Pâté Foix covered with Fruit Strips

This dish is one of our favorite starters - exquisite and just so so delicious - and can be done with a variety of fruits. Here it’s pictured with rhubarb as we served it last spring at WEF in Davos, but for the winter season we recommend to pair the Pâte Foix with seasonal super aromatic quince - or apple or pear as alternative. You really can’t go wrong!

serves 8 as a starter

Pressure-cooked Pickled Quince Strips

2 large quince
600g apple vinegar
320g brown sugar
8 juniper berries, dried
6 black pepper corns
1 bay leaf, fresh
peel the quince and slice it in 5mm thick sheets on a mandoline, punch out the core with a round cookie cutter

mix vinegar, sugar and aromatics in the pressure-cooker pan and heat to fully dissolve the sugar

carefully layer the quince sheets into the pickling brine and pressure-cook at full pressure (2 rings visible) for 4 minutes

pull pan off the heat and let it cool down fully (for example on the balcony) before gently removing the quince sheets from the brine

keep the liquid separately

Quince Cubes

2 quince
60g water
120g sugar
1 lemon, juice and peel
peel and core the quince and cut it into small cubes (approximately 1cm side length)

heat water to dissolve the sugar in and then add the lemon juice and peel

vacuum-pack the quince cubes with the syrup in a sous-vide bag and cook at 80°C for 20-30mins (test consistency with fingers, the quince should be soft but not mushy)

let cool, drain, keep the syrup separately

Pickled Mustard Seeds

350g white wine vinegar
150g water
100g sugar
11g salt
200g yellow mustard seeds
mix vinegar, water, sugar and salt until dissolved, put aside

put mustard seeds in a pot and cover with water
bring to boil, strain, repeat eight times with fresh water each time
this removes the bitter tannins in the seeds and softens them

transfer the strained mustard seeds in a container and cover with pickling brine

they can be used immediately but improve their flavour if stored for several days in the fridge

yields makes more pickled mustard seeds than you need for this recipe - they keep months in the fridge though and are a great addition to salads or as a garnish on vegetables!

Finish

put a two tablespoons of quince cubes and a tablespoon spoon of drained pickled mustards seeds in a deep bowl

2 jars Tastelab’s Pâté Foix
cover quince cubes and mustard seeds with Pâté Foix

50g pine nuts
pan roast pine nuts over medium heat, salt while hot
chop finely with a knife
sprinkle over Pâté Foix

cut nice strips out of pressure-cooked quince sheets to cover the pine nuts

Thyme leaves
garnish

Toasted sourdough bread slices
serve alongside the dish

Beverages

The leftover liquids (the syrup and the pickling brine) are an amazing base for a non-alcoholic quince shrub - topped up with sparkling water. Play around with the ratios and garnish with a thyme sprig, server over ice.

Depending on the dryness (or sweetness) of a sparkling wine, it also pairs greatly for a refreshing apéritif!