An Escoffier dish that will rock your world.

[randeman]

I discovered this Escoffier dish a few years ago and I have to say that it was one of the best steak dishes I have ever eaten.  It's very similar to another Escoffier dish called Tournedos Rossini. It is a little labor intensive and is ideal for a cook with at least some experience in the kitchen.  It isn't cheap to make but it's a dish you're unlikely to ever forget.

6 six to eight ounce filet mignons 
1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper
2 tablespoons clarified butter (don't use Ghee)
2 cloves garlic, sliced
6 raw foie gras medallions
6 cooked artichoke hearts, quartered
slices of black truffle 

Sauce
2 tablespoons butter
3 large shallots or 1/2 white onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1/2 cup each of cognac, Madeira and a full-bodied red wine
3 cups beef stock (homemade is ideal)
Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat; add shallots and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until softened.

2. Stir in tomato paste, bay leaf and rosemary until well combined. Stir in cognac, Madeira and red wine; bring to boil.

3. Boil for 10 minutes or until reduced to about 1/2 cup. Stir in beef stock. Boil for 15 minutes or until reduced to about 1 cup.

4. Strain into clean pot set over low heat and whisk in remaining butter. Season to taste. Keep warm.

Steaks:

1. Season the steaks with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, add the clarified butter and heat over medium heat; add garlic and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes; increase heat to medium-high and add filets mignons.

2. Cook, turning once, until they reach your desired temperature.

3. Remove from pan and let stand, tented with foil. Wipe out pan and return to high heat.

4. Add foie gras and cook for 30 seconds per side or until golden brown. If you've never worked with fois gras, keep in mind that it is all fat and must be cooked exactly in the time written.  Cooking too much will result in a pan full of melted fat.  Remove foie gras from the pan and reserve. Gently toss artichokes in pan juices and cook for 2 minutes or until heated through.

6. Ladle sauce around edge of plate; garnish with artichokes.

Potato Base:

This dish is served over Pommes Anna.

3/4 cup clarified butter
6 medium baking potatoes (like Russets), scrubbed, peeled, and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 450F
 

1. Brush 12-inch oven-proof skillet with a lid with enough clarified butter to coat. Starting in the center of the pan, arrange potatoes in overlapping circles, using a pastry brush to brush each potato slice with enough butter to coat before adding the next slice; sprinkle each layer with some of the salt and pepper; press top layer gently down.

2. Place pan over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until bottom is browned.

3. Cover and bake in the 450F oven for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender and lightly browned on top.

Assembly:

Cut cooked potato round into 6 portions and place 1 piece, upside down, on each of 6 heated plates; top with a filet mignons followed by a slice of foie gras and a few truffle slices.

6. Ladle sauce around edge of plate; garnish with artichokes.

Serve
 

 

Edited November 14, 2023 by randeman

[Rudynate]

I recommend reading REGENESIS: FEEDING THE WORLD WITHOUT DEVOURING THE PLANET by George Monbiot.

[Bokomaru]

I’ve gotten into cooking sous vide and ran across a suggestion that foie gras is sometimes done by this method in restaurants because it can completely alleviate the problem of ending up with a pan of fat and almost no liver. Of course, no browning. 

[CuriousByNature]

22 hours ago, randeman said:

I discovered this Escoffier dish a few years ago and I have to say that it was one of the best steak dishes I have ever eaten.  It's very similar to another Escoffier dish called Tournedos Rossini. It is a little labor intensive and is ideal for a cook with at least some experience in the kitchen.  It isn't cheap to make but it's a dish you're unlikely to ever forget.

6 six to eight ounce filet mignons 
1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper
2 tablespoons clarified butter (don't use Ghee)
2 cloves garlic, sliced
6 raw foie gras medallions
6 cooked artichoke hearts, quartered
slices of black truffle 

Sauce
2 tablespoons butter
3 large shallots or 1/2 white onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1/2 cup each of cognac, Madeira and a full-bodied red wine
3 cups beef stock (homemade is ideal)
Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat; add shallots and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until softened.

2. Stir in tomato paste, bay leaf and rosemary until well combined. Stir in cognac, Madeira and red wine; bring to boil.

3. Boil for 10 minutes or until reduced to about 1/2 cup. Stir in beef stock. Boil for 15 minutes or until reduced to about 1 cup.

4. Strain into clean pot set over low heat and whisk in remaining butter. Season to taste. Keep warm.

Steaks:

1. Season the steaks with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, add the clarified butter and heat over medium heat; add garlic and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes; increase heat to medium-high and add filets mignons.

2. Cook, turning once, until they reach your desired temperature.

3. Remove from pan and let stand, tented with foil. Wipe out pan and return to high heat.

4. Add foie gras and cook for 30 seconds per side or until golden brown. If you've never worked with fois gras, keep in mind that it is all fat and must be cooked exactly in the time written.  Cooking too much will result in a pan full of melted fat.  Remove foie gras from the pan and reserve. Gently toss artichokes in pan juices and cook for 2 minutes or until heated through.

6. Ladle sauce around edge of plate; garnish with artichokes.

Potato Base:

This dish is served over Pommes Anna.

3/4 cup clarified butter
6 medium baking potatoes (like Russets), scrubbed, peeled, and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 450F
 

1. Brush 12-inch oven-proof skillet with a lid with enough clarified butter to coat. Starting in the center of the pan, arrange potatoes in overlapping circles, using a pastry brush to brush each potato slice with enough butter to coat before adding the next slice; sprinkle each layer with some of the salt and pepper; press top layer gently down.

2. Place pan over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until bottom is browned.

3. Cover and bake in the 450F oven for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender and lightly browned on top.

