Plate of Foie Gras and Ham Slices Limoges Box

Here is a French charcuterie course you can keep on the sideboard forever: rich foie gras and folded slices of ham served up on a plate. The whole spread is hand-painted porcelain, made as a Limoges box in Limoges, France.

A Taste of the Perigord

Foie gras is the pride of southwestern France, and pairing it with ham turns this piece into a little bistro starter. The food subjects are brushed on by hand, so the colors of the pate and the ham carry the small variations you only get from a painter's work. It is a playful subject, yet it nods to a serious food tradition.

From the Kitchen to the Kiln

The city of Limoges has been firing porcelain since the late 1700s, after fine white kaolin clay turned up near Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche in 1768. Today that same hard-paste porcelain carries everything from flowers to French dishes like this one.

Seats at the Gourmet Table

• Hand-painted porcelain made in Limoges, France
• Pairs with baguette, cheese, wine and pastry pieces
• Makes a fine thank you for a dinner party host or a chef

Display it on a china cabinet shelf, a bar cart, or the kitchen windowsill where cookbooks live.