Exquisite Palate

Serves 4

4 ounces mache or watercress
1 pack of duck gizzards confit    ADD TO CART
4 eggs
4 toasts of French bread
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons walnut oil
1 teaspoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon of raspberry vinegar
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
1 shallot minced
1 clove of garlic pressed
Fleur de sel and pepper    ADD TO CART

First wash and clean the mache or watercress.  Put the gizzards in a pan and heat them on low heat.  Poach the eggs in vinegar water.

Prepare the vinaigrette with the olive oil, walnut oil, peanut oil, raspberry vinegar, champagne vinegar, the shallot, the garlic and salt and pepper. The vinaigrette should be quite strong, if needed add more ingredients to taste.

Display the greens on each plate, followed by the gizzards after having blotted them of the extra grease and cut them if too large.  Place the poached egg on top of the toasted piece of French bread, and place one on top of each salad.

Serves 4

Moulard duck breast prosciutto    ADD TO CART
Lettuce (butter, spring mix, or other greens)
12 – 16 Figs, cut into quarters
Red onion, sliced thin
2 tablespoons citrus infused olive oil
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
Fleur de sel    ADD TO CART

Prepare the vinaigrette by mixing the vinegar with sugar, salt, pepper and cayenne, then  pour in the oil in a thin, steady stream while mixing with a whip or fork.

Slice the duck breast prosciutto in thin slices.

Mix the greens with the figs and onion slices.  Toss with vinaigrette.  Display the duck prosciutto on top of the salad, or place a small mound of salad on top of the prosciutto slices.  Top with a few grains of fleur de sel.

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

1 pound of dried white beans (flageolets, navy or great northern)
6 cups of water
2 onions
2 cloves
1 carrot (cut in half)
1 – 2 garlic cloves crushed
I stalk of parsley
1 rib of celery
1/2 pound garlic sausage, sliced, then slices cut in quarters     ADD TO CART
1/4 pound of diced salt pork or bacon
2 teaspoons of salt
2 tablespoons of rendered duck fat or olive oil    ADD TO CART
4 shallots, chopped
1 cup peeled and diced tomatoes
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
10 duck legs confit     ADD TO CART
6 links Saucisse de Toulouse    ADD TO CART
1 1/4 cups breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons of butter

Instructions

Boil 6 cups of water.  Wash the beans and put in a pan, add the boiling water, and boil for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and let soak for one hour.  Stud one of the peeled onions with the 2 cloves and add to the beans. Add the carrot, garlic, parsley, celery, diced salt pork or bacon, sausage, and salt.  Bring to a boil uncovered, skim off the foam, cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Chop the 2nd onion and the shallots and sauté in the duck fat until the onion turns light brown, add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, chopped parsley and the wine. Stir and cook for 5 minutes, and add to the beans.

Cover and simmer for 1 hour, or until beans are tender, adding more water if needed.  The bean mixture should be saucy, with about 1 cup or more liquid when finished.  Remove the whole onion, celery, carrot and parsley stalk.

Put the bean mixture in a large earthenware or enamel casserole.  Combine the breadcrumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle over the beans, bake at about 350 until the breadcrumbs are brown (up to 40 minutes).

Towards the end of the cooking time, heat the duck legs confit in a frying pan over medium heat, fat side down.  When the skin is crisp and browned, turn over just to heat and slightly brown the other side of the legs.  Meanwhile, sauté the saucisse de Toulouse in a small amount of olive oil until browned.  Cut the sausages in half.  Remove the casserole from the oven, top with the duck confit and sausages.

25 ripe black mission figs
8 oz pate de foie gras    ADD TO CART
2 teaspoons fig syrup
1 oz micro greens or micro herbs

Cut figs in half lengthwise.  Scoop out about 1/2 teaspoon of pulp from the center of the fig with a melon ball utensil.  Put 2 – 3 drops of fig syrup in each fig.  Put about 1 teaspoon of foie gras mousse in the center well of the fig, letting it mound a little bit.  Sprinkle with micro greens or herbs.  Make 50 appetizers.

Terrine of Foie Gras with Mesclun, 100-Year-Old Balsamic Vinegar, and white Truffle Oil

Serves 4

1/2 to 1 lobe of grade A foie gras     ADD TO CART
Salt and white pepper
3 to 4 tablespoons of Sauternes
3 to 4 tablespoons brandy
1 bunch spinach leaves, cleaned and stemmed
Oil for mold
2 to 3 roots salsify
2 cups loosely packed mesclun leaves
8 teaspoons white truffle oil    ADD TO CART
8 teaspoons 100-year-old balsamic vinegar
8 teaspoons reduced beet juice
2 tablespoons julienned black truffles    ADD TO CART
Fleur de sel and black pepper        ADD TO CART

Method: Cut 1/2 – 3/4 inch slices of foie gras from the lobe and devein them. Lightly season with salt and white pepper. Marinate in the Sauternes and brandy for several hours.

