2431. PEA SOUP with BACON and FOIE GRAS

makes 6 servings


2 cups dried whole yellow peas
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, cut into 1/3" dice
1 celery stalk, cut into 1/3" dice
4 ounces slab bacon, cut into 1/3" dice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces raw duck or goose foie gras, cleaned, cut into 3/4" cubes (optional)
olive oil

Place peas in a large pot; add cold water to cover by 2". Let soak overnight.

Drain peas; return to pot. Add onion, carrot, celery, and bacon. Add water to cover ingredients by 2". Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring often. Continue cooking at a very low simmer, stirring every 15 minutes and occasionally skimming foam from the surface, until peas are almost tender, 2–3 hours (time will vary depending on age of peas). Season with salt. Simmer until peas are very tender, 15-45 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Let cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and chill. Return to a simmer before continuing.

Season foie gras cubes, if using, with salt; divide among warmed bowls. Ladle hot soup over cubes and let stand until foie gras is warmed through, about 2 minutes. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with pepper.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Martin Picard, Bon Appétit, January 2012

2287. QUAILS roasted with BACON and FOIE GRAS

yields eight servings


8 quails
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 ounces foie gras
16 strips bacon

Rinse the quails and pat them dry. Use poultry shears or a sharp knife to cut away the feet and any extra neck skin. Season them inside and out with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the foie gras into 8 equal pieces. Place a small amount of each piece into the cavity of each bird, and place the remainder on the breast of each bird. Wrap two strips of bacon tightly around each bird to hold the foie gras in place, securing the bacon with kitchen string or toothpicks if necessary.

Place the wrapped quails, breast-side up, on a roasting pan fitted with a rack and roast for 20 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy and the juices from the bird are rosy and no longer red. Remove from the oven, cover with foil and let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with the cranberry relish. (see recipe)


bacon recipe courtesy of: Molly O'Neill, "Fowl Play," The New York Times, November 22, 1998

2111. ROAST WOODCOCK with BACON and FOIE GRAS

1 woodcock
fat bacon
3 slices white bread, crusts removed
1/2 oz. foie gras
salt and pepper
1 pinch grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon cognac or armagnac
8 grapes, peeled and seeded

Pluck the woodcock but do not gut it. Truss it, bard it with fat bacon, and spit-roast it over or next to a hot fire for 18-20 min. Remove the entrails and discard all but the intestines. Meanwhile, fry the bread in the dripping pan or else separately in butter. Mince the intestines with foie gras and season this with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and brandy. Spread 2 of the slices of bread, halved, with this mixture and sprinkle a little more pepper over. Gratiner this in a very hot oven for a few minutes. Serve the woodcock atop the third piece of fried bread, with the 4 half-slices of bread around. Garnish with grapes and serve.


bacon recipe courtesy of: TradersCreek.com, 55 East Main Street, Johnstown, NY 12095

2015. BACON-WRAPPED BONELESS QUAIL filled with BLACK TRUMPET MUSHROOMS

serves six


Filling
1 pound boned chicken breast, all skin and sinews removed
1 egg white
2 tablespoons brandy
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
freshly grated nutmeg
6 ounces foie gras, cut in 3/4 inch dice
1 pound black trumpet mushrooms
1/2 pound spinach, blanched, chopped, and squeezed as dry as possible
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
6 boneless quail, available from specialty butchers, wings removed
6 slices bacon
2 1/2 cups rich meat stock

Make the filling: Put the chicken, the egg white, and the brandy in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. With the processor running, add the cream in a thin stream, then the salt and pepper and a few gratings of nutmeg, and process until all is well combined. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and, using a rubber spatula, gently mix in the remaining filling ingredients, reserving half the braised mushrooms for the sauce.

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Using a pastry bag with a 3/4 to 1-inch opening, squeeze the filling mixture into the cavities of the quail, restoring their whole, plump shape. Lay the quail on their backs and cross their legs to close in the stuffing. Starting at the head end, wrap a piece of bacon around the sides of the quail and back to the head end to cover both openings. The quail will look as if they are lying in a bed of bacon. Tie the bacon in place with string, wrap a little piece of foil around the quails' legs to keep them from burning, and place the quail on a rack in a roasting pan, alternating filling-side up and filling-side down.

Roast the quail for 40 minutes. Turn off the oven, remove the quail to a platter, and let them rest in the turned-off oven while you make the sauce. Pour off the fat from the roasting pan, leaving any pan juice behind. Add the reserved braised mushrooms and the meat stock to the pan, stir well, and transfer to a saucepan. Reduce to 1 1/2 cups.

