Timbale de Foie Gras Cambacérès

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1-quart (950 ml) metal dome mould or 7-inch (18 cm) heatproof bowl
• •Food processor with metal blade
• •Piping bag with 1/4-inch (6 mm) plain tip
• •Deep roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Warm round serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Chill and divide

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Butter a 1-quart (950 ml) metal dome mould generously with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) butter. Reserve 25 g truffle in thin slices for the layers and mince 20 g for the Périgueux sauce; purée the remaining 95 g until very black and smooth. Cut the firm centre of the foie gras into eight collops, neat slices about 3/8 inch (1 cm) thick, and reserve 50 g of the ragged trimmings for the filling purée. Return all the foie gras to the cold.

2. 2

   Make the forcemeat

   Process the cold chicken with 1 teaspoon (5 g) salt and 1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) white pepper until finely minced. Add the egg white and process until the mixture draws together, then pour in the cream gradually, holding back 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g), and stop as soon as the forcemeat is smooth. Keep it cold. If it turns loose or grainy, the mixture has warmed: set the processor bowl over ice for ten minutes, then pulse in the reserved cream. Poach a teaspoonful in barely trembling water until fully cooked, taste, and correct the seasoning. Divide the finished forcemeat into 30 g for filling the macaroni rings, 220 g for lining the mould, and the remainder for sealing the timbale.

3. 3

   Build the filling sauce

   Boil the chicken stock with the reserved truffle liquor until only 5 tablespoons (75 ml) remain. This is the home truffle and chicken essence, concentrated in one saucepan rather than drawn from stockpots kept running all day. For the Béchamel, melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) butter, stir in the flour, and cook gently for two minutes without colouring. Whisk in the milk by degrees and simmer until smooth, then add all the essence and reduce the mixture to about 1/2 cup (120 ml), thick enough to coat a spoon heavily. If it lumps, whisk firmly and pass it through a fine sieve. Cool it until lukewarm.

4. 4

   Form the macaroni mosaic

   Boil the macaroni in well-salted water until flexible but still firm enough to hold its shape. Drain it without rinsing and lay the straightest tubes apart. Mix 45 g truffle purée with the reserved 30 g forcemeat, pipe this mixture tightly into the intact tubes, and chill them for fifteen minutes. Cut the filled tubes crosswise into rings exactly 1/5 inch (5 mm) thick. Arrange the rings closely over the bottom and sides of the buttered dome, cut faces against the metal, so their black centres form a continuous mosaic. A crushed ring belongs in the filling, not on the wall. Weigh 1/2 pound (225 g) of the remaining cooked macaroni and cut it into 1-inch (2.5 cm) lengths.

5. 5

   Set the truffled shell

   Mix 25 g truffle purée into the reserved 220 g forcemeat. Spread it carefully over the macaroni rings in a layer about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick, pressing just firmly enough to close every gap without shifting the mosaic. Set the mould in the moderate oven for eight to ten minutes, until the forcemeat turns opaque and clings to the lining but takes no colour. This first poaching fixes the architecture; it must stay.

6. 6

   Poach the foie gras

   Warm the Madeira in a small skillet until it barely quivers, never boils. Season the foie gras collops lightly and poach them in batches for about twenty seconds on each side, just until the surfaces turn opaque; their centres finish cooking inside the timbale. If an edge begins to slump, lift the slice at once and chill it for five minutes before layering. Strain the Madeira and skim away the rendered fat. Blend the reserved 50 g foie gras trimmings with the remaining 25 g truffle purée to make about 4 tablespoons (60 ml / 75 g) foie gras and truffle purée.

7. 7

   Layer the timbale

   Fold the 1/2 pound (225 g) cooked macaroni and the foie gras and truffle purée into the lukewarm reduced Béchamel. The sauce must not be hot enough to melt the foie gras. Spoon one third of this macaroni into the shell, add half the poached collops and half the truffle slices, then repeat. Finish with the remaining macaroni. Spread the reserved plain forcemeat over the top in a layer about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick, sealing it firmly to the cooked shell around the rim. Do not overfill the mould; any surplus can be poached separately in a buttered ramekin.

8. 8

   Poach in bain-marie

   Cover the mould with buttered parchment and foil, then set it in a deep roasting pan. Pour hot water around it to reach halfway up the sides. This bain-marie, a hot-water bath, protects the forcemeat from fierce direct heat and keeps the foie gras from rendering away. Bake for about forty-five minutes, until the water only quivers and the centre of the timbale reaches 165°F (74°C). A hard boil can disturb the macaroni lining, so lower the oven if the water becomes lively.

9. 9

   Finish Périgueux sauce

   While the timbale poaches, reduce the veal stock to about 1 1/4 cups (300 ml). In a second pan, reduce the strained Madeira from the foie gras to 1/2 cup (120 ml), then combine it with the reduced stock and simmer until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 1 1/2 cups (360 ml). Add the minced truffle and hold at a bare simmer for five minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) butter and season with salt and white pepper. If the sauce tightens too far, loosen it with a spoonful of stock; if it runs thin, reduce it before adding the butter.

10. 10

    Rest and turn out

    Lift the timbale from the bain-marie, uncover it, and let it stand undisturbed for ten full minutes. Run a thin knife only around the rim, set a warm round platter over the mould, and invert both in one confident movement. If the timbale refuses to release, wrap the mould in a hot damp towel for fifteen seconds and try again; if one ring remains behind, lift it into place and cover the join with sauce. Ça se rattrape. Spoon a border of Périgueux sauce around the base without hiding the mosaic, and serve the rest in a warm sauceboat. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use preserved whole black truffles with a clean, deep aroma, and keep their liquor. Fresh black truffle is magnificent when the season and purse agree, but an honest preserved truffle belongs to the classical pantry. Truffle-flavoured oil cannot build the black purée or the Périgueux sauce.
• •Choose smooth, straight tubes broad enough to accept a small piping tip. Fill the tubes first and slice them second; filling individual 1/5-inch rings is brigade labour with no advantage at the home table.
• •Foie gras must stay cold until it meets the Madeira. If it softens while you trim it, return it to the cold for fifteen minutes. Warm foie gras smears under the knife and renders too quickly.
• •Serve this as the centre of a celebration dinner with a bitter-leaf salad afterward, not alongside it. A broad, dry white Burgundy or small glasses of the same dry Madeira can meet the richness without competing with the truffle.

Advance Preparation

• •The truffle and chicken essence and the reduced veal stock can be prepared one day ahead and chilled separately. Rewarm them gently before making the Béchamel and Périgueux sauce.
• •The macaroni mosaic and its first poached forcemeat lining can be completed up to six hours ahead. Cover the mould and keep it cold, then add the filling and finish the poaching near serving time.
• •The entire timbale may be assembled up to four hours before cooking. Keep it thoroughly chilled and add eight to ten minutes to the bain-marie time, relying on the 165°F (74°C) centre temperature rather than the clock.
• •Refrigerate leftovers within two hours and eat them within two days. Reheat covered in a gentle bain-marie; direct oven heat encourages the foie gras to render and the lining to dry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 520g)