In a non-stick pan over medium-high heat, quickly sear the foie gras slices on both sides. Do not overcook. Cool the foie gras slightly on paper towels. Wilt the spinach leaves in the foie gras fat and blot on a paper towel. Season the spinach lightly with salt and pepper and allow to cool. Rub the terrine mold with a little oil and line it with plastic wrap. Arrange a layer of foie gras slices in the terrine, and top with a layer of spinach. Continue the layering process until the mold is filled. Press down and drain off any excess fat; cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

Peel the salsify roots and slice them length-wise with a vegetable peeler into 12 or 16 thin strips. Place the strips on a non-stick sheet pan or parchment paper and bake at 375 degrees until golden and crispy, about 5 or 6 minutes.

Assembly: Cut /12 inch slices (or the desired thickness) of the foie gras terrine. Place a mound of mesclun greens in the center of each plate and top each with 2 slices of the terrine. Arrange the salsify around the terrine. Drizzle some white truffle oil and balsamic vinegar on the greens and around the plates. Drizzle some Beet Juice around the plate. Top the greens with the julienne of black truffle. Season with a little kosher salt and black pepper.

This recipe is one of many wonderful recipes featured in Charlie Trotter’s by Charlie Trotter, published by Ten Speed Press

Serves 6

Ingredients

One rabbit
5 tablespoon of rendered duck fat or foie gras fat     ADD TO CART
2 to 3 shallots finely chopped
Salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon of flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 medium size bouquet garni: parsley and thyme sprigs plus one bay leaf tied together.  (Any combination of herbs may be used including basil, chervil, tarragon, rosemary depending on your taste)
1 1/2 pounds of roasted canned or packaged chestnuts, peeled
Six Merguez sausages     ADD TO CART

Instructions

Cut the rabbit in approximately 12 – 15 small pieces. Removing the bigger bones of the legs is optional.  Put the duck fat into a pan over medium heat, and add the shallots.  When the shallots are lightly brown, add the pieces of rabbit and sauté until nicely brown and cooked through.  Add the salt and pepper to taste.  Remove the rabbit from the pan and set aside.  Add a tablespoon of flour, and cook, stirring until golden.  Add the stock, salt and pepper, and the bouquet garni.  Add the chestnuts and cook uncovered for about 15 - 20 minutes.

Put the rabbit back in the pan for about 5 mintues, to reheat.  Remove the bouquet garni.
Meanwhile, brown the Merguez separately in a different pan with a little oil, do not cut or poke the sausages to keep the juice inside as much as possible.

To serve, put two or three pieces of rabbit and some chestnuts on a plate, with sauce, one Merguez and a little bit of the Merguez juice from the frying pan.  Garnish with some mache or other greens or serve with braised endives.

Preparation time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 7-8 minutes
Serves 5-6 people

Ingredients

1 duck foie gras of about 1.5 lbs    ADD TO CART
3 yellow bell peppers seeded and “julienned”
2 tomatoes cubed
1 onion thinly chopped
1 garlic clove minced
1 tablespoon of minced parsley
1 teaspoon of goose or duck fat    ADD TO CART
2 teaspoons of salt
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon of paprika powder

Instructions

Slice the foie gras into pieces of about 1.5 ounce, salt and pepper the slices on each side.
Using a heavy frying pan, melt the goose or duck fat on high heat and sear the sliced foie gras until golden, about 1 minute on each side.  Keep the slices warm between 2 heated plates.

Using the same pan on low heat, sauté the onion, the bell peppers, the tomatoes and the garlic. Salt then cook for 5 minutes. Add the paprika and the parsley  at the end of cooking time.

Place the foie gras slices on top of the vegetables.  Serve immediately.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves 4 people

Ingredients
1 grade A duck foie gras of about 1.5 lbs    ADD TO CART
4 – 5 Reinette, or other small apples
1 cup of Sauternes
2 teaspoons of salt
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Peel and core the apples and cut them in 8 slices each.  Heat the oven at 400° F

Devein the foie gras carefully so as not to separate the two lobes.  Salt and pepper the foie gras on all sides and place it smaller lobe down in an oven proof dish.  Put it in the oven and let the foie gras cook for 10 minutes.  Take the foie gras out of the oven and remove the rendered fat from the pan then pour a glass of Sauterne wine on the foie. Place the apple slices around the foie gras and let it cook another 10 minutes, pouring the juice on it once or twice while it is cooking.

Once the foie gras is cooked, it should be golden on top and tender to touch and very hot on the inside.  To make sure it is cooked, place a knife in the thickest part of the foie gras, if the tip of the knife is hot, then the foie gras is cooked.  Slice and serve the foie gras with the apples and some juice from the pan, preferably on heated plates.