Assembly:

Cut cooked potato round into 6 portions and place 1 piece, upside down, on each of 6 heated plates; top with a filet mignons followed by a slice of foie gras and a few truffle slices.

6. Ladle sauce around edge of plate; garnish with artichokes.

Serve
 

 

Wondering why ghee would not be appropriate in this recipe?  Is it a taste issue?

[MikeBiDude]

18 hours ago, Bokomaru said:

I’ve gotten into cooking sous vide and ran across a suggestion that foie gras is sometimes done by this method in restaurants because it can completely alleviate the problem of ending up with a pan of fat and almost no liver. Of course, no browning. 

I sous vide quit a bit, wouldn't consider it it for foie gras. I think you'd still have a lot of fat in the bag, and as you say no color - no Maillard effect.

After gently doing the foie gras in a saute pan, I'll often saute some fresh pineapple or similar compliment to the foie gras, then deglaze with some  port for a bit of sauce.

[Bokomaru]

1 hour ago, MikeBiDude said:

After gently doing the foie gras in a saute pan, I'll often saute some fresh pineapple or similar compliment to the foie gras, then deglaze with some  port for a bit of sauce.

Sounds amazing. I miss the days of having true foie gras on the menu. It’s pretty rare to see, even in high end places. And of course NYC is trying to ban it completely. 

[+ JEC]

On 11/14/2023 at 10:28 AM, randeman said:

I discovered this Escoffier dish a few years ago and I have to say that it was one of the best steak dishes I have ever eaten.  It's very similar to another Escoffier dish called Tournedos Rossini. It is a little labor intensive and is ideal for a cook with at least some experience in the kitchen.  It isn't cheap to make but it's a dish you're unlikely to ever forget.

6 six to eight ounce filet mignons 
1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper
2 tablespoons clarified butter (don't use Ghee)
2 cloves garlic, sliced
6 raw foie gras medallions
6 cooked artichoke hearts, quartered
slices of black truffle 

Sauce
2 tablespoons butter
3 large shallots or 1/2 white onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1/2 cup each of cognac, Madeira and a full-bodied red wine
3 cups beef stock (homemade is ideal)
Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat; add shallots and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until softened.

2. Stir in tomato paste, bay leaf and rosemary until well combined. Stir in cognac, Madeira and red wine; bring to boil.

3. Boil for 10 minutes or until reduced to about 1/2 cup. Stir in beef stock. Boil for 15 minutes or until reduced to about 1 cup.

4. Strain into clean pot set over low heat and whisk in remaining butter. Season to taste. Keep warm.

Steaks:

1. Season the steaks with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, add the clarified butter and heat over medium heat; add garlic and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes; increase heat to medium-high and add filets mignons.

2. Cook, turning once, until they reach your desired temperature.

3. Remove from pan and let stand, tented with foil. Wipe out pan and return to high heat.

4. Add foie gras and cook for 30 seconds per side or until golden brown. If you've never worked with fois gras, keep in mind that it is all fat and must be cooked exactly in the time written.  Cooking too much will result in a pan full of melted fat.  Remove foie gras from the pan and reserve. Gently toss artichokes in pan juices and cook for 2 minutes or until heated through.

6. Ladle sauce around edge of plate; garnish with artichokes.

Potato Base:

This dish is served over Pommes Anna.

3/4 cup clarified butter
6 medium baking potatoes (like Russets), scrubbed, peeled, and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 450F
 

1. Brush 12-inch oven-proof skillet with a lid with enough clarified butter to coat. Starting in the center of the pan, arrange potatoes in overlapping circles, using a pastry brush to brush each potato slice with enough butter to coat before adding the next slice; sprinkle each layer with some of the salt and pepper; press top layer gently down.

2. Place pan over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until bottom is browned.

3. Cover and bake in the 450F oven for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender and lightly browned on top.

Assembly:

Cut cooked potato round into 6 portions and place 1 piece, upside down, on each of 6 heated plates; top with a filet mignons followed by a slice of foie gras and a few truffle slices.

6. Ladle sauce around edge of plate; garnish with artichokes.

Serve
 

 

I'm not intimidated by this dish, sounds amazing and I can't wait to try it!

[Rudynate]

On 11/15/2023 at 6:21 AM, CuriousByNature said:

Wondering why ghee would not be appropriate in this recipe?  Is it a taste issue?

I wondered about this too - I thought they were one and the same. Turns out they are slightly different. Clarified butter is melted butter with the milksolids removed.  I'm sure any foodie has made clarified butter at home at least once in his/her life. With ghee, the milk solids are allowed to cook in the fat before they are separated - so ghee would taste more like brown butter. 

[BSR]

On 11/15/2023 at 9:34 AM, Bokomaru said:

Sounds amazing. I miss the days of having true foie gras on the menu. It’s pretty rare to see, even in high end places. And of course NYC is trying to ban it completely. 

Forget the gambling, alcohol, and escorts, come to Las Vegas for the foie gras!  Plenty of posh restaurants offer it (usually seared, as an appetizer), and a couple of gourmet food stores sell whole foie gras.

Even in California, where foie gras is banned from restaurants and retail stores, you can order it online and have it shipped to your CA address.  Just ask the online seller if they send it in discreet packaging, LOL.

[randeman]

On 11/15/2023 at 9:21 AM, CuriousByNature said:

Wondering why ghee would not be appropriate in this recipe?  Is it a taste issue?

Ghee is made with brown butter, which gives it a "nutty" taste, unlike clarified butter that has almost no flavor.

Edited November 18, 2023 by randeman
grammar