A couple of interesting stuffs...

Here is the menu I prepared for one of my friends in Upper East Side.

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- Tarte fine aux champignons à la fondue d’aubergines épicée -
Portobello mushrooms and eggplant fondue thin tart

This dish is not genuine but largely inspired from a recipe found in a very famous amongst chefs magazine : the Thuries Gastronomie Magazine (issue Jan-Fev 2004). I will later write a post since this magazine is of great quality.

I added an eggplant caviar vinaigrette and substitued Porcini by Portobello mushrooms (mainly because it was not seasonal). The topping is eggplant fondue on a puff pastry circle. Mushrooms are sliced and sauteed in butter and layered the tart.

A good tip to prevent puff pastry to rise too much is to pre-cook (cuire à blanc) in a 350ºF/180ºC oven for about 10 min between two sheet pans

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- Magret de canard sauté et cuisse confite aux pêches, Galette de risotto safranée -

Sautéed duck magret and confit duck leg with braised peach and safran risotto cake

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- Opposition de poire au vin rouge et sirop, gressin au chocolat amer, bille de glace chocolat -

Opposition of pear in red wine and syrup, bitter choco gressin, chocolate ice cream marble

I really like the easthetism of the dish, recipe found on "Bon Appetit Bien Sur", a French TV program sponsored by Joel Robuchon. I added a few details to that easy but very refreshing dessert. I stuffed the two halves inside with dried raisins previously soaked in Amaretto liquor. I also added a small scoop of chocolate icecream, "the smallest icecream scoop ever seen" as the waitress said, since I used a melon ball spoon.
Next time, I will probably substitute one or two other things, like the gressin, too stodgy, by a chocolate biscuit stick or the poaching liquid (sugar syrup by earl grey tea flavour).

Tip : dry the vanilla beans used in the red wine poaching liquid. Use as a pick to hold the two halves