Note: as a variation, try sautéing the apples in rendered foie gras fat until golden.  Then serve with the sliced foie gras.

Couscous with Meat and Chick Peas
Ingredients

3 pounds chicken thighs
1 1/2 pounds flank steak
4 quarts of water
6 carrots peeled
6 onions peeled
6 turnips peeled
6 leeks
1 bunch of celery
1 bouquet garni
salt and pepper
4 zucchini
4 tomatoes
2 pounds of ground lamb
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 pinch caraway seeds
2 pinches ground coriander
2 tablespoons oil
12 Merguez sausages        ADD TO CART
8 lamb chops
1 quantity of couscous with chick peas (recipe follows)
or use packaged couscous and add canned garbonzo beans and golden raisins)
1 quantity of spicy sauce (recipe follows)
or use Harissa

First, put the chicken and the flank steak in a large cooking pot and pour in the cold water. Bring it to a boil and let simmer for 1 1/2 hours, skimming the fat regularly.

Slice the carrots, 4 onions, turnips, leek and celery and add to the pot along with the bouquet garni. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the pot back to a boil. Slice the zucchini and tomatoes thickly, and then add to the pot. Let it simmer for another 10 minutes.

In the meantime, finely chop the 2 remaining onions and mix with the ground lamb. Season with salt and pepper, cayenne pepper, caraway seeds and ground coriander. Mix everything in well and then shape into small balls using a tablespoon. Let sit for 15 minutes.

In a frying pan, heat the oil and add the meatballs, cooking over high heat until browned on all sides, but still medium rare inside.  Saute the lamb chops in the frying pan until rare to medium rare, about 4 – 5 minutes.  Saute the merguez sausages, just until cooked through.

Before serving, remove the bouquet garni and pour the stock and vegetables into a big soup pot. Serve the lamb chops, meat balls, and merguez on a platter. Serve the couscous in a separate serving dish.  Serve the spicy sauce on the side.

Coucous with Chick Peas

Ingredients

2 cups dried chick peas
2 cups golden raisins
4 pounds (8 cups) Couscous
Salt and white pepper
2/3 cup butter
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1 tablespoon quatre-épices (mixed-spice/ apple pie spice)
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup chicken stock

The chick peas first need to be soaked overnight in cold water. Then drain the chick peas, place in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring it to a boil and let simmer for 3 hours.

In the meantime, soak the raisins in fairly warm water. Put the couscous in a bowl and cover with cold water and 2 tablespoons of salt; let it rest until the grains have absorbed all the water.

Place the couscous into the top of the couscoussier or steamer. Steam over boiling water, keeping the lid on for 30 minutes.

Put the couscous back in a bowl and pour in another cup of water. Place it back in the steamer for another 25 minutes.

Again, put the couscous back in the bowl and crumble out any lumps. Little by little, add in the butter and mix well.

Drain the raisins and the chick peas and mix them in with the couscous. Return the mixture to the steamer for 30 more minutes.

In a saucepan, mix in the cayenne pepper, caraway seeds, quatre epices, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the tomato paste and stock and heat for a few minutes.

Separate the couscous grains before serving, serve the sauce in a separate bowl.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 duck foie gras of about 1.25 lbs    ADD TO CART
1 tablespoon of flour
1/2 cup of “verjus” (a juice made of unfermented white grapes)
1/2 cup of “fond brun” (a rich, brown chicken stock, see recipe below)
2 teaspoons of salt
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon of rendered duck fat or foie gras fat    ADD TO CART
1/2 lbs of peeled white grapes or gooseberries for garnish

Instructions

First devein the foie gras and slice it into 8 pieces, each piece should be 3/4 inch thick.
Lightly flour the 8 slices on each side.

Heat the fat in a frying pan and cook the foie gras slices for 1-2 minutes on each side to obtain a golden color.  Do not overcook.  Keep the foie gras warm between two heated plates.

Heat the fat extracted from the foie gras itself, pour in the “verjus”, scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon and cook until it is reduced by half.  Pour in the “fond brun” and let it cook for another 1 or 2 minutes.

Place 2 slices on each plate, pour the sauce on top of the slices and garnish with the grapes or gooseberries.  Serve immediately.

FOND BRUN

First, roast about 3 pounds of beef or veal bones in oven at 450° for 40 minutes. Halfway through the cooking time add 1 onion cut into 4 pieces, 2 sliced carrots and a sliced celery branch.

Pour the mixture in a clean sauce pan. Add 8 pints of water, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, 1 bouquet garni and 6 pepper corns. Let it simmer for 3 to 4 hours, skimming often.

Strain the mixture many times, while pressing the mixture in order to retrieve the juice and refrigerate. Remove the solid grease from the top.

This makes 4 pints of fond brun.