Pan-fried foie gras with passion fruit glaze and toasted brioche

A perfectly luxurious little starter before the Christmas bird.

Take the foie gras out of the fridge and wrapping 20 minutes or so before cooking. Toast the brioche and keep warm in a paper napkin.

Heat a heavy based frying pan, cast iron if you have one. Slice the foie gras, season lightly and, working very quickly, fry the slices for 45 seconds on each side, until a golden crust forms. Don’t crowd the pan. Fry in two goes if your pan isn’t large enough. It’s a smoky job! Be careful not to burn yourself with spitting duck fat.

Remove from the pan and set them on some kitchen paper to drain off excess fat. Pour a little fat out of the pan if the foie gras gives up too much. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of passion fruit jelly and mix into the cooking juices, scraping up the surface of the pan. Pop the foie gras back in for a few seconds to coat it with the sticky glaze.

Serve with fleur de sel and pepper on the warm brioche. It’s messy, but delicious.