TASTY BOUILLON WITH SHIITAKES, CLAMS, FOIE GRAS AND LEMONGRASS

This broth is a pure marvel! A little long to prepare with the cleaning of the clams but you will not be disappointed by the result. The association of the clams and the foie gras works very well and all the other ingredients give a lot of flavor to this little broth. Serve it as a starter, it is perfect for a Christmas Eve or a chic dinner. Then take the time to make the broth the day before using a poultry carcass. And if you make your foie gras yourself, then start 2 to 3 days before.
This recipe is extracted – with 2/3 homemade variations! – from my favorite cooking magazine: « Elle à Table ».

Ingredients for 4 people :

• 1 carrot
• 1 onion
• 1 leek (green part)
• 1 poultry carcass
• 2.5 tsp. sea salt
• 5 grains of pepper
• 1.5 tsp. ginger (you can use more or less according to your preference. The original recipe accounts for 3.5 tsp.)
• 1 clove
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig of thyme
• ½ bunch coriander + a few sprigs for presentation
• 1 stick of lemongrass
• 1 lb. clams
• ½ cup white cooking wine
• 7 oz. fresh “foie gras” (duck’s liver, see how you  can make your own at the bottom of the recipe page)
• 1 dozen shitake mushrooms
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• Pepper from grinder

Variations:

For a lighter and cheaper version, you can take out the « foie gras » as the bouillon will still be very good :-).

Preparation of the tasty bouillon with shiitakes, clams, foie gras and lemon grass :

1. The day before, peel the carrot and onion. Rinse the leek under  clear water. Chop all the vegetables. Place the carcass in a large pot and cover with water. Add the sea salt and bring to a boil. Remove the foam with a ladle. Lower the heat, add the vegetables, grains of pepper, the thinly sliced ginger, clove, bay leaf and thyme. Cook for two and a half hour on low heat. Filter the bouillon and refrigerate overnight.
2. On the very day, take the grease out of the bouillon and pour it into a pan. Add the coriander (use the entire sprigs) and the lemon grass stick cut in half, lengthwise. Bring to a boil and cook for one hour on low heat. Season to taste with salt and set aside.
3. Cut the foie gras into cubes of +/- 1 inch. Clean the shitake mushrooms (with a damp cloth if they are not too dirty) and cut them in slices. Heat a saucepan on high with olive oil and sear the mushrooms. Set aside.
4. In a frying pan on high heat, let the clams open with the cooking wine. Shake them 2 or 3 times to have all of them cook evenly. Once they are open, turn the heat off and let the clams cool down. Get rid of the closed ones and take the shell of the others. Set aside.
5. Strain the bouillon and warm it up. In bowls or individual soup plates, spread the shitake mushrooms, the clams, the cubes of foie gras and a few leaves of coriander. Add some pepper with the grinder and pour the hot bouillon. Serve right away!

To clean your clams, begin by rinsing them under clear water.
Carefully sort them one by one, discard the ones whose shells are broken or damaged and the ones that stay open (even when you press on them with your fingers).
Soak them in very cold water with lots of salt (the water must be as salty as sea water; the ratio is 3.5 oz. of salt for 1 gallon of water) during 1 or 2 hours and regularly move them around with your hands. It will eliminate the sand inside their shells.  
Discard the ones that float (they are dead).
Take them out of the water one by one (in order to keep the sand at the very bottom, try to avoid moving the water).
With a stiff brush, scrub them again one by one and rinse them to get rid of any sand inside the shells. It would be a shame to ruin your bouillon with a few grains of sand!
Cook the clam right after you cleaned them!
Clams do not last long (max. 2 days in a damp cloth in the refrigerator) and it is best to enjoy them the day of purchase.

If you prefer a simpler and faster preparation, instead of going through Step 1, use an organic vegetable stock cube (be aware that it will not taste as good as some flavors will be missing!).

If you do have time, make your own “foie gras”. You can buy it from Picard (select the « foie gras cru de canard du sud-ouest ». This raw one from the southwest region has an « IGP » (Protected geographic indicator) but you can also find many other good suppliers…). If you follow attentively the directions on the package (perhaps not adding so much salt nevertheless), the result is always fine. Be precise when you get to the seasoning: a teaspoon must be leveled out with a knife. Use a small teaspoon that is not too deep. In doubt, use less! Start your « bain-marie » with hot/boiling water (instead of cold water) to get an accurate cooking time. Once cooked, the « foie gras » will last for 4 days in the refrigerator.

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