Foie Gras "Ravioli" with Figs and Currant

5 from 2 votes

I bought some beautiful red and white currants a few days ago and have been trying to think of a way to use them up. Currants have a slightly sweet flavor with a heavy tart after flavor. The white currants are just slightly sweeter than the red. I made a foie gras torchon and wanted to pair it with the currants. I decided to make a leather (fruit roll up) from the white currants and used that as the "ravioli" skin.

I sweetened the white currants to give a more palatable flavor combined with the foie gras. I combined the ravioli's with a little acidity from the raw red currants and the aged sherry. I gave the dish a little spice by adding some pink peppercorn. I added crunch by adding breadcrumbs with toasted cashews. I finished this dish by adding one of my favorite fruits, fresh figs. Figs are one of those classic fruits to pair with foie gras and when they are in season and perfectly ripe they are hard to beat.

Ingredients

6 people

White Currant Leather

8 oz white currants
1 pc star anise
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
2 tsp agar agar

Foie Gras Torchon

Garnish

1 tbsp pink peppercorn
1/4 cup bread crumbs toasted
1/4 cup cashews roasted coarse
1 tbsp rosemary
5 whole figs quartered
2 tbsp aged sherry
3 oz red currants
1/4 cup micro arugula
1 tsp fleur de sel

Nutritional information

Calories: 237kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 4gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 433mgPotassium: 431mgFiber: 4gSugar: 44gVitamin A: 46IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 2mg

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 35

Servings 6 people

For the white currant leather

Take white currants, water, sugar, salt, star anise, and place in a small sauce pot. Bring to a boil and then stir in your agar. Stir and cook for the next 5 to 6 minutes on a medium simmer. The currants should break down and you should be left with a clear like liquid with the seeds floating around.
Take a flat sheet pan and strain the liquid through a fine sieve onto the sheet pan. This should give you a clear liquid. Quickly move the pan around to distribute the white currant liquid evenly on the sheet pan. Place into the refrigerator to set. Once the leather has set and is cold, take a medium size round cutter and cut rounds out of the leather.
Using a small thin pastry spatula loosen the rounds from the sheet pan, being careful not to rip the leather. You can keep them on the same sheet pan until your ready to assemble or transfer to another one. You might want to spray the pan with a little olive oil to help prevent from sticking.

To Finish

In a small bowl combine bread crumbs and cashews and set aside. Then take your torchon and slice 1/8 inch thick. Take a round cutter that is 2 sizes smaller and make a small round of the foie gras and eat the scraps. Place the small round foie gras in the center of the currant leather round. Take another round currant leather and place on top. Press lightly the edges to help seal, if it doesn't seal completely don't worry.
Continue the process until you have all the "ravioli's" complete. Place 3 on a plate. Garnish the tops of the ravioli's with the bread crumb mixture, pink peppercorns, salt, and rosemary flowers. Then add a light drizzle of the aged sherry and place your red currants and figs on top. Garnish with the arugula and serve!