Delices de Foie Gras

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1-quart (950 ml) porcelain terrine, soufflé dish, or small loaf pan
• •Deep roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •Digital probe thermometer
• •Small saucepan
• •Fine-mesh strainer and damp coffee filter
• •Thin metal skewer and small paring knife
• •Heatproof jug and broad metal spoon
• •Broiler tray

Instructions

1. 1

   Devein and stud

   Let the cold foie stand for about 15 minutes, just until it bends without cracking. Ease the lobe open along its natural seams and draw out the large veins with the tip of a small knife, disturbing the flesh as little as possible. If it tears, press the pieces back together firmly; its own fat and the bacon will bind them during cooking. Rub every surface with ¾ teaspoon of the salt and all the white pepper. Make slender channels through the thickest parts with a metal skewer, slide in the truffle batons, then reform the lobe, cover, and chill for 30 minutes.

   The truffle should appear as dark seams through each slice. Space the channels across the lobe instead of gathering every baton in the center.
2. 2

   Make the Champagne aspic

   If the stock carries visible fat or sediment, chill it, lift off the fat, and pass it through a damp coffee filter before measuring. Put ½ cup of the cold stock in a small saucepan, scatter the gelatin evenly over it, and leave it for 10 minutes to swell. Add the remaining stock, the Champagne, and the remaining ¾ teaspoon salt. Warm gently, stirring, until the gelatin disappears completely and the liquid reaches about 60°C / 140°F. Never boil it. If beads of gelatin remain, take the pan off the heat for five minutes, warm it again, and strain; ça se rattrape. A spoonful chilled on a cold saucer should set firmly enough to hold a clean edge.

3. 3

   Bard the foie

   Set the seasoned foie snugly in a 1-quart porcelain terrine or small loaf pan. Cover the lobe with the slices of unsmoked bacon, overlapping them so no foie is exposed. Pour the warm Champagne aspic slowly down the side of the mold until it rises about ½ inch above the bacon. Reserve any excess aspic, covered and barely warm, in case the level needs topping up after cooking. Cover the terrine with its lid or a tight double layer of foil.

4. 4

   Poach in bain-marie

   Heat the oven to 275°F / 135°C. Set the terrine in a deep roasting pan and pour in enough hot water to come halfway up its sides, making a bain-marie, or water bath. Cook for 20 minutes, then begin checking the center with a digital probe. Remove the terrine when the foie reaches 63°C / 145°F, usually after 25 to 35 minutes, and let it stand covered for three minutes. The surrounding aspic should barely quiver. If the water begins bubbling, replace a cup of it with cool water at once. If the foie runs hotter and sheds more fat, don't discard it; the result will be firmer, but the fat can be cleared after chilling.

   A probe thermometer is the honest home equivalent of a brigade cook's practiced touch. Foie is too costly and too delicate to judge by bravado.
5. 5

   Chill for a day

   Lift the terrine from the bain-marie and uncover it. If the foie is no longer fully covered, add enough reserved warm aspic to restore the layer above it. Let the mold stand for 15 minutes, then set it in ice water reaching halfway up the sides, taking care that none enters the dish. Once the mold no longer feels warm, dry it, cover it tightly, and refrigerate for a full 24 hours. This rest is not brigade scaffolding. It sets the aspic, firms the foie for clean slicing, and lets the truffle perfume move through the liver.

6. 6

   Clear the cold aspic

   Keep the terrine cold while you clear its surface. First lift away the solidified foie fat with the edge of a chilled teaspoon, taking shallow passes so you don't gouge the aspic. Fill a heatproof jug with boiling water, warm a broad metal spoon in it, dry the spoon, and sweep it lightly over the last thin veil of grease. Wipe and rewarm the spoon between passes. Do not pour boiling water into the cold terrine. If the spoon marks the jelly, one final warm pass will level it; refrigerate for 20 minutes until glassy again.

7. 7

   Toast and serve

   Put the cold terrine on a chilled serving plate and keep it refrigerated while the broiler heats fully. Arrange the pain de mie on a tray and broil close to the heat until deep gold and crisp, about 45 to 90 seconds per side. Watch continuously; this is the home salamander, and it works quickly. Bring the Délices de Foie Gras to the table in its basin, exactly as it set, with a knife dipped in hot water and dried for clean slices. Pass the toast at once, crisp and fiercely hot against the very cold foie and aspic. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a whole foie that is pale ivory to soft blush, supple but not slack, with little bruising and a clean, faintly sweet smell. A badly bruised lobe sheds more fat and clouds the aspic, however carefully you poach it.
• •Fresh Périgord truffle is splendid when the season gives it to you. A whole preserved black truffle is the classical pantry's honest answer at other times; drain it well and cut it into batons. Truffle oil does not stand in for the truffle.
• •Use brut Champagne, not a sweet sparkling wine. The source also permits dry Rhine wine, and a dry Riesling is the proper alternative; it makes a still, more aromatic aspic while keeping the necessary acidity.
• •The bacon must be unsmoked. Its work is to protect and season the foie, not announce itself over the truffle and Champagne. Thinly sliced fresh fatback from a butcher is even better.
• •Fresh foie gras is poultry liver. Cook it to the stated temperature and hold the finished dish at 4°C / 40°F or colder. For pregnant guests, very young children, older adults, or anyone with reduced immunity, serve commercially fully cooked foie gras instead.
• •Set the cold terrine out only when the toast is nearly ready. Warm foie gras becomes greasy and cold toast becomes leathery; the narrow window between them is the pleasure of the dish.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare and poach the entire dish one or two days before serving. It requires at least 24 hours in the refrigerator and keeps for up to three days after cooking when tightly covered and held at 4°C / 40°F or colder.
• •The stock can be degreased and filtered a day ahead. Keep it covered and cold, then build the Champagne aspic when you are ready to poach the foie.
• •Clear the surface fat an hour or two before serving and return the terrine to the refrigerator. Trim and slice the pain de mie ahead if useful, but broil it only when everyone is ready to eat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 250g)