Foie Gras Mousse Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Trim connective tissue and blood lines. Dice and place in zipper bag with sherry, cloves, and juniper berries. Let sit in fridge 24 hours.
• 2. Remove juniper and discard. Drain foie gras. Discard sherry.
• 3. Preheat large sauté pan to high. Sear foie gras 45 seconds and flip. Add shallots, salt, and pepper. Sear 30 seconds and flip. Repeat. Spill contents of pans on baking sheet. Cool 5 minutes.
• 4. Pulse foie gras in food processor 20 seconds. Add whipped cream. Pulse. Scrape contents into bowl and refrigerate overnight, wrapping after 6 hours.
• 5. Serve with toast or sliced baguette. Serves 6-8 as an hors d'oeuvre.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200°F and line a small roasting pan with a folded kitchen towel or 6 layers of paper towels (this provides insulation so bottom of foie gras won't cook too quickly).
• Sprinkle each lobe and any loose pieces of foie gras on both sides with kosher salt and white pepper. Sprinkle one third of Sauternes in terrine and firmly press large lobe of foie gras, smooth side down, into bottom. (Wedge any loose pieces of foie gras into terrine to make lobe fit snugly.) Sprinkle with another third of Sauternes. Put smaller lobe of foie gras, smooth side up, into terrine and firmly press down to create a flat surface and snug fit. Sprinkle with remaining Sauternes. Cover surface of foie gras with plastic wrap, then cover terrine with lid or foil.
• Put terrine (with plastic wrap and lid) in roasting pan and fill roasting pan with enough hot water to reach halfway up side of terrine. Bake in middle of oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted diagonally into center of foie gras registers 120°F, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or 160°F (for USDA standards), about 3 1/2 hours.
• Remove terrine from pan. Discard water and remove towel. Return terrine to roasting pan and remove lid. Put wrapped cardboard directly on surface of foie gras and set weight on cardboard (this will force fat to surface; don't worry if fat overflows). Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes.
• Remove weight and cardboard and spoon any fat that has dripped over side of terrine back onto top (fat will seal terrine). Chill, covered, until solid, at least 1 day.
• Unmold foie gras by running a hot knife around edge. Invert onto a plate and reinvert, fat side up, onto serving dish. Cut into slices with a heated sharp knife.

Steps:

• Note: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread nuts on a baking sheet. Bake until brown, about 5 to 10 minutes, depending upon size. Make The Foie Gras Mousse: Combine the foie gras, Cognac, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Drain the foie gras–marinating liquid into a small saucepan. Add the stock and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 minute to make a poaching broth. Put the foie gras in the hot broth, cover, and turn off the heat. Poach for 5 minutes, or until the foie gras has an internal temperature of 115 degrees. Remove the foie gras from the broth. Transfer the broth to a small bowl and set over ice to cool it to room temperature. Return the foie gras to the cool liquid and refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove the foie gras from the liquid, pat dry, and puree the foie gras along with any rendered fat in a food processor until smooth. (If the mousse gets a broken, curdy look to it, add about 1 tablespoon of the poaching liquid to stabilize the emulsion.) Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add the nutmeg and truffle, if desired. Transfer the mousse to a ramekin. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours before serving. Make The Figs: Trim the stem end of the figs. With the tip of a serrated apple corer, a melon baller, or a grapefruit knife, cut a small round out of the bottom of each fig and reserve. Carefully scoop about one-third of the flesh from the center of each fig and reserve. In a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a handheld mixer, beat the foie gras mousse or prepared foie gras until it is light, like a buttercream icing. Put the mousse or foie gras in a pastry bag and pipe it into the figs. Plug each fig with a reserved round piece of fig. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until the mousse or foie gras is firm. In a small pan, heat the reserved fig flesh with the verjus or vinegar mixture until liquefied. Press through a fine-meshed sieve to remove the seeds. To serve, cut each fig in half lengthwise and brush the cut side with the glaze. Sprinkle with the toasted almonds and serve. This recipe yields 4 to 6 servings.