Spring has arrived, and so is ARAZ’s brand new, bistro-style menu. The restaurant’s novelties include classic favourites like tripe and specialties such as the Magnum ice-cream inspired foie gras.
We’ve had the opportunity not only to taste, but also to make this extraordinary delicacy with the helping instructions of Chef de Cuisine Áron Barka.
Now let us describe you what it feels like to be in ARAZ’s kitchen. Imagine, that the beautiful restaurant’s staff moves around like hardworking ants, fast and easy, while insanely delicious smells fill the air. The hotness created by the cooking surfaces heats us the space in a rather homely way, making this professional environment friendly. Or at least that was our experience, but we did not have the weight of serving hundreds of people on our shoulders.
After Áron was kind enough to offer us his newest apron, we got down to business quickly. Of course, he carried out most of the job as a pro, it was delightful to watch him move around comfortably in the kitchen. First, we prepared the ingredients. In a metal bowl we seasoned the liver with salt, pepper, cinnamon and clove, then poured Calvados into the bowl.
The next step was to put the liver in small moulds which we later had to cover with plastic wrap. The more times we whip the foil around, the better, because you want to avoid the liver picking up the smell or flavour of other food while in the fridge. Then we (would) have to leave it in the fridge for 8 hours.
Time to prepare the nut coat, because that’s what makes a foie gras Magnum. To do so, we heated brown sugar with water and then added the crushed almond and hazelnut. To spice things up a little bit, we also added the peel of an orange.
On a silicone baking mat, we spread the mix evenly, and put it into the over for a few minutes. We let it chill and then broke into pieces so that we could garnish (= fully cover) our ice-cream shaped foie gras with it.
When the garnish was on spot, all there left to do was to put a wooden ice-cream stick into each and every moulded foie gras, which then looked exactly as if we bought it at a Magnum ice-cream stand. Tips for serving: at ARAZ, they serve this delicacy on sweet loaf toasted on butter, with roast beetroot on a salty bed, and blueberry sauce. Now that’s what we call a mouthwatering gastronomical experience! It was undescribably delicious.
Here’s the recipe!
Ingredients (for 4)
Foie gras recipe
- 160 g fat goose liver
- 2,5 ml Calvados
- a pinch of ground cinnamon
- a pinch of ground clove
- Maldon salt
- freshly ground pepper
- After 8 hours of marinating, put it in moulds, and bake at 55 degrees for 35 minutes.
- After baking, leave it to rest for 12 hours.
- Using a hand mixer, mix until creamy and put it back to the fridge.
Nut coat
- 16 ml water
- 40 g brown sugar
- 1 orange’s peel
- 20 g sliced almond
- 60 g crushed hazelnut
- Cook brown sugar with water and add all other ingredients. Slow-cook for 2 minutes.
- Spread the (cold) mixture on a silicone baking mat, and bake it the oven for 10 minutes.
- Crush it when cold.
Assembling
Using your hands, form the foie gras, bath it in the nut coat, and put it on a stick.