Mini Burgers with Foie Gras and Cherry Catsup Served on a Duck Fat Profiterole

For the duck fat profiteroles:

1 cup water
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon sugar
4 ounces duck fat
1 cup flour
5 eggs
Sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Combine water, salt and duck fat in a heavy saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Add the flour all at once, whisking constantly, until it forms a paste. Cook, stirring, for one minute more. Remove from the heat and whisk in eggs, one at a time, by hand or with an electric mixer.

Form 1 ½ inch puffs by spooning or piping batter onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake until very brown and crisp, about 25-30 minutes. Serve warm.

Makes 4 dozen small puffs.

For the cherry catsup:

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
2 shallots, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ pound cherries, pitted
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup duck stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a heavy sauce pan over medium heat and add the oil. Caramelize the shallots, about 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add the cherries and allow to soften and give off some juice, about 3 minutes. Add the brown sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved add the vinegar and allow it to reduce by half. Add the duck stock. Simmer until it has reduced by half. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Pulse half of the mixture in a food processor so that it still has some texture. This half of the catsup will be the topping for the mini burger. Purée the remaining half and pass through a fine sieve. This half of the catsup can be used as a dip for the French fries.

For the seared foie gras:

1 grade A foie gras, cut into 3/4 inch slices
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a heavy pan to a medium high heat. Score one side of the sliced foie gras in a crosshatch pattern. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sear the foie gras, only 2 slices at a time or the pan will cool down too much, for about 15 seconds on each side or until deep golden brown. Cut into pieces to fit on the mini burger.

For the mini burgers:

1 pound ground beef
Salt and pepper to taste
Grapeseed oil
Micro greens

Season ground beef and form into small burgers. Heat a heavy pan over medium high heat and cook the burgers in grapeseed oil to desired doneness.

To assemble the dish, split the profiteroles in half. Place a small amount of the pulsed cherry catsup on the bottom followed by the foie gras topped burger. Finish with a pinch of micro greens that have been dressed with hazelnut oil and the top bun. Serve with duck fat fries and extra cherry catsup.

For the duck fat fries:

3 to 4 cups duck fat for frying
2 pounds Idaho, russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, rinsed and dried
Truffle Salt to taste

Pour enough fat into a heavy pot to reach at least halfway up the sides of the pan but not more than three-quarters of the way up. Heat the oil to 375°F.

Cut the potatoes into sticks ¼ inch wide and 2 inches long. Dry all the pieces thoroughly in a clean dishtowel. This will keep the fat from splattering. Divide the potato sticks into batches of no more than 1 cup each. Do not fry more than one batch at a time.

When the fat has reached the desired temperature, fry the potatoes until golden brown. Using a long-handled skimmer lift out the potatoes and place on a paper towel lined sheet tray. Season with truffle salt. You can keep the frites warm in a 200° oven until ready to serve.