Ragout de Champignons au Foie Gras
For the Toasts:
6 slices best-quality white bread, cut about 1/2-inch thick, cut into 4-5 inch rounds
1 clove garlic
3 tablespoons duck or goose fat, or extra-virgin olive oil
For the mushrooms:
3 tablespoons duck or goose fat, or extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds (1 kg) oyster, shitake and button mushrooms, trimmed, brushed clean and
thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, green germ removed, minced
10 fresh sage leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the foie gras:
6 ounces (180g) fresh foie gras, cut into 12 slices, chilled
¼ teaspoon allspice
Fleur de sel
1. Line a cooling rack with paper towels.
2. To make the toasts, heat the fat in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When it is fat but not smoking, add the rounds of bread and cook until they are golden on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Don’t walk away – they’ll turn from gold to black quickly!
3. Remove the toasts from the pan and set them on the prepared cooling rack.
4. Place 2 tablespoons of the fat for the mushrooms in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the mushrooms and stir until they are coated with oil. Sprinkle them with a generous pinch of salt and toss them in the pan. Cook until they give up their liquid, about 3 minutes.
5. While the mushrooms are cooking, mince the garlic and the sage together. In a small bowl combine them with 1 tablespoon of the goose or duck fat, or oil. Reserve.
6. Add the garlic and sage mixture to the mushrooms, toss and continue cooking until the mushrooms are tender through, an additional 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
7. While the mushrooms are cooking, heat a heavy skillet over medium heat. When you’ve removed the mushrooms from the heat and when the skillet is blistering hot, add the foie gras, sprinkle it with allspice, and cook it for about 30 seconds per side, just so it is golden. Transfer it to a warm plate.
8. Divide the mushrooms among six plates, mounded them in the center of the plates. Set 2 toasts alongside the mushrooms. Transfer a piece of foie gras to each piece of toast. Sprinkle the whole plate with fleur de sel. Serve immediately.
6 servings
