Seared Foie Gras And Savory Rosemary Waffle With Prune Armagnac Ice Cream Caramelized Pineapple And Veal Reduction Food

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.

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.