Crispy Farm Raised Poussin With Foie Gras Armagnac Sauce Asparagus And Morels Food

TIE ME UP POUSSIN WITH MADEIRA SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Wash and pat dry each poussin. Tuck 1 sage leaf under the skin of each breast. Season the inside of each cavity liberally with salt. Stuff each cavity with 1 lemon wedge and a generous amount of fresh thyme, rosemary, and sage. Truss each poussin (see Cook's Note**). Evenly coat each poussin with 2 tablespoons of the butter. Place the poussins breast side up on a baking tray and refrigerate for 20 minutes to let the butter harden.
• Heat large saute pan over high heat and place poussin in pan breast side up. Sear for 2 minutes and then place in oven. Roast for 40 minutes, or until the juices run clear from the hip joint (about 160 degrees F). Remove from the oven. Set the poussins aside in a warm place to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Skim most of the fat from the saute pan and set aside drippings to finish Madeira Sauce. Remove the butcher's string from poussins. Serve each person 1/2 poussin drizzled with 1 to 2 ounces of the Madeira Sauce. Garnish on a bed of greens with pomegranate seeds.
• After skimming most of the fat drippings from the pan, return the pan to medium heat. Add the Madeira and simmer until the liquid is reduced by two thirds. Add the heavy cream and bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat, swirl in butter. Season with salt and serve with poussin.

GRILLED FILET MIGNON STUFFED WITH FOIE GRAS AND MOREL SAUCE

Steps:

• To prepare the steaks make an incision in the side of the steak 3/4 of the way through, creating a deep pocket in the middle. Season a piece of foie gras and stuff 1 into each steak. Season the outside of each steak with salt and pepper and coat with olive oil. Grill on each side for about 5 minutes for medium rare.
• Morel Sauce: In a saucepan on a hot part of the grill cook the shallots in 2 tablespoons of butter until lightly browned. Add the garlic and morels and cook until the mushrooms start to release some of their liquid. Add the wine and cook until the wine is about 75 percent reduced. Add the broth and thyme and boil until broth is 50 percent reduced. Stir in the butter and season. Ladle over each steak.
• *Fatted duck or goose livers available in specialty food stores.

ROASTED BREAST OF DUCK WITH FOIE GRAS AND LEEK STUFFING

Steps:

• To bone, place duck breast up and remove the flap of skin covering the wishbone. Scrape along the wishbone with the back of a paring knife to expose the bone. Reach in with index finger and thumb to remove the wishbone by pulling it out, being careful not to tear the meat.
• Make incision along the breastbone and from breastbone down to rib cage. Follow rib cage to thigh and wing joints and carefully cut through thigh and wing joints leaving wing attached to breast. Separate the breast from the thigh and leg.
• Remove the wing at the middle joint and cut the end of the attached wing bone square. Push the meat on the wing down toward the breast, cleaning the bone with a paring knife. Push the meat on the bones of the thigh and leg, leaving the leg bone attached to the meat at the drum end. Square off the end of the drumstick with a French knife. Remove the thigh and the thighbone. Repeat for other half of duck. (Note: you may use boneless duck breasts if limited on time.)
• Lay breasts skin side down, clean the excess skin, and shape into teardrops with a boning knife. From the thick end, pierce the breast directly beneath the skin, straight in to the tip of the breast, making a pocket. Be careful not to poke through the flesh while making pocket. Pocket should extend the length of the breast.
• In a saucepan, saute the leeks in the butter until tender. Add the herbs and carefully deglaze the pan with apple brandy. Add 1 ounce of cream, reduce until thickened, and cool.
• In a meat grinder, grind the thigh meat and liver through the fine die. Using a food processor, process until smooth. Add remaining cream, and mix well. Add leek mixture, and season, to taste.
• Using a pastry bag, pipe approximately 2 tablespoons of forcemeat into each duck breast pocket. Plug the end of the pocket with the tender.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Brown duck breast in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, skin-side down, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn duck breast over, place in the oven, and cook until desired temperature is reached.

SEARED FOIE GRAS AND SAVORY ROSEMARY WAFFLE WITH PRUNE-ARMAGNAC ICE CREAM, CARAMELIZED PINEAPPLE, AND VEAL REDUCTION

Steps:

