Recipe – Memory: Foie gras, truffle, chive

Serves 10

For the truffle coulis

• Olive oil, for frying
• 500g button mushrooms, cut into 5mm/¼ inch slices
• 30g dried morels
• 30g dried porcini
• 1 litre water
• 100g onions, sliced
• 100g shallots, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 150g unsalted butter
• 1 sprig thyme
• Fleur de sel, to taste
• 600ml chicken stock, reduced to 400ml
• 12g Japanese cornstarch
• 80g Périgord black truffle, chopped

For the foie gras royale

• 200g foie gras at room temperature
• 50ml cream at room temperature
• 4g salt
• White pepper

For the clarifying juice

• 60g button mushrooms
• 40g onion, coarsely chopped
• 30g carrot, coarsely chopped
• 20g green celery, coarsely chopped
• 60g chicken mince
• 1 egg white, whipped

To garnish

• Chives, chopped
• Truffle oil
• Extra virgin olive oil

For the truffle coulis, heat the oil in a frying pan, then add the button mushrooms and sweat until softened, without colouring. Strain off the ‘umami' liquid that is released through a chinois and reserve for the clarifying juice.

Soak the dried morels and porcini in the water overnight. Strain, reserving the soaking liquid, and fry the rehydrated mushrooms in a little oil until golden. Add the onion, shallots and garlic and sweat until coloured. Add the butter and thyme and continue frying until brown and caramelised. Season with fleur de sel then add the reduced chicken stock and the reserved mushroom soaking liquid. Simmer for three hours, then strain through a chinois and allow to cool.

To make the foie gras royale, combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl with a ball whisk. Whisk from slow to fast to whip up the foie gras while cooking it with a blowtorch under the mixing bowl; carefully monitor the cooking and speed, it should create a ‘sabayon' or a soft ‘pâte à bombe' texture after 10 minutes, or until it reaches 50°C.

Pour into 10 ramekins immediately and warm in the oven for 40 minutes at 78°C, and lower the temperature to 56°C for one hour before serving.

To make the clarifying juice, combine the vegetables and chicken in a Thermomix and blend to a smooth paste. Tip into a pan and stir in the whipped egg white and the reserved ‘umami' liquid and 300ml of the cooled stock. Bring to a boil then remove from the heat and rest for 20 minutes. Strain through cheesecloth into a bowl. Thicken with the cornstarch to a syrup consistency then stir in the chopped truffle.

To serve, remove the warm foie gras custards from the oven and torch the surface of each until slightly browned. Top each with 2½ tablespoons of truffle coulis. Garnish with chopped chives and drops of truffle oil and olive oil.

Chicken stock

• 4kg chicken carcasses
• 1 x 3kg chicken
• 9 litres water
• 1kg onions, sliced
• 600g leeks, sliced
• 70g fleur de sel

Wash the chicken bones well. Put into a large stock pan, along with the chicken and water. Bring to a boil and skim the surface. Simmer for 30 minutes, then add the onions, leeks and salt. Simmer for another 60 minutes, skimming regularly, then ladle through muslin. Leave to cool then vacuum pack into small amounts and use within three days.

Recipe taken from Octaphilosophy: The Eight Elements of Restaurant André by André Chiang. Photography by Edmond Ho