Method

1. De-vein the foie gras. Then drizzle lightly with some olive oil and season lightly. Wrap in foil and chill until ready to serve.
2. Strip the kernels off the three fresh cobs and set them aside. Keep the denuded cobs, and dry them in a low oven for about an hour.
3. Make the corn sauce. Put 150 ml water into a saucepan with a third of the sweetcorn kernels, 2 tablespoons olive oil, the garlic and some salt and pepper. Simmer for about 8 minutes then remove from the heat and tip into a blender. Whizz until smooth.
4. Pour the mixture into a sieve placed over a bowl and rub the mixture through with the back of a ladle. Return the mixture to the pan, mix in the mascarpone and check the seasoning. Keep warm.
5. Now place the dried corn cobs in the base of a wok or over barbecue coals and heat until they start to smoke.
6. Put the foil parcels of foie gras on a rack on top of the wok or barbecue, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool, still in the foil.
7. In the meantime, heat a large frying pan until hot and scatter in the remaining corn kernels. Sprinkle with the sugar and, shaking the pan over a medium heat, cook the kernels until they are coated in the sugar and beginning to caramelise. Tip out into a bowl to cool.
8. Unwrap the foie gras then cut in thick slices. Pan-fry in another hot non-stick frying pan for about 2 minutes until lightly golden on each side. Keep warm whilst you quickly toss in the baby corn to heat in the same pan fat.
9. Serve the foie gras with the warmed sauce, small baby corns and caramelised ‘popcorn’ alongside.Buy the entire recipe collection “Cuisinier Gascon” by Chef Pascal Aussignac.