By Beleaev Family | International Caviar & Gourmet, Head Office London | beleaev.com
French Christmas Eve, called Réveillon, has foie gras at its heart. Not as one element among many, but as the defining flavour of the meal. A starter of foie gras terrine. A main with foie gras as part of the centrepiece. A digestif involving Sauternes that stays on the table from beginning to end.
This three-course menu reproduces that format at home. Total prep time is around 6 hours spread over two days. Active cooking on Christmas Eve itself is around 90 minutes. The result is a properly elegant dinner for 6 people that costs around £45-55 per head all-in, including ingredients and wine.
The structure is deliberate. The terrine is made days ahead and served cold. The main course (Tournedos Rossini) is cooked to order. Dessert is a chocolate pot made the day before. Three courses, three temperatures, three intensities.
Key Takeaways
- Plan 250-280g of foie gras across the menu (40-45g per person)
- Make the terrine 3-5 days ahead, flavour deepens
- Tournedos Rossini cooked à la minute on Christmas Eve
- Chocolate pots made on December 23rd
- Sauternes pairs with all three courses
The Menu
Course 1: Foie Gras Terrine on Toasted Brioche with Fig Jam
Course 2: Tournedos Rossini with Madeira Sauce
Course 3: Dark Chocolate Pots with Sea Salt
Total foie gras: 250-280g across the menu
- 200g across the terrine (Course 1, sliced thin)
- 80g across the Tournedos Rossini (Course 2, 60g per steak topper, but only 4 steaks fully topped if portions are conservative)
Course 1: Foie Gras Terrine
Made 3-5 days ahead
Follow our foie gras terrine recipe. One terrine of around 500g serves 8-10 portions, more than enough for 6 guests with leftovers for Boxing Day.
Slice 2cm-thick portions per guest. Serve on warm toasted brioche with fig jam and a few flakes of Maldon sea salt. Pair with cold Sauternes.
Course 2: Tournedos Rossini
Cooked à la minute on Christmas Eve
For 6 people, scale our Tournedos Rossini recipe for 6 portions:
- 6 fillet steaks, 200g each, 4cm thick
- 6 slices grade A foie gras, 60g each (or 4 if budget tight, with smaller portions)
- 6 small toasted brioche croûtons
- 300ml Madeira reduction
- 12-15g fresh black truffle
- 60g unsalted butter for the sauce
The cooking sequence:
1. Preheat oven to 60C to keep plates warm
2. Make the Madeira sauce 30 minutes before serving (keep warm)
3. Sear the steaks (3 minutes per side, in batches if pan is small)
4. Rest steaks 5 minutes loosely covered
5. Sear foie gras (60-90 seconds per side)
6. Assemble: brioche, steak, foie, sauce, truffle shavings
7. Serve immediately
For 6 people, time the cooking carefully. Steaks should rest while foie gras cooks, so plan a 12-minute window from the moment the first steak hits the pan to plating.
Course 3: Dark Chocolate Pots
Made the day before
For 6 small ramekins or glass tumblers:
- 250g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
- 300ml double cream
- 100ml whole milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- 30g caster sugar
- A small pinch of fine sea salt
- Maldon sea salt flakes for topping
- Cocoa nibs for garnish
Method:
1. Whisk yolks with sugar until pale
2. Heat cream and milk to a simmer, pour onto yolks while whisking
3. Return to pan, cook gently for 3-4 minutes until coating the spoon
4. Pour through sieve onto chopped chocolate, stir until smooth
5. Pour into 6 ramekins
6. Refrigerate 4+ hours, ideally overnight
7. Before serving, top with Maldon flakes and cocoa nibs
This dessert is deliberately rich but small (around 80ml per portion). After the foie gras and red meat of Courses 1 and 2, the small dense chocolate pot is the right finish.
