Foie gras bites, pistachio and gingerbread

Have you thought about pairing Christmas spices with your foie gras? Dare to try this combination with a festive amuse-bouche recipe featuring foie gras. For a crunchy twist, the brand-new pistachio with fleur de sel enhances these bites with a hint of salt and a beautiful green color.

 

Preparation: 20 minutes • Cooking: 25 minutes

Ingredients for about twenty bites

 

For the bites

• 450 g Petrossian semi-cooked duck foie gras
• 30 g Petrossian pistachios with Guérande fleur de sel

 

For the gingerbread (recipe by Christophe Michalak)

• 150 g water
• 150 g honey
• 100 g unsalted butter
• 4 g gingerbread spice mix
• 25 g sugar
• A generous pinch of salt
• Zest of 2 lemons
• Zest of 1 orange
• 150 g wheat flour T55
• 5 g baking powder
• 20 g butter and 20 g flour for the mold

 

Method

For the gingerbread

1. Place water, honey, butter, spices, sugar, salt, and all zests in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Cover and let infuse for about twenty minutes.
3. Preheat your oven to 180°C (356°F, th. 7).
4. In a bowl, mix flour and baking powder, then add the previous mixture and whisk vigorously.
5. Butter and flour a loaf pan, then pour in the mixture.
6. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Check with a knife: if it comes out clean, the bread is cooked.
7. Let cool completely and unmold.

 

For the bites

1. When the gingerbread is completely cooled, cut slices and then circles using a cookie cutter about 3–4 cm in diameter. If you don’t have a cutter, cut uniform squares with a knife.
2. Place a square of foie gras of equivalent size on each circle or square of gingerbread.
3. Sprinkle with coarsely chopped pistachios.
4. Add a touch of fleur de sel, pepper, and some sprouts or herbs.
5. Keep refrigerated, well covered, until serving. Take the bites out 5–10 minutes before serving to let the foie gras warm slightly.

 

4 extra ideas?

To dress up your bites, here are some extra tips to enhance your creativity:

1. Gingerbread can be endlessly varied with spices from your pantry. Infuse star anise, cinnamon, or vanilla, citrus like yuzu or kaffir lime to add even more flavor.
2. For a crunchy touch, replace pistachios with other preferred nuts.
3. For festive decoration, add some candied zest, fresh sprouts, edible flowers, or physalis slices.
4. To vary flavors, use a truffled foie gras.

 

Photography: Aimery Chemin • Food styling: Coralie Ferreira