Stone House Vineyard Blog

This Saturday saw the creation of a Foie Gras dish with a twist. The region of Alsace in France is a great place for people from the Black Forest region and Karlsruhe in Germany to go shopping with French Flair, and Foie Gras, the goose or duck liver variety, is one of the things readily available with top quality there. So, when confronted with a 500 gr roll of Foie Gras from Alsace, it was an easy decision to try to make a dish from it, as the delectable start to a good meal. But, not having planned for it in advance it meant being a little creative with limited ingredients.

Apples, white wine, honey and butter were readily available. So was some fresh Mache aka Lamb’s Lettuce (or Feldsalat, as it is called in German) obtained straight from the Farmers’ Market earlier in the day. So here’s how the inspiration went:

For 4 people you’ll need

1lb roll of foie gras, here’s an example of what to get:

http://www.earthy.com/Torchon_of_Foie_Gras_-_approx__P1001C27.cfm?UserID=4048279&jsessionid=603041cdd3d00$99x$8B$

A small handful of of mache (lamb’s lettuce) per person

1 stick of unsalted butter (good quality sweet butter)

50 ml of white wine

1 tsp of honey

1 tsp of confectioner’s sugar

Top quality extra virgin olive oil (just a small amount) , creme fraiche and a dash of champagne vinegar along with salt and pepper for a simple creamy vinaigrette for the lamb’s lettuce. Be sure to use a mild vinegar, so that the dressing will not overpower the sweetness of the foie gras, but complement it nicely.

Peel and core apples (Granny Smith would be a good choice) and make slightly thicker slices (one apple will make 2 or 3 nice slices, as you want them to be evenly sized, so you’ll have to discard (or use elsewhere) the top and bottom.

Wash and trim the lamb’s lettuce and spin dry. Make a vinaigrette from the olive oil, creme fraiche and champagne vinegar, season to taste with salt and pepper.Toss the lamb’s lettuce with the vinaigrette.

Slice the chilled foie gras roll into thin (1cm or less) slices (assume you’ll want 2 slices per person you’re serving)

Melt the butter in a pan, making sure it does not brown. Add the confectioner’s sugar and blend in well. Add a pinch of salt. Add the wine, stir in well and bring back to heat. Set the apple slices into the pan, sauteeing them in the mixture until just soft (be careful they don’t get mushy, and the butter doesn’t burn).  Once just soft, remove them. Add the teaspoon of honey to the remaining liquid in the pan, stir and reduce just a bit to let the flavors blend well.

To serve:

Place one slice of foie gras on a warm plate, stack one apple slice on top, and top with another slice of foie gras. Spoon a bit of the butter/wine/honey mixture over top of the foie gras. Drape a bit of the lamb’s lettuce alongside the foie gras….serve and enjoy with a glass of Sticky or Cuvee Cuddles.

Foie Gras and Mache (Lamb's Lettuce)