Foie Gras with Shio-Koji Muscat (pickled muscat in fermented rice, koji) with Wasabi, Caramelised Fennel, Purred Celeriac



It is the marriage of Foie Gras and muscat!
I gained this idea from the one of the best foie gras restaurants in London, Club Gascon. We've been visiting there for nearly a decade and never missed their iconic dish (we believe): Foie Gras with Grape.

Shio Koji is a fermented rice preparation. In recent Japan, it became very popular for its delicate and healthy method of seasoning.

http://kojiya.jp/shiokoji/index.html


Pickle muscat in Shio-Koji

I removed seeds and skin of muscat pieces and pickled them with shio koji for a week.
In order to enhance the flavour, I add a tea spoon of wasabi. 



Got a pack of foie gras (around 1kg) from Ginger Pig. It was 28.49 pounds.





Celeriac puree

1. Peel the skin of a celeriac and cut into pieces. Soak in cold water for a while to remove out excess tannin.

2. Boil celeriac into tender then drain  water. 

3. Blend cooked celeriac with a table spoon of butter and a pinch of salt till becomes smooth (for 30-40 seconds).




Caramelised fennel

1. Slice fennel into 5mm.
2. Apply oil thinly and sprinkle sugar over each surface. Place them over the baking sheet.



3. Grill fennel in oven over 250c for 5-7 minutes till the sugar gets caramelised.


Cook Foie Gras

1. Slice Foie Gras in to 3 cm. Heat up a frying pan over high temperature and fry Foie Gras pieces until each surface is toasted.


3. Wipe the excess amount of oil with paper towels and set Foie Gras aside. Put a tablespoon of soy sauce and a tea spoon of balsamic vinegar into the pan to mix.
5. Place caramelised fennel, puréed celeriac in a large dish. Put Foie Gras and pour the sauce in the pan.  Put shiokoji muscat pieces with wasabi on the top of Foie Gras to serve.


It was a lovely Christmas brunch!

Total cost for two: 18 pounds (15 for Foie Gras, 3 for the rest of ingredients)
Total time to prepare: 40 minutes