Sauteed Belgian Endive With Melted Foie Gras and Champagne-Poached Black Truffle

Snowy white endive is so common these days, it is easy to forget that it originates from Belgium. The small Benelux country is also home to Roger Souvereyns, whose elegant restaurant offers sophisticated cuisine in a pastoral country setting. This recipe evokes the Gascon tradition of eating foie gras raw, although in this dish the heat of the freshly sauteed endive and the poached truffle actually melts the thin slices of liver.

YIELD: 4 APPETIZER SERVINGS

Poached Truffle

Combine all of the ingredients in a nonreactive saucepan, set over medium heat, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

• 4 fresh black truffles of equal size, about 1 ounce each
• 1 cup dry Champagne
• 1 cup beef consomme (see page 324)
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 drops high0quality 100-year-old balsamic vinegar
• Pinch black pepper, freshly ground

Belgian Endive

Heat the butter and olive oil in a saute pan. Add the endive and cook over high heat for 2 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and sugar, and lightly caramelize the endive for about 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar. Add the julienned truffle and let macerate for about 10 seconds.

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 Belgian endives, cut into thin strips
• Coarse salt
• Pinch black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sherry vinegar
• 1/2 ounce black truffle, cut into julienne

Foie Gras

1/2 pound foie gras, sliced on the bias, as thinly as possible, not more than 1/8-inch thick

Garnish

Allspice, freshly grated

Service and Garnish

Spoon the hot endive into the middle of four serving plates. Place a poached truffle in the center of each. Top the endive with the thin slices of raw foie gras. The heat will gently melt the liver. Sprinkle each plate with freshly ground allspice.