Foie gras, cured duck breast and rhubarb are combined in this interesting and creative recipe from Alan Murchison. Field-grown rhubarb comes into season around April, while forced rhubarb begins its season in January.
Once the terrine mixture has cooled, remove from the bag and press firmly into a small rectangle mould, cover and set in the fridge until completley cold
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While the terrine mixture is curing, start on the chutney by roughly cutting the rhubarb into 10 cm pieces. Place the rhubarb, sugar, water and vanilla into 1 large vac pac bag. Poach at 80°C until it just starts to go soft (approximately 8 minutes). Alternatively, you can combine all the ingredients in a small sauce pan and poach until tender. Drain the rhubarb from the bag, reserving the liquid and allow to cool
Mix in the alcohol, salts and sugar thoroughly with a whisk, then seal in a vac pac. If you do not have access to a vac pac device, you can use zip lock bags, making sure to press out as much air as possible. Leave to cure for a minimum of 3 hours
Once curing process is complete, cook at 40°C for 3 minutes in a water bath. Turn over and cook for a further 3 minutes. Refresh in ice water
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Peel and grate the ginger. Combine with orange zest and place in a pan, cover with 100ml of the cooking liquid from the rhubarb and cook gently until soft
Finely dice the rhubarb and combine with the orange and ginger liquid. Correct the consistency if required by adding liquid from the rhubarb syrup until you have a jam like texture. Set aside until ready to serve
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Now cure the duck breasts. Start by taking the skin off the breasts, roll in the salt to cover well. Leave in a cool place for 1 hour
Wash off the salt and pat the duck dry. Place in sous-vide bag and seal. Cook in a water bath for 30 minutes at 60°C. Remove from the water bath and chill in ice water, set aside until required
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After you have pressed the terrine and set in the refrigerator, sear the foie gras. Place a cast iron pan on a very high heat on the stove. Once the pan is hot, add the foie gras and cook until golden on both sides. Make sure you use a generous amount of kitchen towel to soak up the excess fat while searing, this will help it achieve a good colour. Sear the foie gras very quickly so that the centre is still raw
Add a dash of Sherry vinegar and season with salt. Let the vinegar simmer making sure to rotate the foie gras in the pan so it coats in the vinegar and pan juices. Remove the pan from the stove and allow the residual heat to continue to cook the foie gras through
Spoon small dollops of the chutney onto the plate. Slice the duck thinly and place on the chutney in curls. Slice the foie gras terrine into chunks and place on the chutney. Place on the pan fried foie gras and drizzle a few pan juices around the plate. Garnish with a few micro cress leaves to finish
Alan Murchison began working in family-run hotels in Scotland at 14, but it was a stint at Inverlochy Castle in Fort William that gave him his first taste of cooking fine food.
