Simple Foie Gras Preparations

My wife just informed me that she bought a small amount of foie gras from a local gourmet shop for our New Years Eve celebration. My guess is she got between 4-8 ounces. Neither of us have ever eaten foie gras. With that in mind, I'm looking for suggestions on how to prepare it simply. I'm assuming we don't just want to eat it raw on a cracker. Any ideas would be appreciated.

IMO, there's no better preparation than a good, hard sear. You don't need any additional fat. Just get a pan hot, and sear 1/2" slabs quickly until they're browned on both sides. You don't want the pan to be too hot or you'll scorch it. You don't want it to be too cool or the foie will melt away before it's properly seared. When done, it should be crispy outside and slightly creamy inside. Serve it with a wine reduction, fruit compote or both.

Enjoy!

=R=

Are you sure she bought raw foie gras, rather than foie gras terrine or mousse? Ronnie's suggestion is good (if it's raw), but in case you don't already know this... raw foie gras really should be cleaned of its veins before you cook it.

I asked her if it was a mousse or pate. She said it was a decent sized block. I assumed she got a portion of a lobe. Neither of us really know anything about fois gras, but I'm sure I'll be able to decipher exactly what it is once I get home and see it. We're regulars at this gourmet food shop and the owner recommended the fois gras to her. So if it truly is raw, my assumption is that he would have cleaned it for us. He'd have let us know to devein it otherwise. And if given that task, my wife surely would have opted out of buying it.

My wife just confirmed that she did indeed purchase a pate. And here I was wondering how a fois gras novice like me was going to prepare such a rare delicacy on almost no notice. I was convinced I was going to ruin it. I can now rest easy and enjoy my pate.

Thanks for the suggestions, ronnie and kennyz.

If it was indeed raw, I was going to ask where she bought it. I've seen full lobes for sale, but it is hard to find smaller pieces (i.e. two "appetizer" sized pieces).

For future reference, you want the foie gras pretty cold before you slice it and cold when you cook it, because it melts quickly. It's a good idea to chill it after you slice it, but before you cook it, so be sure it is cold when it hits the pan.

sliced, S&P then into a hot pan!

mhill95149 wrote:sliced, S&P then into a hot pan!

Um, I'll have what he's having

Great shot!

=R=

I purchase whole Grade C foie from Hudson Valley and freeze. Purchasing a couple at a time evens out the shpping costs and they are vacuum packed and freeze forever. They are fine for home applications and less expensive. You have to call to get the market price and order Grade C.
You do not need a Grade A foie unless you want a restaurant type whole preperation that looks as good as it tastes. Othewise with a soak in ice water to remove the blood and a quick clean of the prominant fat/veins, they can be poached whole, made into a pate or sliced and seared. Seared pate does not need much cleaning because the searing process will hide any imperfections.
Our current favorite prep is salt curing. The whole foie is covered in canning salt with a small amount of saltpeter to preserve color and wrapped in a cloth towel to form a cylinder as best as possible. Cure and then its the best foie you have ever tasted!
For New Years Day we had fresh salmon caviar and a poached foie for appetizers and a roasted whole tenderloin for the main course. No caviar left and a small amount of foie and tenderloin left!-Dick

How long does it need to cure?
I assume you don't need to cook it or anything after it has been cured, correct?

budrichard wrote:The whole foie is covered in canning salt with a small amount of saltpeter to preserve color and wrapped in a cloth towel to form a cylinder as best as possible. Cure and then its the best foie you have ever tasted!

Is this not also referred to as a torchon?

=R=

I think tourchon literally refers to the cloth used for the wrapping part described above, but a traditional foie gras tourchon would be poached rather than cured.

Kennyz wrote:I think tourchon literally refers to the cloth used for the wrapping part described above, but a traditional foie gras tourchon would be poached rather than cured.

Gotcha. Thanks, Kenny.

=R=

here's a poached tourchon prepared by chef Allen Sternweiler

it was very good!

