Foie Gras Crème Brulee, Vanilla-Date Puree, Pickled Honey Crisp Apples

Submitted by Todd Rogers, Executive Chef, Sea Island Resorts, St. Simons Island, Ga,

by C&RB Staff (editor@clubandresortbusiness.com)
January 2008
 

Yield:  4 servings

 
Amt                 Ingredients
¼ lobe              foie gras
1 cup                heavy cream
1                      egg
1                      egg yolk
to taste             salt and fresh ground black pepper

Garnish:
to taste             raw sugar
½ cup               Madeira

½ cup               medjool dates, pitted
1                      vanilla bean, split and inside removed from pod
pinch                salt
1                      honey-crisp apple, diced small
¼ cup               cider vinegar
¼ cup               spring water
1                      cinnamon stick
2 tsp                 sugar
1 tsp                 salt
2                      cloves
1 tsp                 fresh lemon juice
1 sprig              rosemary
1 tsp                 aged balsamic vinegar (50-years old)

For the Foie Gras Crème Brulee):

• Preheat oven to 250°F
• Cut the foie gras into four pieces and place it in a sauce pan with the heavy cream
• Gently beat the cream and foie gras until the cream is warm and the foie gras begins to soften
• Transfer to a blender, add the egg and egg yolk, and season with salt and fresh black pepper, then puree
• Strain the mixture through a fine sieve
• Choose a vessel to bake the custards in and be sure to grease with butter before pouring the mixture into them
• Bake in a water bath at 250°F for 1 hour
• Allow the custards to cool slightly before removing them from their vessels
• Once removed, sprinkle a thin layer of raw sugar on top of the custards and brulee with a torch
• Allow the sugar to crisp before serving

For the Vanilla Date Puree:

• In a small sauce pan, simmer the Madeira and dates until the alcohol is cooked out and the dates begin to break down
• Transfer to a blender and puree on low, adding the vanilla bean and a pinch of salt

For the Pickled Apples:

• In a small sauce pan, heat the apples in the cider vinegar, spring water, cinnamon, sugar, salt, cloves, lemon juice and rosemary
• Simmer for 30 seconds, remove from heat and cool for one hour
• Re-heat to serve

Plating:

• Brush one stroke of the puree on top of the brulee and place apples on top of the brush stroke and around
• Aged balsamic vinegar is a nice finishing touch on the plate