
- Yield: 20 servings
Foie Crème Brûlée with Cherry Gel and Toasted Hazelnuts
Recipe courtesy of Jeffrey Dixon, Banquet Chef, Naples Yacht Club (Naples, Fla.)
Ingredients
- Ingredients for foie crème brûlée:
- foie gras - 350 gms.
- bacon fat - 2 ea.
- shallots - 2 ea.
- quatre épices - 1 Tbsp.
- brandy - 4 ozs.
- heavy cream - 1 liter
- sugar - 75 gms.
- egg yolks - 223 gms.
- Ingredients for cherry gel:
- cherry juice - 500 gms.
- agar agar - 7 gms.
- raspberry vinegar - to taste
- Ingredients for toasted hazelnuts:
- hazelnuts - 2 cups
- extra virgin olive oil - 2 ozs.
- salt - to taste
Instructions
Procedure for foie crème brûlée:
- Sear foie gras for 3 minutes per side or until cooked through.
- Remove foie from the pan. Add bacon fat, shallots, and spices to the same pan and sweat shallots until translucent.
- Deglaze pan with brandy and reduce until au sec.
- Transfer foie and shallot/brandy mixture to blender and purée.
- Pass foie mixture through tamis and set mixture aside.
- Bring heavy cream to a boil.
- Temper cream into egg yolk and sugar mixture.
- Fold foie purée into crème brûlée custard.
- Fill custard into plating vessel and bake at 225°F until custard sets.
Procedure for the cherry gel:
- Pour cherry juice and agar agar into pot and bring liquid to boil.
- Boil for 3 minutes.
- Strain liquid through chinois into half hotel pan.
- Place liquid in refrigerator until the gel has set.
- In batches, put cherry gel in blender and purée until desired consistency. If gel is too thick, liquid may be added to achieve the desired consistency.
- Season gel with a splash of raspberry vinegar.
Procedure for toasted hazelnuts:
- Carefully slice hazelnuts in half or big chunks.
- Toss in extra virgin olive oil and salt.
- Toast in 300°F oven for 8 minutes or until desired color is achieved.
To plate:
- Add a very small pinch of sugar to brûlée the foie custard, and finish with a pinch of Maldon salt.
- Once brûléed, add desired amount of dots of the cherry fluid gel.
- Add small-diced fresh or maraschino cherries as well as toasted hazelnuts for garnish.