Production Timeline
Day -5 to -3 (December 19-21):
- Make the foie gras terrine
- Refrigerate to mature flavour
Day -1 (December 23):
- Make the chocolate pots, refrigerate
- Buy the steak, foie gras slices, truffle, Madeira
- Make the toasted brioche slices for both Course 1 and Course 2 (store airtight)
December 24, afternoon:
- Take terrine out of fridge for slicing 30 minutes ahead
- Take chocolate pots out of fridge for 20 minutes ahead
- Prepare Madeira sauce ingredients
6:30 PM (drinks):
- Open Sauternes
- Serve cold canapés if having drinks before dinner
8:00 PM (sit down):
- Course 1: Slice and plate the foie gras terrine, serve with brioche and fig jam
8:45 PM:
- Make the Madeira sauce
- Sear the steaks
- Rest steaks
- Sear foie gras
- Assemble Tournedos Rossini
- Course 2 served around 9:00 PM
9:45 PM:
- Plate the chocolate pots
- Course 3 served
Tips for Getting It Right
Make the terrine 5 days before, not 2. The flavour peaks at 72-96 hours of resting. A terrine eaten the day after making is only 60% as good as one rested 5 days.
Time the steaks carefully for 6 people. Most home pans hold 2-3 steaks at a time without overcrowding. Cook in 2 batches, resting Batch 1 while Batch 2 cooks. Foie gras searing happens after both batches are resting.
Don't double up on richness. The terrine, the Tournedos Rossini, and the chocolate pots are all rich. Don't add a creamy soup or a butter-heavy starter. The richness needs to be controlled across the meal, not stacked.
Sauternes throughout the meal. The same chilled Sauternes pairs with all three courses. One bottle (375ml) per 4 guests is the right ratio for a multi-course meal.
Don't try to do the dishes during the meal. Pre-fill the dishwasher. Worry about cleanup on December 25th.
Variations and Pairings
Without Tournedos Rossini: Replace Course 2 with a roasted truffle chicken under the skin. Less expensive, equally elegant, more forgiving timing.
With caviar starter: Add a classic caviar platter as an appetiser before Course 1, served with vodka shots. Adds £100-150 to the cost but makes the meal really spectacular.
Vegetarian alternative: Replace foie gras throughout with mushroom-based pâté made from porcini and chestnuts. Replace Tournedos Rossini with a wild mushroom and truffle Wellington. Different dish, same spirit of richness.
Wine pairing: Sauternes throughout the savoury courses. Switch to a small glass of vintage port (10-20 year tawny) or pedro ximénez for the chocolate pots. Avoid red wine entirely on this menu, it competes with the foie gras.
For more occasion-specific menus, see our Christmas caviar canapé menu and New Year's Eve caviar dinner post.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much foie gras for 6 people across a 3-course menu?
Plan 250-280g total. This breaks down as 200g across Course 1 (terrine sliced into 2cm portions, around 30g per guest) plus 60-80g across Course 2 (foie gras slices on the Rossini steaks). Total around 40-45g of foie gras per guest for the meal.
Can I serve the menu for 4 instead of 6?
Yes. Scale all quantities by 0.67. So 170g of foie gras total, 4 steaks instead of 6, 4 ramekins of chocolate pot. Cooking times remain the same.
Is there a vegetarian version?
Replace foie gras throughout with a mushroom-based pâté made from porcini, chestnuts, and butter. Replace Tournedos Rossini with a wild mushroom Wellington. The spirit of richness and luxury holds, but the dishes are completely different.
What if my guests don't eat foie gras?
Some people object to foie gras for ethical reasons. If you have such guests, this is the wrong menu. Switch to a caviar-led menu (see New Year's Eve caviar dinner) or a fish-led menu (poached salmon, roasted halibut). Don't try to compromise.
Further Reading
A proper foie gras Christmas Eve dinner is one of those meals that defines a season. The richness, the ritual, the way the same Sauternes accompanies you from terrine to chocolate pot. Discover Beleaev's caviar collection, the elegant addition to any luxury Christmas table, at Rougié Foie Gras. Browse the full collection at beleaev.com.
Beleaev is an international caviar and gourmet house headquartered in London, with fulfilment hubs across the UK, Europe, the UAE, and the United States. We deliver responsibly farmed Beluga, Oscietra, Sevruga, and Kaluga caviar to customers in each region within 24 to 48 hours.
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