DUCK*****Laura Calder's Foie Gras Tartines with Verjus Port Glaze

By Unblond1

This was *astounding*. We had it New Year's Eve as a small accompaniment to lobster bisque.

I had bought a small piece (2 ounces) of pure foie gras frozen from Tarini's and that's a perfect amount for the two of us.

A very special, once-in-a-while treat as I'm sure the calorie and fat count is through the roof.

Ingredients

• For Port glaze
• 1/3 cup white verjus (juice of unripe fruits, primarily grapes) or mild balsamic-type vinegar (or 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice)
• 1/4 cup Port or Madeira (I used port the first time, but I'm sure either would work.)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• For foie gras toasts
• 4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices firm white sandwich bread, crusts discarded and cut into squares, or 4 baguette croûtes (I used a kind of stale Italian loaf that I'd bought for the turkey stuffing at Christmas)
• 2 - 4 slices foie gras
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• Fleur de sel or Malden salt

Details

Servings 2
Adapted from foodnetwork.ca

Preparation

Step 1

* Make Port glaze:

* *Bring* verjus, Port, and sugar to a boil in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then boil until syrupy and reduced to about 2 1/2 tablespoons, 8 to 12 minutes. Watch it carefully at the end. I let it go a bit too far and had to add a few teaspoons more port and reheat it when ready to serve.

* *Lightly* toast baguette or bread slices or *fry* in clarified butter until lightly golden and set aside until ready to serve.

* *Get* a sauté pan *very* hot. (Heat an appropriate-sized non-stick frying pan over high heat until it literally starts to smoke. Lightly *salt and pepper* the foie gras and *fry* it on both sides until golden, about thirty seconds to one minute per side. (This is all it takes. It starts to melt immediately when it hits the pan and is browned almost immediately.

* *Remove* the foie gras to a plate and cut into appropriate-sized pieces. *Arrange* foie gras on each toast, *cut* them in half into fingers, *drizzle* with glaze and *sprinkle* with fleur de sel. Serve.