“French Kisses,” prunes stuffed with foie
gras. Photo courtesy of Dartagnan.com.

1. Buy plump, pitted prunes and mousse de foie gras (duck or goose liver mousse—or substitute less expensive chicken liver mousse).
2. A classic preparation is to first marinate the prunes overnight in Armagnac (you can substitute Cognac); but it gives quite an alcohol punch to the prunes and we think it interferes with the foie gras flavor. Try it with half the batch to see what you think, or marinate lightly, for an hour (or eliminate this step altogether).
3. Then, with a pastry bag or small spoon, stuff each prune with mousse and serve on a tray.

These tasty tidbits are perfect with Champagne or sweet sherry, or as part of a first course on an assorted hors d’oeuvres plate. We could make an entire dinner of them!

• Check out another gourmet treat, Chef David Burke’s smoked salmon “lollipops,” called Gourmet Pops.