Foie Gras Appetizer with Fig Preserves, Balsamic Reduction, and Brioche Toast

It can be quite a hassle to get a hold of fresh or frozen foie gras unless you're in a big city or willing to purchase larger portion online. Even though pâté or canned version are not as enticing as freshly seared foie gras, but they are still quite delicious, and mostly come with a more affordable price tag.

Foie gras with fig preserves, balsamic reduction, and brioche toast -

Ingredients?

• 1 to 2 slices brioche toast
• 1 to 2 packs canned foie gras
• Some fig preserves
• Some balsamic vinegar
• Some frisée
• Some freshly ground black pepper

How?

Cut the brioche toasts into smaller pieces with some thickness remained. I purposely cut the toast to match the size of foie gras. Transfer to a baking dish and into the oven under high heat till slightly browned or semi-crunchy on the surface. 

Simple balsamic vinegar will do but just slightly simmering it down to a thicker consistency can further refine this dish. Pour some balsamic vinegar into a small pot and turn to medium high heat till reduced by 1/3 or nearly half. Remove from heat immediately to prevent from drying out.

Remove the foie gras from the container and cut into smaller pieces, about 1/3 inch thickness. 

Spread some fig preserves on one side of the brioche toast, top with foie gras and torch till the some fat starts to surface. Drizzle some balsamic reduction and garnish with frisée. Sprinkle some freshly ground black pepper to complete the plating. 

The canned foie gras used here is slightly salty. However, if using fresh version, remember to sprinkle some salt flakes after searing.


Other fancy food recipes:

• Fancy meal at home - squid ink risotto with seared cuttlefish
• A totally doable fancy appetizer - scallops sashimi with kumquat juice, shiso, and fleur de sel
• Summer bites: brioche burger with seared tuna and Sriracha uni sauce
• Seared duck breast with simple balsamic dressing, served with creamy corn mashed potatoes
• Fancy salad is not as hard as it looks - utilizing store bought ingredients to create restaurant quality greens
• Self indulgence - SRF rib eye steak with daikon oroshi donburi
• American Kobe steak with simple Japanese sauce, extra sunny side up to make this single meal even more comforting
• Enjoying steak in a less guilty way - served with arugula salad

XO Sauce - Straight Up Condiment, Noodles Seasonings, How about Some Tasty Fried Rice?

XO sauce is one of the popular Asian sauces usually used as a condiment or mixed with dry noodles. It is also a common flavoring agent for fried rice. This sauce's main ingredients are dried scallops, dried shrimps, and red chilies. Imagine the aroma when mixed together with rice and heated up in a high temperature wok, simply mouth-watering.

XO sauce fried rice - 

Ingredients (for 3 to 4 portions)?

• 1 1/3 cups XO sauce
• 2 cups uncooked white rice or some leftover rice
• 1 stalk chopped scallion
• 3 tablespoons peeled and chopped shallots
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Some cilantro

How?

Cook 2 cups of white rice using less water in order to get a chewier, harder texture. Leftover rice works really well since some of the moisture has already been evaporated after storing in the fridge for a day or two.

Drizzle some olive oil to a wok or to a big pan and turn to medium high heat. No need to use more oil since the XO sauce is quite oily already. Add in shallots, scallion, salt, and black pepper. Give it a quick stir and cook till the shallots turned slightly burnt -

Pour in the XO sauce but try to drain out some oil if possible, otherwise might end up with greasy fried rice. Let the high heat further brings out the aroma. Pour in some oyster sauce and mix well -

Mix in the rice and make sure every grain is coated with the sauce. Cook a little bit longer to draw out even more moisture.

Once ready, plate and garnish with some chopped cilantro -

Besides Asian recipes, XO sauce should also pair well with simple seared fish fillet or barbecued shrimps. Give it a try, you'll be in love with such a versatile sauce.

Other fried rice recipes:

• Uni and crab fried rice, pampered with extra fresh uni on top
• Light version: smoked salmon fried rice 煙燻鮭魚炒飯
• This time, no chicken eggs, but salted duck eggs for Chinese fried rice 鹹鴨蛋秋葵炒飯
• Kimchi and shirasu fried rice with a hint of shiso, and of course the sinful egg yolk
• Sirloin fried rice with crisp red onions and a hint of Japanese seasonings (蒜香味噌牛排炒飯)