Foie Gras with Poached Egg and Port
This beautiful appetizer, soft poached eggs inside crisp brioche crumbs with accompanying greens, mushrooms, and foie gras slices, could also appear at brunch. Note that Chef Bonnot uses the same pan to saute the foie gras and brown the eggs, then deglazes it with wine and reduces it to create the sauce. Treat the eggs gently, as the yolks are soft.
Ingredients
- Lemon Juice - 1 lemon
- Eggs - 2, extra-large
- Unsalted Butter - 3 tablespoons
- Shiitake Mushrooms - 8, cleaned and sliced
- Shallot - 1, minced
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Foie gras - 2 slices
- Flour for dredging
- Egg - 1, beaten
- Brioche Crumbs - 1 cup, toasted
- Port Wine - 1 cup
- Mixed Greens - 1 cup
Instructions
Bring a large pan of water to a very slow simmer and add the lemon juice. Break the eggs into separate saucers, then slip the eggs into the water to poach. Poach for 3 minutes, turning once. Lift the eggs with a slotted spoon and place into ice water for 30 seconds to stop the cooking. Set aside on a plate.
Melt the 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. When the butter foams, add the mushrooms and toss in the butter. Saute for 2 minutes, until beginning to brown, then add the shallots and saute for 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside off the heat.
Cut each slice of foie gras into four small pieces. Put the flour in a shallow dish and dredge the foie gras in the flour, spanking off the excess. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a small saute pan over medium-high heat. When the butter foams, add the foie gras slices and saute 1 to 2 minutes, until they are just beginning to color. Remove from the pan and drain on a towel. Set the pan aside, leaving the butter and foie gras juices in the pan.
Trim the edges of the eggs so that no loose strips remain. Gently, because the yolks are still liquid, gather the white around the yolk of one of the eggs and dredge the egg in flour, then roll in the brioche crumbs to coat, forming the egg into a neat oval as you work. Repeat with the other egg. Heat the foie gras pan over medium-high heat and brown the eggs in the butter and juices, turning to brown all sides. Remove from the pan and drain on a towel. Return the pan to the stove. Pour port wine into the pan, stir up the glaze from the bottom of the pan, and boil the wine rapidly to reduce the liquid by half.
To serve: Mound fresh greens in the center of each plate. Place four slices of foie gras around each mound. Place a poached egg on each mound of greens. Spoon mushrooms between each piece of foie gras. Drizzle wine reduction over the foie gras.
