Foie Gras, Pistachio & Gingerbread Slices

How about combining your foie gras with some Christmas spices? That’s the flavour sensation behind this festive canapé featuring Petrossian foie gras. In a tasty twist, pistachios with fleur de sel add a dash of salt to these appetizers, along with a pretty green colour.

Preparation time: 20 minutes • Cooking time: 25 minutes

Makes about 20

For the topping

• 450 g Petrossian Lightly-cooked Duck Foie Gras
• 30 g Pistachios with Guérande Fleur de Sel

For the gingerbread (Christophe Michalak’s recipe)

• 150 ml (5 fl oz) water
• 150 g (7 tbsp) honey
• 100 g (3.5 oz) soft butter
• 4 g (3/4 – 1 tsp) gingerbread spice mix
• 25 g (1 oz) sugar
• 1 good pinch of salt
• Zest of 2 lemons
• Zest of 1 orange
• 150 g (5.3 oz) Type T55 wheat flour
• 5 g (1 tsp) baking powder
• 1 tsp each of butter and flour to grease and flour the tin

Method

To make the gingerbread

1. Put the water, honey, butter, spices, sugar, salt and both zests in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
2. Remove from heat, cover and leave to infuse for about 20 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
4. Mix flour and baking powder together in a big bowl, then add the liquid mixture and whisk vigorously.
5. Grease and flour a loaf tin, then pour the mixture into it.
6. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Check if it’s done by inserting a knife or skewer – if it comes out clean, the gingerbread’s cooked.
7. Leave to cool thoroughly before removing from the tin.

To prepare the canapés

1. Once the gingerbread is perfectly cool, cut it into slices, and then with a pastry cutter cut out circles about 3 – 4 cm in diameter. If you don’t have a pastry cutter, use a knife and cut into evenly sized squares.
2. Cut the foie gras into similarly sized squares and put one on each piece of gingerbread.
3. Sprinkle with roughly chopped pistachios.
4. Finish with a pinch of salt, black pepper, and a few sprigs of aromatic herbs.
5. Keep well covered and refrigerated until just before serving. Take the slices out of the fridge 5 – 10 minutes in advance, so the foie gras warms up a little.

Want 3 more ideas?

To take your canapés to the next level, try some of these tips to get your creative juices flowing:

1. You can make infinite variations on gingerbread using the spices in your kitchen cupboard. Add star anise, cinnamon, vanilla, and citrus fruits like kaffir lime or yuzu to the infusion to make even more complex flavours.
2. For the crunchy touch, replace the pistachios with other nuts you like.
3. Add extra festive cheer by decorating with crystallised fruit, sprigs of herb, edible flowers or slices of physalis.

Photographs: Aimery Chemin • Culinary stylism: Coralie Ferreira