Pigeon Bruschetta with Pate de Foie Gras

Serves: 4 people

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes

Cooking Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients

• Breasts of 2 pigeons
• 300g pâté de foie gras
• 2 slices pain d’épices, halved diagonally
• 4 small glasses (400 ml) of port
• Juice and zest of 2 oranges
• 2 tbsps sugar
• 2 tsps vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper
• 4 tbsps red onion marmalade

Method

1. Put the port, sugar and orange juice and zest in a pan and reduce to a syrupy consistency over a gentle heat. Set aside.  
2. Heat a heavy pan with a teaspoonful of vegetable oil until it is searing hot. Season the pigeon breast fillets with salt and pepper and seal on each side for two minutes or so. This will cook the pigeon to rare.
3. If you like it cooked more, increase the cooking time accordingly. Set aside and allow to rest.
4. Drain off any excess oil from the pan, return to a high heat and once it starts to smoke take four slices of foie gras and seal for about 20 seconds only on each side. The foie gras will release plenty of fat to provide a nice caramel coating so it should not stick to the pan.
5. Toast four thick triangles of bread. Pain d’épices can usually be bought from a delicatessen. Alternatively you can use toasted fruit loaf or walnut and prune bread.
6. Assemble the dish with the toast triangle as a base. Spread with red onion marmalade. Next, slice each pigeon breast into two and place on the bread. Top with sliced foie gras.
7. Heat port and orange sauce and drizzle over the pigeon breasts and plate.

Thank you to Taste of Game for supplying this recipe.