An original recipe from Philippe Chavent of the Tour Rose in Lyon, France.

This recipe was the focus of a little cooking class and tasting for the wives of heads of state and government. Now Mesdames Chirac, Clinton, Hashimoto, Prodi, Santer and Chrétien know the secrets of this dish! We're sharing them with you, too, so that you can serve the same first course as was presented at the magnificent dinner at the G7 summit in Lyon.

Preparing the artichokes

1. using a paring knife, peel the artichokes after having:
   • broken off the stems to remove the fibers that could remain in the heart
   • trimmed off all the leaves from the flat side of the artichoke; 
   • removed the remaining leaves by sliding a knife between the leaves and the heart; cut the remaining leaves off the top so that the choke shows through;
2. trim the artichoke hearts so that they are even; rub them with lemon juice; place into cold water with some lemon juice to prevent them from darkening; 
3. place in a nonreactive pot in water with some lemon juice; season and cook for 15-20 minutes. 

1. once cooked, drain the artichoke hearts; remove the chokes and chop the hearts coarsely; 
2. place into a blender and purée; add a little of the cooking water if the mixture is too thick; add 1 tbsp. cream; 
3. place everything into a saucepan to heat; correct the seasoning and add more cream if necessary; 
4. peel the white truffle and chop the peelings finely; cut the white truffle into thin slices (1 mm);
5. slice the foie gras; flatten gently and season with salt and pepper; 
6. heat a skillet until very hot and sear the foie gras slices for a few seconds on each side then cut into 5 mm dice. Set aside on a plate in the oven to keep hot. 

1. place 1 tbsp. artichoke cream into deep plates;
2. cover with diced foie gras, then more artichoke cream; 
3. sprinkle with the chopped truffle peelings then add the sliced truffle;
4. serve very hot.