A decadent fine-dining brunch composition featuring brioche soaked in a foie gras-enriched custard, caramelized in beurre noisette, paired with vacuum-compressed berries, maple-Sauternes espuma, and finished with fresh black truffle and textural frozen fruit shards.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 8 slices – day-old brioche (high butter content, thick cut)
• 200g – foie gras (veins removed)
• 400ml – heavy cream
• 4 – egg yolks
• 20g – sugar
• 5g – fine sea salt
• 1g – white pepper
• 10ml – cognac
• 100g – clarified butter
• 30g – brown butter (beurre noisette)
• 1 cup – strawberries (halved)
• 1 cup – raspberries
• 50g – sugar (for berries)
• 1 – orange (zest only)
• 10ml – aged balsamic vinegar
• 100ml – maple syrup (Grade A)
• 50ml – Sauternes wine
• 100ml – heavy cream (for espuma)
• 2g – soy lecithin
• 1 small – black truffle (fresh, for shaving)
• to finish – edible flowers
• to finish – flaky sea salt
• optional – gold leaf

Speciality Items:

• Chamber Vacuum Sealer Need it? Click here to start cooking
• Precision Immersion Circulator Need it? Click here to start cooking
• Gourmet Whip (Siphon) Need it? Click here to start cooking
• Infrared Thermometer Need it? Click here to start cooking
• Microplane Truffle Shaver Need it? Click here to start cooking
• Fine-mesh Chinois Need it? Click here to start cooking
• Gold Flakes Need it? Click here to start cooking
• Japanese Tamagoyaki Pan Need it? Click here to start cooking

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Steps:

1. Prepare foie gras custard: Gently heat foie gras with cream until just melted. Blend until completely smooth. Whisk in egg yolks, sugar, salt, white pepper, and cognac. Pass through a fine chinois. Vacuum seal and cook in a precision immersion circulator at 63°C (145°F) for 45 minutes. Cool slightly.
2. Prepare compressed berries: Toss strawberries and raspberries with sugar, orange zest, and aged balsamic. Vacuum seal in a chamber vacuum sealer on high pressure to compress and intensify flavor. Chill.
3. Prepare maple-Sauternes espuma: Warm maple syrup and Sauternes together. Add cream and soy lecithin, then blend. Transfer to a Gourmet Whip, charge with 1 N2O cartridge, and hold warm.
4. Soak brioche: Submerge brioche slices in warm foie gras custard for 10–15 minutes until fully saturated but intact.
5. Cook French toast: Heat clarified butter in a heavy pan to 180°C (356°F). Sear brioche until deeply golden on both sides. Baste with brown butter to finish.
6. Prepare frozen berry shards: Blend a portion of compressed berries into a smooth purée. Spread thinly onto an anti-griddle to instantly freeze, then break into irregular shards.
7. Plating: Place French toast off-center. Arrange compressed berries around. Dispense maple-Sauternes espuma in controlled quenelles. Insert frozen berry shards vertically for height. Finish with freshly shaved black truffle, edible flowers, flaky sea salt, and optional gold leaf.

• 8 slices – day-old brioche (high butter content, thick cut)
• 200g – foie gras (veins removed)
• 400ml – heavy cream
• 4 – egg yolks
• 20g – sugar
• 5g – fine sea salt
• 1g – white pepper
• 10ml – cognac
• 100g – clarified butter
• 30g – brown butter (beurre noisette)
• 1 cup – strawberries (halved)
• 1 cup – raspberries
• 50g – sugar (for berries)
• 1 – orange (zest only)
• 10ml – aged balsamic vinegar
• 100ml – maple syrup (Grade A)
• 50ml – Sauternes wine
• 100ml – heavy cream (for espuma)
• 2g – soy lecithin
• 1 small – black truffle (fresh, for shaving)
• to finish – edible flowers
• to finish – flaky sea salt
• optional – gold leaf