What accompaniment to serve with foie gras?
Foie gras is a must for the holidays and special occasions. A refined dish par excellence, it reveals its best assets when accompanied by the right products. Discover the best accompaniments for foie gras to delight your guests at your next receptions.
Duck or goose, from Alsace or the South-West, whole, in a block, in a jar or in a log, truffled or plain: foie gras comes in a variety of forms to suit your tastes, offering an infinite number of gourmet combinations to its lovers.
What to serve foie gras with?
As a starter , foie gras whets the appetite and coats the mouth with its sweet and round notes. To enhance it, several options are available to you depending on the desired effect. It may be interesting to opt for a sweet and salty combination with fruits or fruity products, or to use a few herbs to highlight its raw flavors .
Which bread to choose for foie gras?
It is not always necessary to break away from standards to shine in the kitchen. Bread is a key accompaniment to foie gras, and for good reason: it adds substance and crunch to this product known for its melt-in-the-mouth texture, makes it easier to eat and, depending on the type of bread chosen, is a major part of your plate.
You can then choose to stick with a classic lightly toasted rye bread , or turn to special breads containing dried or candied fruits for example. Gingerbread toasts are also a wise choice to accompany foie gras. Its deep taste of cinnamon , star anise , cloves and ginger sounds like an obvious accompaniment to this delicate local product, not to mention their respective festive connotations which are not without echoing the sweet winter evenings by the fire.
Preserves and chutneys
How can we not mention the well-deserved success of the foie gras-marmalade combination? Onion or fig confit, mango chutney, apricot compote, orange marmalade ... Nothing is forbidden when it comes to accompanying foie gras with a fruity preparation. This sweet and sour combination, well-known to gourmets, is a sure bet for your holiday dinners. Don't hesitate to add a touch of fantasy by offering more daring confits. Are you afraid of a culinary faux pas? Simply offer several options to your guests by putting a few spoonfuls of your best finds in bowls available on the table. Jams, chutneys and others can easily be prepared at home : you can give free rein to your imagination for these creations!
Foie gras and fruit: an exquisite combination
Highlight the authentic side of this local product by accompanying the foie gras with fresh fruit or dried fruit . You will then combine the much-adored sweet and salty harmony with the raw and natural aspect of a fresh fig, a bunch of grapes, half a pear, prunes or a few walnuts and hazelnuts. To perfect it all, sprinkle the slices of foie gras with a pinch of coarse salt , freshly ground pepper and a few berries .
Wine and foie gras pairings
The wine-foie gras pairing is a subject that fuels many passions. It turns out that the equation is not as simple as it seems. We might be tempted to serve foie gras with a sweet wine , but while the former is usually served as a starter, the latter is more reserved for the end of the meal. To resolve this dilemma without offending wine tasting conventions, why not think outside the box and offer foie gras at the end of the meal ? If this seems too fanciful, know that this is how foie gras was traditionally served, between cheese and dessert!
Of course, the musky taste of foie gras will pair divinely with a dry white wine such as a Riesling or a Chablis, or even with a champagne , ideal for whetting the appetite of your guests at the start of the evening.
Are you serving duck foie gras with powerful aromas? If you feel like it, accompany it with a tannic red wine , Mabel, Syrah or Madiran, which will bring out the nobility of the product's smoothness.
Choosing your foie gras wisely
Whatever accompaniment you choose, the success of your dish will depend above all on the quality of the foie gras . Therefore, choose whole, semi-cooked foie gras , produced in France , Alsace or the South-West . The choice of your accompaniment will differ depending on the foie gras selected: you can allow yourself a few eccentricities with a plain foie gras , but you will gain from betting on more sober accompaniments with a truffled foie gras for example, so as not to hide the subtleties of the latter. Allow 50 to 70 grams of foie gras per person as a starter, and 100 to 150 grams when served as a main course.
