Foie Gras Creme Brulee Recipe

Foie Gras Creme Brulee Recipe

I’ve mentioned it in the past; even though it might raise some eyebrows, foie gras, or duck/goose liver, is my guilty pleasure. Maman would always serve this French delicacy during our holiday dinner. If you’ve never tasted foie gras before, it’s like eating a piece of intensely flavored, semi-softened butter.

I got a lovely whole duck foie gras from The Milk Pail Market in Mountain View, CA. Instead of serving it as a main course (I’ll publish a main course recipe soon), I added the foie gras to a savory custard and made crèmes brûlées. Obviously, this is not your ordinary vanilla flavored dessert crème brûlée. I made savory crème brulees in the past with ingredients like garlic, so this isn’t exactly new territory for me. The result was amazing; foie gras and sweet flavors pair perfectly together. I added specks of foie gras to the custard as well as a large piece in the center of each ramekin. I also topped them with a larger chunk on top of the sugar crust as a reminder of the flavoring inside. I served the fancy starter with toasted bread so the foie gras could be spread onto the toasts.

1. Info for Foie Gras Creme Brulee Recipe

2. Ingredients for Foie Gras Creme Brulee Recipe

3. Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
  2. Cut 8 ounces of the duck liver into cubes. In a mini-blender, mix the diced duck liver with ½ cup heavy cream and the milk until smooth.
  3. In a saucepan, heat the remaining cream. Bring to a near boil. Turn off the heat and immediately add the duck liver mixture. Strain the dairy liquid through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl to remove the large solids, which could be unpleasant.
  4. In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 2 teaspoons of sugar until they become pale yellow. Add 1 teaspoon sugar, chili powder (if used), nutmeg, clove and cinnamon. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Combine the dairy liquid with the egg mixture by slowly adding a ladle of the dairy liquid at a time to prevent the yolks from curdling.
  6. Strain one more time through a fine mesh and discard all the solids (if any).
  7. Cut the remaining duck liver into 12 rectangular pieces.
  8. Place one rectangle of foie gras in each ramekin. Fill the ramekins with the crème brûlée custard. Place them in a warm water bath in a deep baking pan. The water should go half-way up the side of the ramekins (at least a 1-½-inch-high level of water). Loosely cover the dish with a sheet of aluminum foil and place in the oven for 45 minutes. Open the oven, remove the aluminum foil and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. The texture of the crèmes brûlées should be a little jiggly but not liquid (the custard will get firmer and creamier as it cools).
  9. Allow the crèmes brûlées to cool a little.
  10. When serving, sprinkle the top of each cup with sugar, then caramelize with a culinary torch.
  11. Heat a pan and sear the remaining 6 rectangles of foie gras for about 1 minute until golden. Garnish each crème brûlée with the seared foie gras. Sprinkle with fleur de sel.
  12. Serve immediately, at room temperature, with a piece of toast on the side.
  13. Bon appétit!


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