Darren72 wrote:How long does it need to cure?
I assume you don't need to cook it or anything after it has been cured, correct?

The prep comes from this book by the owner of Hudson Valley http://www.amazon.com/Foie-Gras-Passion ... 889&sr=1-1
which is probabaly the definitve work that i know of on the subject. Can't find my copy but its like 4-5 days and you do not cook but just eat after curing.-Dick

Making dinner tonight for a couple of pregnant women who are under doctor's orders to consume more calcium, iron and Vitamin A. Always happy to promote good health, I volunteered to make them foie gras creme brulee.

Foie gras slices added to hot cream, ready to be pureed:


Love the oozing, bright-yellow fat.

The puree was mixed with egg yolks, salt and pepper. Then strained, poured into ramekins and set in a water bath inside a 275 degree oven. After setting in the fridge for a bit, a sprinkle of sugar and a torch will finish it off.

Kennyz wrote:Making dinner tonight for a couple of pregnant women who are under doctor's orders to consume more calcium, iron and Vitamin A. Always happy to promote good health, I volunteered to make them foie gras creme brulee.

Foie gras slices added to hot cream, ready to be pureed:

Love the oozing, bright-yellow fat.

The puree was mixed with egg yolks, salt and pepper. Then strained, poured into ramekins and set in a water bath inside a 275 degree oven. After setting in the fridge for a bit, a sprinkle of sugar and a torch will finish it off.

Damn, that looks frigging awesome! I wish I were pregnant, too!

=R=

I miss being pregnant (and nursing, even more calories expended)...

Oh, my. I do love foie gras. This thread has me searching for an excuse to go out and buy some -- though living alone, I don't imagine I'll be buying a whole foie gras. I'll just have to settle for a nice piece at a restaurant. But man, does all that look good. And foie gras creme brulee -- what a concept. I can't even imagine how rich and unctuous that must have been.

Here are the custards right out of the oven...

Foie gras creme brulee, pre-brulee:



And the accompaniment...

Red wine and star anise poached pears:

These were sliced up to the stem and fanned out on plates with the custard ramekins


And some recipes...

Foie Gras Creme Brulee:
- 10 oz of Grade A Hudson Valley Foie Gras, deveined and sliced
- 1.5 cups heavy cream
- 0.5 cups whole milk
- 5 egg yolks
- salt and pepper

Heat the cream and milk to a simmer, then season. It's important to taste now, because I do not recommend testing the seasoning after the raw liver and eggs have been added. Add the foie and remove from the heat. Let steep/ cool for 10 minutes or so, then puree. Strain. Combine with egg yolks. Strain again. Pour into ramekins, and bake in a water bath at 275 degrees until mostly set, but still jiggly in the center. About 40 minutes. Cool in the water, then refrigerate for at least a few hours before bringing back to room temp, sugaring, and torching.


Red wine and star anise poached pears:
- most of a bottle of decent, strong red wine (for an obvious reason, I never use a whole bottle of wine for cooking)
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 2 star anise
- peeled and halved pears

Heat the wine, sugar and star anise 'til sugar dissolved. Add pears and low simmer for 20 minutes or so. Turn off the stove and let it steep for a few hours. (remove the star anise if you plan to steep this more than 3 hours or so - it can become overpowering)

Kennyz wrote:Red wine and star anise poached pears:
- most of a bottle of decent, strong red wine (for an obvious reason, I never use a whole bottle of wine for cooking)
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 2 star anise
- peeled and halved pears

Heat the wine, sugar and star anise 'til sugar dissolved. Add pears and low simmer for 20 minutes or so. Turn off the stove and let it steep for a few hours. (remove the star anise if you plan to steep this more than 3 hours or so - it can become overpowering)

Thanks for posting, will be using this for Christmas Eve dinner. I just purchased some B grade foie gras from Chicago Game & Gourmet http://www.chicagogame.us/

With "scraps" I'll look into making the foie gras creme brulee