Foie Gras Cigar
Note: You will need 4 glass test tubes, a Paco-Jet and gold leaf for this recipe.
Pastry Tube
- Spray tubes with canola spray
- Cut pastry into sections 2cm shorter than tubes. Roll pastry around middle of each tube one and a half times, brushing with egg white to seal at each end
- Cook test tube in deep fryer at 180°C until pastry is golden brown. Remove pastry from tubes immediately once cooked, then chill pastry tube
- Pipe foie gras mousse into each pastry tube and chill again
- Brush outside of each tube with balsamic reduction, roll in puff pastry crumb, ensuring both ends are covered with crumb.
- Roll tube on a flat surface to smooth out exterior of tube.
Apricot Gel
- In saucepan, cover apricots with sugar syrup. Simmer gently until apricots are soft
- Once apricots are soft, puree them then strain through chinois, reserving fruit.
- Weigh the puree mix. For every 1kg of puree, mix in 9g agar. Set on gel tray.
- Blend gel in mixer to break down gel particles
- Store in piping bag ready for use
Balsamic Reduction
- In a heavy-based saucepan, reduce vinegar by half
- Mix maple syrup into balsamic reduction
Puff Pastry Crumb
- Make puff pastry (see recipe)
- Mix 4 tablespoons cocoa powder to each teaspoon icing sugar
- After making puff pastry to recipe, ensuring it is thinly rolled, cook pastry in 180ËšC for 10-15min until very golden brown. Leave to cool.
- Pulse pastry in Thermomix for 2 seconds at a time. Season with cocoa powder mixture
Foie Gras Mousse
- Make mousse by combining 150g foie gras terrine (see recipe) and 15g butter, and season.
- Paco Jet twice, whip with plastic spatula and transfer mixture to piping bag
Ash
- Combine carbon & icing sugar.
Gold Band
- Cut rice paper sheet 1cm wider than gold leaf sheet.
- Place rice paper rough-side down on top of gold leaf and rub to transfer old leaf onto rice paper
- Cut papers into bands 7mm wide and 10cm long
Plating the Dish
- Wrap foil band around cigar, wetting one end of rice paper to make it stick.
- Dip opposite end of cigar into ash 1cm deep
- Pipe apricot gel onto base of ashtray in the middle and on spot where cigar will rest. Place cigar in ashtray, using apricot gel to stick it down.
- Add a pinch of tea ash at the bottom of the cigar, and the smoking young coconut.