• In a saucepan over high heat, reduce the veal or poultry stock down by half, or until it obtains sauce consistency.
• Clean the foie gras and remove the veins. Cut the lobes into 2-ounce medallions and score the surface of the foie gras in an x-pattern. Season the medallions with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over high heat. When pan is very hot, add foie gras and sear on both sides until medium rare.
• Slice the pineapple into 1/8-inch thick slices. Remove the core and sprinkle the pineapple with sugar. Saute the pineapple in a skillet with a minimal amount of oil until the pineapple is golden brown.
• To serve, place the pineapple ring in the middle of the plate. Next, place a wedge of waffle on the pineapple ring then the foie gras on top of that. Finish off with a scoop of the ice cream and chervil plush. Drizzle a little of the veal reduction around the plate and serve immediately.
• Sift together all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the yolks, 1 at a time. Next, add the milk, followed by the melted butter.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Fold them into the batter. Finally, fold in the chopped rosemary.
• Make waffles in a waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Pour the chilled Creme Anglaise into an ice cream maker and churn until thick but still just soft. At this point, add the heavy cream, Armagnac, prunes, and syrup. Continue to churn until thick, and then transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid. Freeze until ready to use.
• Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds into a heavy saucepan. Add milk to pan, and bring to a gentle boil. In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until thick. Pour the milk over, whisking continuously. Return to the pan and cook over gentle heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain through a fine-mesh conical sieve. Serve hot or cold.
• Boil 6 cups of water in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the tea bags. Let infuse for 2 minutes, and then add the prunes. Cover the pan and let stand at room temperature overnight.
• In a small saucepan, bring the sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil. Set syrup aside to cool and then refrigerate.
• The following day, strain the prunes and put them in a large glass jar. Pour the Armagnac over. Add the cold syrup. Let macerate for 1 month in a cool place.

MOREL SAUCE

Steps:

• Place butter and minced shallot in a 1-quart sauce pot over medium heat. Cook until translucent. Add morels and a pinch of salt. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add white wine and reduce by two-thirds. Add heavy cream, turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm until ready to serve with chicken breasts.

PRUNES IN ARMAGNAC

Steps:

• Place 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, add the tea bags, and steep for 5 minutes. Discard the tea bags, add the prunes and honey, turn the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 3 minutes to plump the prunes.
• Pour the prunes and all the liquid into a medium bowl and stir in the Armagnac, vanilla, orange juice, vanilla bean, and cinnamon sticks. With a vegetable peeler, cut 4 large strips of zest from 1 lemon and add to the mixture. Cut the lemon in half, cut 4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices, and add to the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 6 to 12 hours. (If you're not serving the prunes that day, refrigerate them in their liquid.)
• To serve, place the prunes in shallow dessert bowls and serve cold, at room temperature, or slightly warmed, spooning the macerating liquid over them. Add a scoop of ice cream, a drizzle of Armagnac, a drizzle of honey, and a sprinkling of grated lemon zest. (You'll be surprised how much flavor this adds!) Serve immediately.

MOREL FOIE GRAS

Steps:

• Presoak the morels in the port wine. Once the mushrooms are reconstituted, strain and reserve the wine. Next, chop the morels into a small dice. In a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, render the foie gras. Once rendered, add the glace de viande and reserved wine to the foie gras and reduce by half. Add the morels and heavy cream to the port reduction. Continue cooking until reduced by one-third. Once reduced, cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for no more than 1 week.

ASPARAGUS WITH CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Snap asparagus of the woody ends.
• In a large skillet, melt 2 Tbs. of the butter over medium heat. Add asparagus and saute until crisp tender. Set pan with asparagus aside.
• In a small skillet, saute the onion in the remaining butter, until onion is soft and translucent. Stir in the flour, garlic powder, and salt until blended.
• Gradually stir in broth.
• Add the parsley, and dill.
• Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat to low; whisk in sour cream.
• Quickly warm asparagus then transfer to serving platter.
• Top with dill cream sauce.

SAUTé OF WHITE ASPARAGUS, MORELS, AND RAMPS OVER POLENTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
• Snap off the ends of the asparagus (they will break naturally where their toughness begins), and peel the stalks.
• Clean the ramps and prepare the ramps according to the method described on page 33.
• Blanch the asparagus in heavily salted boiling water about 5 minutes, until tender. To test for doneness, take a spear out of the water, cut a small piece off the end, and taste it. (Remember, the spears will continue to cook a little as they cool.) Carefully remove the asparagus to a baking sheet to cool.
• If the morels are large, cut them in half.
• Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. (If you don't have a pan that's large enough to hold all of the vegetables, heat two pans and divide ingredients accordingly.) Add 4 tablespoons butter to the pan, and when it foams, scatter the morels into the pan, being careful not to overcrowd them. Sauté the mushrooms 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often. Turn down the heat to medium, and add the thyme, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Let the mushrooms cook another 6 to 8 minutes. They should be crispy on the outside, yet still tender. (The amount of cooking time really depends on the mushrooms; sometimes they give off water, which will require a longer cooking time, to allow the water to evaporate and the morels to crisp.)
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the mushrooms, and place the blanched asparagus carefully in the pan. Toss to coat the asparagus in all the mushroomy brown butter, and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the ramps to the pan, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook another 2 minutes, tossing often so all the flavors meld and everything is coated in the butter. Taste for seasoning.
• Spoon the polenta onto a large warm platter. Using tongs, arrange the asparagus and ramps, randomly overlapping them over the polenta. Spoon the morels and all the butter over the top, and scatter the parsley over everything.
• In a heavy-bottomed pot, bring 5 1/2 cups water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil over high heat. Add the polenta slowly, whisking continuously. Turn the heat down to low, and continue cooking for another 20 minutes, whisking often. Add another 1/2 cup water and cook 1 more hour, whisking often and adding 1/2 cup water as needed, about every 20 minutes. The flame should be low, so that the polenta is barely simmering. As you whisk, make sure that you reach the bottom of the pan to prevent the polenta from scorching. I like to use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the pot.
• Whisk in the butter, and taste for seasoning. Even when the polenta is finished, you might sense it thickening up a little. If so, add a little more water and whisk to get the right consistency. If you're not serving right away, cover the pan with plastic wrap to keep the polenta from thickening or losing moisture. If necessary, rewarm over low heat before serving.
• You can blanch the asparagus and ramps a few hours ahead.

