1. Foie Gras Club Sandwich
2. Terrine of Foie Gras with Cognac Aspic
3. Crisped Sautéed Foie Gras with Buttered Golden Delicious Apples and Melfor Vinegar
4. Caraway-Infused Corn Custard with Honey-Glazed Foie Gras

Apples and foie gras are often paired in Alsace, where André Soltner was raised. André dredges the foie gras in flour and then sautés them in sweet butter. This technique is typical of the region, where goose foie gras is predominant. When heated, goose liver releases its fat more readily than duck liver, and the flour crust helps lessen the amount of fat lost in the pan. The crust also adds a pleasant textural element to the finished dish. Though most chefs sear Moulard foie gras without flour or butter, André believes the technique adds to the authentic character of the dish.

• BUTTERED APPLES
• 4 Golden Delicious apples, peeled and cored (see Chef Notes)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• FOIE GRAS
• 1 1/2 pounds foie gras, cut into 12 slices, each about 12
• ounces and 1/2-inch thick
• All-purpose flour for dredging
• Coarse salt
• Black pepper, freshly ground
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons Melfor vinegar (see Chef Notes)
• 1/2 cup veal stock or duck stock

YIELD: 6 main course servings

BUTTERED APPLES
Cut each apple into 8 slices. In a large sauté pan, heat the butter and add the apple slices. Sauté over medium heat about 3 minutes on each side, until the apples become slightly browned. Remove from the pan and keep warm. Reserve the pan to cook the foie gras.

FOIE GRAS AND SERVICE
Dredge the slices of foie gras in the flour and season with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the pan used to cook the apples and sauté the foie gras slices over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes on each side. The liver should be nicely browned on the outside, and slightly pink inside. On six warm plates, arrange 4 or 5 apple slices and 2 pieces of foie gras. Pour of all of the fat from the pan. Over high heat, briefly deglaze the pan with the vinegar, then add the stock and reduce by half. Lower the temperature and whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Cook for another 2 minutes, making sure the sauce does not boil or separate. Pour the sauce over the foie gras and the apples and serve.

CHEF NOTES
Depending on what is in season, you may substitute other cooking apples for the Golden Delicious. Melfor vinegar is a honey vinegar that is common in Alsace. Apple cider vinegar makes an acceptable substitution.

WINE RECOMMENDATION
Pierre Sparr Tokay Pinot Gris Grand Cru Mambourg 1993 (Alsace), or another Tokay Pinot Gris

Foie Gras : A Passion
by Michael A. Ginor, Mitchell Davis, Andrew Coe, Jane Ziegelman
John Wiley & Sons

Publication Date: September 1999

$49.95- Hardcover - Amazon@TKL - Ordering Info

ISBN: 0-471-29318-0