Using a very sharp slicing knife, carefully cut each quail in half lengthwise down the center and arrange the halves on the platter. Spoon half the sauce on and around the quail and serve the rest in a sauceboat.


bacon recipe courtesy of: The Hudson River Valley Cookbook: A Leading American Chef Savors the Region's Bounty by Waldy Malouf. Harvard Common Press, 1998

1630. CERVENA VENISON and FOIE GRAS WELLINGTON with BACON, CHESTNUT MUSHROOM DUXELLE and RED WINE JUS

serves four


For the Cervena Venison Foie Gras Wellington:
1 600 gram Cervena venison loin
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
175 grams foie gras, cut in to 1-inch by 3-inch rectangles
16 thin slices double smoked bacon
400 grams puff pastry
2 eggs yolks for egg wash

Chestnut Mushroom Duxelle:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 shallot, brunoise
2 tablespoons thyme, finely chopped
150 grams chanterelles, cleaned and dry, finely chopped
150 grams oyster mushroom, cleaned and dry, finely chopped
150 grams button mushroom, cleaned and dry, finely chopped
150 grams king oyster mushroom, cleaned and dry, finely chopped
6 chestnuts, roasted, peeled and pureed
3 tablespoons chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
salt & pepper

For the Red Wine Jus:
2 cups red wine
3 shallots, julienne
1/6 bunch cleaned thyme
2 cups strained veal jus
4-6 tablespoons cold butter, cut in to 1-inch cubes
salt & pepper

For the Vegetables:
200 grams chanterelles, cleaned and cut in half
12-16 assorted variety baby heirloom carrots, cleaned, halved lengthwise, and blanched
20-24 crosnes, lightly scrubbed, and kept in dark container to avoid light
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 bunches rainbow chard, cleaned and torn in to 2-inch pieces
salt & pepper

Garnish
2-3 teaspoons pine nut oil
1/2 cup trimmed arugula seedlings

For the Chestnut Mushroom Duxelle: Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat, add the garlic and shallots, cook without colouring, approximately 5 minutes. Add the thyme and mushrooms, cooking until there is no moisture remaining. Remove from heat and dry on towel, squeeze out any excess moisture, reserving liquid for jus.

Score and roast the chestnuts for 30 minutes at 350F. Allow to cool, then peel and roughly chop. Puree in food processor until smooth, adding a little chicken stock to loosen slightly. Add Chestnut mix to mushroom mix, season with salt and pepper, and mix thoroughly.

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat, add the garlic and shallots, cook without colouring, approximately 5 minutes. Add the thyme and mushrooms, cooking until there is no moisture remaining. Remove from heat and dry on towel, squeeze out any excess moisture, reserving liquid for jus.

Score and roast the chestnuts for 30 minutes at 350F. Allow to cool, then peel and roughly chop. Puree in food processor until smooth, adding a little chicken stock to loosen slightly. Add Chestnut mix to mushroom mix, season with salt and pepper, and mix thoroughly.

For the Cervena Venison Foie Gras Wellington: Season Cervena venison loin with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in cast iron pan at high heat and sear venison loins on all sides to color, remove from heat to wire rack.

When venison has cooled, use a sharp knife to make a cut along the length of the top of the loin from end to end 3/4 of the depth of the loin. Open loin and place the Foie Gras rectangles along the incision, fold the two flaps over the foie gras and return to the fridge.

Lay the 6 slices bacon side by side on wax paper, positioning them to run north south. Cover the bacon with duxelle mixture, place venison loin at the bottom of the layered sheet of bacon, and roll the bacon around the loin. Allow to chill in fridge 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, roll out the puff pastry large enough to accommodate the loin. Remove loin from fridge, place in centre of puff pastry and egg wash around the loin. Fold the puff pastry over the loin to cover on all sides, trim excess pastry from ends and pinch seams together, place and baking sheet, seam side down, and set aside.

Egg wash the Cervena Venison Wellington, and score the top side with a knife at equal intervals. Bake at 200C until internal temperature reaches 50C and pastry is golden brown. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

For the Red Wine Jus: In a sauce pot add the red wine, shallots and thyme. Reduce by two thirds. Add the veal jus, and reduce at high heat until bubbling appears rapid and small. Add the diced cold butter to the rapidly boiling jus. Add the reserved mushroom liquid. Cook until sauce coats the back of a spoon, but do not let jus get syrupy. Strain through fine chinois and set aside in warm spot.