ASPARAGUS SAUCE

Steps:

• Soften the onion and garlic, and blend it with the cooked asparagus, salt and pepper and a little mace, then gradually stir in enough single or double cream until the mixture has a sauce like consistency.
• This sauce can then be heated and served with pasta, salmon, or chicken.

ASPARAGUS WITH MORELS

Steps:

• cook asparagus separately in boiling water or in microwave until tender, 3-5 minutes.
• refresh under cols water.pat dry.
• heat 3 tbsp butter in large skillet, add shallots and cook until softened. add morels and saute 5 minutes more.
• add asparagus, tarragon, salt and pepper and continue cooking until heated through.
• add remaining butter and remove from heat.
• stir in lemon juice and garnish with tarragon.

CRISPY ROASTED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Set the oven at 450°F.
• With a vegetable peeler, peel tough ends of the asparagus.
• In a shallow dish, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, and lemon juice.
• Roll the asparagus spears in the mixture to coat them.
• Spread the panko in a plate and roll the spears until they are well coated.
• Transfer them to a cake rack and let them dry for 30 minutes.
• On a rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle the oil and line up the asparagus so they're not touching.
• Cook the spears, turning often, for 10 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
• Remove them from oven, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and serve at once.

FOIE GRAS BRIOCHE FRENCH TOAST WITH ASPARAGUS AND WILD MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• For Brioche: Sprinkle yeast over milk in large mixing bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Combine flour, sugar and salt, beat in alternately with eggs and blend until dough is very smooth and elastic. (For best results, use standard mixer with a paddle attachment, mixing for approximately 10-15 minutes total.) Beat in butter, a tablespoon at a time, until well incorporated (dough will be very soft and sticky); continue to mix for 3 minutes more. Remove dough from bowl and shape into a ball. Transfer to a large buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, approximately 2 hours. Punch down, reshape into a ball, cover and refrigerate overnight.
• After refrigeration, preheat oven to 375°F Turn dough out onto lightly floured board; quickly form into loaf shape. Place dough in buttered 8x4-inch loaf pan; let stand at room temperature 20 to 30 minutes, or until dough just begins to soften (dough will rise slightly).
• Transfer dough to oven, lower the temperature to 350°F and bake until golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped, about 50 minutes. Let cool for several minutes, unmold while still warm and transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
• For Brioche French Toast:.
• Mix egg, milk, vanilla and cinnamon in a bowl with a fork. Melt the margarine in a pan large enough for all 4 slices of toast/brioche. Dip each slice of brioche/toast into the egg mixture. Fry in the pan until golden and crunchy.
• For Foie Gras with Wild Mushroom Mixture:.
• For the fricassee: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over moderate heat. Add the shallot and sauté until the shallots are softened. Add the mushrooms and continue to sauté until the mushrooms are tender and start to caramelize, about 12-15 minutes. Add the port wine and reduce until the wine is almost evaporated. Add the stock and fresh thyme and simmer until reduced to a sauce consistency, approximately 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Keep warm.
• For the Asparagus-Mushroom mix:.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the wild mushroom and sauté until lightly caramelized, about 8 minutes. Add the Asparagus and sauté, about 5 minutes. Add the vinegar, cook 1 minute and then add the red wine and simmer until the mixture has a jam-like, syrupy consistency, about 7-10 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
• To assemble:.
• Heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Season the foie gras medallions with salt and pepper. Place the medallions in the pan and cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, approximately 2 minutes on each side (keeping rare). Take care not to burn the medallions and lower the heat if they brown too fast. Remove the medallions and pour out all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. Add the cooked mushroom fricassee and heat through.
• Place slice of brioche in the middle of a warmed plate.
• Add a nice spoon of mushroom fricassee in the middle of the brioche and spread.
• Lightly coat the mache with the truffle oil and place on top of the fricassee.
• Place a small scoop of the Asparagus-Mushroom mix on top of the fricassee.
• Then put the sautéed foie gras on top of everything.
• Sprinkle with a little high-quality sea salt and shave a little truffle (if available) over the mache.
• Serve immediately.