Tournedos Rossini — Fillet with Foie Gras and Truffle Sauce

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Tournedos Rossini is the most luxurious dish in the rôtisseur's repertoire — a pan-seared beef fillet medallion crowned with a seared escalope of foie gras and a slice of black truffle, the whole napped with a Madeira-enriched demi-glace. Created for or by the composer Gioachino Rossini (accounts vary), it represents the absolute zenith of Second Empire extravagance. The tournedos (a 4cm-thick, 150-180g medallion cut from the centre of the fillet, tied with string to maintain its cylindrical shape) is seared in a smoking-hot pan with clarified butter for 2 minutes per side, achieving a mahogany crust while the centre remains rare to medium-rare (50-54°C). Rest on a croûton (a round of white bread fried golden in clarified butter, the same diameter as the tournedos — this absorbs the juices and elevates the presentation). Meanwhile, sear the foie gras escalope (40g, 1cm thick, lightly dusted in flour) in the same pan for 30 seconds per side — it should be deeply coloured outside and barely warm in the centre. The sauce: deglaze the pan with 60ml Madeira, reduce by half, add 200ml veal demi-glace, reduce to nappant. Assemble: croûton on the plate, tournedos on the croûton, foie gras on the tournedos, a thick slice of black truffle (Tuber melanosporum) on the foie gras. Nap with the Madeira sauce. The tower should be architectural — each layer centred and visible. This is a dish of absolute precision and unapologetic luxury.

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