For the Vegetables: Saute the chanterelles in the olive oil and one tablespoon of the butter until cooked. Add blanched carrots and crosnes, continue cooking for 1-2 minutes. Meanwhile in a separate pan, heat butter the remaining butter until just foaming. Reduce heat, add rainbow chard, and cook until tender.

To Finish: Cut Cervena Venison Wellington in four equal portions, across the grain, trimming off the pastry from the two ends. Divide swiss chard evenly between four warm plates. Place Wellington on top of chard so the cut side of meat is facing up, gently spoon the finished jus around the Wellington. Randomly place carrots, chanterelles, and crosnes around Wellington. Finish with drizzle of Pine Nut oil and Arugula Seedlings.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Damian Wills, Sous Chef, Stone Road Grill, 17 Lower Canada Drive RR#3, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario LOS 1J0 Canada

1287. FOIE GRAS and SCALLOP and BACON SALAD with MUSCAT WINE DRESSING

serves one


For the dressing
200 ml muscat wine
150 grams unsalted butter
salt
150 grams tranche of duck foie gras
2 large hand-dived scallops
1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil

For the salad
mixed leaves
½ orange, in segments
1 tablespoon shallots, diced
1 tablespoon lentils, cooked
1 tablespoon tomato concassé
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
walnut vinaigrette (four parts walnut oil to one part vinegar)
30 grams bacon, grilled and crumbled

To make the dressing, bring the Muscat to the boil. Ignite to burn off alcohol. Whisk in butter. Return to boil and season. Keep warm.

Put the oil in a pan and when hot sear the foie gras on both sides. Place the foie gras on buttered paper, put it into the oven and cook until just tender inside.
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Sear the scallops on both sides in hot oil and butter.

In a separate bowl, mix the salad ingredients together and then place in the centre of plate. Drain the foie gras and scallops and place on top of salad. Pour dressing around plate and serve.


courtesy of: Clive Dixon | Caterer Search, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5AS, UK

1000. SEARED LANAI VENISON with FOIE GRAS SWEET POTATO and BACON HASH

6 oz. Okinawan sweet potato, medium dice
6 oz. sweet potato, medium dice
6 oz. Yukon gold potato, medium dice
1/2 cup red pepper, medium dice
1/2 cup cup green pepper, medium dice
1/2 cup cup yellow pepper, medium dice
1/2 cup cup Maui onion, medium dice
2 oz. foie gras, medium dice
2 oz. smoked apple bacon, medium dice
olive oil
1 oz. butter

Place all the potatoes into boiling salted water and cook for 4 minutes. Drain and set aside. Heat the oil and better and saut� the peppers, onion and half of the bacon. Add the potatoes and season.


Venison:

4 pieces Strip Loin of Lanai Venison (6 ounces each)
olive oil
seasoning

Season the venison and brush with olive oil. Place on the grill and cook for three minutes. Turn the venison and brush with oil. Cook for another three minutes or until medium rare.


Sauce:

1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup merlot wine
1 oz. smoked apple bacon
2 oz. foie gras
1 oz. butter

Heat a sauce pan until very hot. Add the foie gras and cook for one minute. Take out the foie gras and add it to the potatoes. Add the bacon the hot pan and cook for two minutes. Add the wine and reduce by half then add the broth and again reduce by half. Finish with butter and season.


Place the potatoes in the middle of the plate, next slice the venison in half and present it on top. Spoon the sauce over and around the plate.


courtesy of: Puna Fresh Foods, Keaau Shopping Center, 16-586 Old Volcano Road, Keaau, Hawaii 96749-8115

454. ROASTED ELK TENDERLOIN with BACON-WRAPPED SALSIFY, JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES, and CREAMY WILD MUSHROOM SAUCE

yields 4 servings


4 cups water
4 cups whole milk
2 bay leaves
10 black peppercorns
16 stalks salsify, peeled
16 slices smoked bacon
1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, divided
2 pounds elk tenderloin, completely cleaned
6 Jerusalem artichokes, peeled sliced into 1/8-inch rounds
1-ounce diced shallots
4 ounces baby arugula
Mushroom Sauce, recipe follows
Chopped chives, for garnish

In a large saucepan or stockpot, combine 4 cups water with the milk, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Bring to a simmer and then poach peeled salsify; cook just until the salsify is soft, but not mushy. Remove the salsify from the poaching liquid, and refrigerate. Once the salsify is cooled, wrap 1 slice of bacon around each stalk of salsify.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Roast the bacon wrapped salsify in the oven until the bacon browns slightly, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium ovenproof skillet, melt 1/2 stick butter over medium-high heat. Add elk tenderloin to hot pan and sear until browned on both sides, and then transfer pan to oven and roast until cooked to desired doneness. (Be careful, as elk tenderloin cooks quickly.)

