into a disc and chill it for 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Blind-bake the crust

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Roll the pâte brisée about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick and line a 6-inch (15 cm) flan ring or deep springform set on a parchment-lined tray, carrying the pastry at least 1½ inches (4 cm) up the sides. Patch any cracks with scraps, trim the rim neatly, and chill for 15 minutes. Line with parchment and weights, bake for 18 minutes, then remove the weights and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes, until the floor is dry and the shell is evenly golden. Cool it in the mould so its walls remain firm.

   The crust must be fully baked before filling. Pale pastry softens beneath the macaroni, while a dry golden shell survives the final glazing.
3. 3

   Reduce the chicken glaze

   Bring the chicken stock to a gentle simmer in a small saucepan and reduce it to ½ cup (120 ml), skimming rather than whisking so it remains clear. Add the reserved truffle peelings for the final 5 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve and set aside. If the glaze becomes sticky or salty before reaching the proper volume, loosen it with unsalted stock or water, a teaspoon at a time. It should taste concentrated and coat a spoon lightly, not behave like glue.

4. 4

   Cut truffle and foie

   Keep the raw foie gras cold while you cut ten small collops about ⅜ inch (1 cm) thick, each weighing roughly 25 g. A thin knife dipped in hot water and wiped completely dry makes clean cuts. Lay the collops on a cold tray and refrigerate them for at least 10 minutes. Cut the cooked foie gras terrine into large dice, cut 43 g of truffle julienne-fashion, and reserve the fine truffle slices separately.

5. 5

   Prepare the macaroni

   Prepare the macaroni using Blanchings (No. 273). Once that preparation is complete, drain the macaroni thoroughly and cut it into 1-inch (2.5 cm) lengths while it is still pliable. Spread it briefly on a clean tray so surface water can escape, but keep it warm. Wet macaroni weakens the cheese binding and eventually softens the crust.

6. 6

   Bind the macaroni

   Melt the 21 g butter over low heat and turn the macaroni through it. Add three-quarters of both cheeses, 21 g Gruyère and 21 g Parmesan, and stir just until the macaroni coheres into a supple mass. Take the pan off the heat, then fold in the truffle julienne and diced cooked foie gras with as few turns as possible. If the cheese releases oil or the macaroni tightens into a lump, remove it from all heat and stir in a tablespoon of hot water until it becomes supple again. Ça se rattrape.

7. 7

   Sauté the collops

   Set an oven rack about 6 inches (15 cm) below the broiler and preheat the broiler on high. Heat a wide heavy skillet until properly hot, add the clarified butter, and season the cold collops lightly. Sauté, cooking rapidly in a little hot butter, in two uncrowded batches for 25 to 35 seconds per side. Each collop should take a bronze crust while remaining rosy within. If one begins to melt rather than brown, lift it out at once, chill the remaining collops for 5 minutes, and heat the pan more fiercely before continuing. Spoon any rendered foie gras fat into the macaroni rather than losing it.

   Cold foie gras and a fully heated pan are the one true defense against melting. Warm liver in a timid pan becomes expensive butter.
8. 8

   Assemble the crust

   Set the baked crust, still supported by its ring, on a broiler-safe tray. Arrange the ten sautéed collops in a circle inside the crust, alternating each one with a fine slice of truffle. Spoon the bound macaroni into the middle and shape it into a compact dome without crushing the pieces. Scatter the reserved Gruyère and Parmesan over the dome. Work briskly so the crust, foie gras, and macaroni reach the broiler together.

9. 9

   Glaze the top

   Place the assembled crust beneath the fiercely heated broiler for 45 to 90 seconds, just until the cheese bubbles and catches bronze at its highest points. This quick glazing replaces the salamander and must remain quick, because lingering heat melts the collops and drives moisture into the pastry. If the pastry rim colors first, shield it with a narrow collar of foil and continue for only a few seconds. Remove the ring and transfer the crust to a warm platter with a broad spatula.

   Do not use a moderate broiler for longer. Fierce overhead heat bronzes the cheese before the pastry has time to soften.
10. 10

    Mount and serve

    Warm the strained chicken glaze to just below a simmer, then remove it from the heat. Whisk in the cold butter a cube at a time until the glaze shines and feels lightly rounded on the tongue. Never boil it after mounting. If the butter separates, whisk 1 teaspoon of cold water in a clean saucepan, then add the broken glaze gradually while whisking. Ça se rattrape. Pour the truffle-flavoured glaze into a warm sauceboat and serve it separately, as the source directs, so every wedge keeps its crisp pastry. Cut the crust into four generous portions and pass the sauce at the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask for a firm, fresh lobe of raw duck foie gras and have the seller cut ten small collops if your knife work is uncertain. Keep them below 40°F (4°C) until the pan is ready; technique first, always.
• •Fresh black truffle gives the finest perfume and the clean slices this arrangement expects. When it is unavailable, whole preserved black truffles are the classical pantry's honest answer. Drain and dry them well, and use their peelings in the glaze. Truffle oil cannot supply the julienne, slices, or quiet depth required here.
• •The macaroni proportions are not suggestions. For 170 g dried macaroni, the filling receives 42 g combined cheese, 21 g butter, 43 g truffle, and 43 g diced foie gras. That ratio is what makes the garnish cohere without becoming a cheese sauce.
• •Use unsalted, gelatin-rich chicken stock. A salty carton reduced to one-quarter of its volume becomes punishing, while a thin stock never develops the light body expected of a glaze.
• •This preparation leaves the sautéed foie gras rosy at the center. Buy from a reputable source and do not serve undercooked liver to pregnant, elderly, immunocompromised guests, or young children.
• •Pour a brut Champagne or a dry white Burgundy. Acidity and bubbles handle the foie gras and cheese more gracefully than a heavy sweet wine.

Advance Preparation

• •The pâte brisée can be mixed a day ahead and kept cold. The shell may be blind-baked up to 6 hours before serving and held uncovered at room temperature; refresh it for 4 minutes in a 350°F (175°C) oven if it loses crispness.
• •Reduce and strain the chicken glaze base up to 2 days ahead, then chill it covered. Reheat and mount it with cold butter only after the crust leaves the broiler.
• •The cheeses may be grated and the truffles cut up to 2 hours ahead, kept separately and tightly covered. Cut the raw foie gras collops no more than 30 minutes before sautéing so their surfaces remain fresh.
• •Final assembly cannot wait. Complete the macaroni through Blanchings (No. 273), bind it, sauté the collops, assemble, and glaze during the final 15 minutes before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 315g)