FOIE CUPCAKE
Serves 6/Makes 10 cupcakes
This foie gras cupcake is a unique dish, one that brings forward the natural sweetness of duck liver. The cupcakes are infused with foie fat; if you really want to gild the lily, you can insert a small piece of foie into them as they’re baking. When the cupcake is served with pistachio frosting and cherry gastrique, it reminds you of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
The savory sprinkles are made using lentils and are colored with vegetable juices instead of artificial food coloring. Did you know that red cabbage juice changes color when it comes into contact with a base or an acid? Lemon juice added to red cabbage will change the juice from purple to a vivid magenta. Baking soda and cabbage will produce a cerulean blue. By changing the pH of the juice, you are causing flavonoids to react and change colors. It’s a pretty cool science experiment to play with in the kitchen. Once you’re done, you will have brightly colored sprinkles to garnish your savory cupcake for a special course that no one at your table will ever forget.
Note: This recipe makes 10 foie gras cupcakes, though only 6 are needed for plating. But you might want seconds.
FOIE CUPCAKES:
420 grams all-purpose flour
175 grams sugar
3 grams salt
3 grams baking powder
75 grams unsalted butter, melted
75 grams foie gras fat, melted
250 grams whole milk
110 grams (2 large) eggs
Ten 5-gram nuggets of foie gras (optional)
SPRINKLES:
200 grams water
100 grams dry lentils
5 grams salt
65 grams red cabbage juice, divided
5 grams fresh lemon juice
5 grams baking powder
20 grams red pepper juice
20 grams carrot juice
CHERRY GASTRIQUE:
100 grams cherry juice
25 grams sugar
20 grams sherry vinegar
PISTACHIO FROSTING:
100 grams raw pistachios
50 grams water
25 grams sugar
5 grams salt
SEARED FOIE GRAS:
200 grams foie gras, portioned into 6 equal pieces, any large veins removed, if necessary
Salt for seasoning
5 grams canola oil
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Masticating juicer (to prepare vegetable juices)
Dehydrator (optional)
FOIE CUPCAKES:
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Line a cupcake pan with cupcake papers and set aside. Put the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Put the melted butter, foie fat, milk, and eggs in a separate bowl and whisk to combine. Pour the liquids into the flour mixture and whisk until it forms a smooth batter. Pipe 30 grams of batter into each of 10 wells of the prepared cupcake pan. Bake for 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the cupcakes have risen and are cooked through. To add the foie center, if desired, when rotating the cupcakes, slide a 5-gram nugget of foie into the center of the cupcakes before returning them to the oven. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
SPRINKLES:
Put the water and lentils in a pan and bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook until the lentils are tender but not chalky, approximately 20 minutes. Once cooked, place the lentils and water in a blender and puree. Divide the lentil puree evenly among 6 bowls. Add 25 grams of red cabbage juice to the first bowl and mix to blend. Mix 20 grams of red cabbage juice with 5 grams of lemon juice, add it to the second bowl, and mix to blend. Mix 20 grams of red cabbage juice with 5 grams of baking powder, add it to the third bowl, and mix to blend. Add the red pepper juice to the fourth bowl and mix to blend. Add the carrot juice to the fifth bowl and mix to blend. Leave the last bowl plain.
Take a piping bag and fit it with the smallest plain tip you can find. Line a dehydrator tray or sheet pan with a silicone mat and pipe fine lines of each color across the mat. If you have disposable piping bags it’s best to use a separate one for each color, otherwise you will need to wash and dry your bag between colors. Put the tray in a dehydrator for 4 to 6 hours at 140°F or in your oven at the lowest setting until the lines are completely dry. Begin checking them after 1 hour and check every 10 minutes thereafter until they are done. Use a spatula to scrape the puree from the silicone mat, transfer to a cutting board and chop into sprinkles. Combine and reserve in an airtight container until ready to serve.
CHERRY GASTRIQUE:
Put the cherry juice, sugar, and sherry vinegar in a small saucepot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the juice is reduced to a syrup consistency, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a squeeze bottle and reserve until ready to plate.
PISTACHIO FROSTING:
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Put the pistachios on a sheet pan and roast for 20 minutes, until golden brown around the edges. Transfer the toasted pistachios to a food processor and add the water, sugar, and salt. Puree until the pistachios form a smooth nut butter. Reserve until ready to plate.
SEARED FOIE:
Line a large plate with a layer of paper towels. Season the foie with salt and let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Put the canola oil in a large sauté pan set over medium-high heat. Once the oil has just begun to smoke, add the foie pieces. Sear on one side for about 45 seconds or until you see the edges start to brown. Flip the foie over and use a large spoon to baste the pieces in their own fat for 20 seconds. Remove from the pan and transfer to the prepared plate to remove the excess fat.
TO FINISH:
Put 10 grams of the Pistachio Frosting on top of each cupcake and spread in a thin, even layer over the top. Put the combined Sprinkles in a bowl and dip each cupcake into the sprinkles to cover the top.
Squeeze 10 grams of Cherry Gastrique in a line on the plate. Place a piece of the Seared Foie on top of the Cherry Gastrique. Set a cupcake on the plate beside the foie and serve immediately.