In a medium skillet, melt 1/2 stick butter over medium-high heat. Add Jerusalem artichokes and saute until the edges turn slightly brown. Then add shallots and saute for 1 minute more. Add arugula and remove from heat.

In the center of the plate, make a circle of wild mushroom sauce. Place the salsify on top of the sauce, and the artichoke-arugula mixture on top of the salsify. Slice the elk tenderloin and place on top of the artichoke-arugula mixture. Garnish with chives.

Mushroom Sauce:
1/4 pound (1 stick) butter
1 pound mixed wild mushrooms, cleaned
3 ounces diced shallots
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons aged sherry vinegar
2 ounces foie gras, optional
Salt and pepper

Melt 1 stick butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add mushrooms and saute over high heat until browned. When mushrooms have browned, add 3 ounces diced shallots and the thyme. Cook mixture for 2 minutes more and then add cream. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the cream has reduced by half. Next, pour mixture into blender*, add sherry vinegar and foie gras, if using, and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

NOTE:When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.


courtesy of: Chef Warren Schwartz, Saddle Peak Lodge, Calabasas, California

384. HUDSON VALLEY FOIE GRAS with MOREL MUSHROOMS, RAMP GREENS, SMOKED BACON and CURRIED CARROT BROTH

serves 4


Curried Carrot Broth (recipe follows)
1 pound morels, thoroughly cleaned (substitute portobello mushrooms when morels aren't available)
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons beef stock
2 tablespoons butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
4 ounce smoked slab bacon, cubed
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound ramp greens (substitute collard greens, mustard greens or spinach--or a combination)
4 1/2-ounce slices of foie gras

Curried Carrot Broth:
2 cups carrot juice
3 tablespoons curry butter (recipe follows)

Place carrot juice in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until juice is reduced to 1 cup. Strain through cheesecloth, return to pan and set aside.

Curry Butter:
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 shallot, chopped
1 small clove garlic, chopped
2 ounce cooking apple, chopped
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
Pinch turmeric
Pinch paprika
1/4 small bay leaf
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Sweat the shallot and garlic in 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil until translucent. Add the chopped apple and cook over low heat until the apple is soft. Add the curry powder, turmeric, paprika, bay leaf and the other teaspoon of oil and cook over a low flame for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf and purée. Pass through a fine sieve. Cool purée to room temperature. Cut butter into pieces and place in a food processor with the cooled purée and process until smooth. Keep refrigerated until needed. Just before serving bring reduced carrot juice back to a boil and whisk in the curry butter. Season with salt and pepper.

Thoroughly clean morels by soaking in salted water for about 10 minutes, then rinsing under cool running water several times. Drain. Place morels in a roasting pan with the garlic, rosemary, parsley and beef stock. Cover with foil and roast in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, sweat shallots with the butter in a heavy saucepan. When the morels are finished roasting, add them to the shallots and sauté them over medium heat for about three minutes to blend flavors. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, then sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Set aside, but keep warm.

Place bacon cubes in a heavy skillet and cook over medium high heat until the fat is completely rendered. Remove bacon and set aside. Add 2 tablespoons butter to the bacon fat in the pan and add the thoroughly washed and dried greens. Sauté over medium heat until wilted. Set aside, but keep warm.

Heat a non-stick heavy skillet over medium heat. Quickly sear the foie gras pieces, approximately 45 seconds on each side. Take care to not overcook or the foie gras will begin to melt. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble: Mound one-quarter of the greens into the center of each of four warm flat bowls, such as a rimmed soup plate. Place seared foie gras on top. Arrange morels and bacon about the plate, then pour the Curried Carrot Broth around the dish.

NOTE: Fresh Hudson Valley Foie Gras is available by special order from specialty butchers or by phone through D'Artagnan (1-800-327-8246). Fresh foie gras from the West Coast can be ordered from Sonoma Foie Gras (707-938-1229).


courtesy of: Charlie Trotter, Chicago, Illinois / King Estate Winery, 80854 Territorial Rd, Eugene, Oregon 97405