Poached pears and Seared Foie Gras: Mood = Classic and timeless

Sometimes when you cook, old fashioned food is always the best. I love Foie gras, and especially the pan seared kind. I love to accompany it with something sweet and with a delicious crisp brioche bread which i always find somewhat comforting for some reason. It brings back memories of when i was a child with my parents and my sisters and we were always out as a family eating everything and going everywhere. My father used to to us to the most wonderful restaurants and holidays that you can only dream of.

One summer many many years ago we went to Monte Carlo and ate in this restaurant which i cannot remember its name but i ate Foie gras poeleé. I think i must have been 8 or 9 years old, and i loved it from that day forward. It so nice when you attach memories to food, it makes it that much more special and also brings back feelings that you thought had been forgotten.

I was asked by my client to make her a decadent but classic dinner which consisted of Pan seared Foie gras, followed by Beef fillet with Vin santo dressing and vegetables with a desert of Earl Grey creme bruleé. It certainly went down well and i was asked to make it again and again for other friends of hers that she was entertaining in the following weeks.

This is so simple to make and so beautiful that you almost don't want to eat it. Almost!

For 4 you will need:

4 comice pears
1.5 lts of red wine
500g golden caster sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
4 slices of fresh foie gras that you can score and freeze till you need to use it.
Brioche

Method:

• Peel the pears and place in a pan with the wine and sugar, adding the star anise and cinnamon stick  and let it reduce.  This can continue till the wine has almost become syrupy as i like it. Once the pears have taken a dark red colour, set them aside to cool down.

• Get your foie gras pieces and season with a little salt and pepper.

• Get a pan very very hot and then place them in and leave them till they turn golden to dark brown and then turn them over and do the same on the other side
•  
• Take them out of the pan after a few minutes, That is all they will need to finish cooking. Drain them on a paper towel to get rid of all the fat and place then on a plate with the pear brioche and little green salad with some vinaigrette and serve.

Classic and timeless.