Warm Mini Foiegras Club Sandwich

Serves 4

I am truly passionate about searching the world for the greatest club sandwich ever made. I am a major fan of sandwiches, and club sandwiches are my all-time favorites. I grew up eating them, and later when I worked at the Strathallen Hotel in Rochester, New York, I made a lot of them for room service. When I travel, I order them from diners, coffee shops, delis, and sandwich shops and inevitably from hotel room service. Over the years, I have kept an informal rating of those I like best. At the top of the chart is the club sandwich served on the Queen Elizabeth II. I think I ordered one every night from cabin service when I was a guest chef on the ship on a sailing from London to New York. When I wanted to create a small, sophisticated club sandwich to serve as an amuse, I turned to foie gras and rich, buttery homemade brioche. These miniature sandwiches use only small slices of sautéed foie gras, which means you can get a taste without spending a fortune. I like to make this with goose liver foie gras, but duck liver foie gras is also flavorful.

ingredients

1/2 pound foie grass
12 slices brioche, homemade (page 248) or from a good bakery
1/2 cup Pesto Aioli (recipe follows)
1 tomato, very thinly sliced
About 4 ounces micro sprouts, tender mesclun greens, or small leaves of Bibb lettuce

directions

1
With a sharp knife, cut the foie gras into 8 slices.
2
Heat a dry cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, sauté the foie gras for about 1 minute on each side or until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels.
3
Use 3 slices of brioche for each sandwich.
4
Assemble each sandwich by spreading aioli on each slice of brioche. Top the bottom slice of brioche with a slice of foie gras, a tomato slice, some micro sprouts, and another slice of bread. Top this with another slice of foie gras, another tomato slice, and more sprouts. Lay the third slice of brioche on top, aioli side down. Repeat for each sandwich. Cut in half and serve.