Foie Gras

Foie Gras

During our recent family trip to Switzerland, we had the very good fortune to hook up with petite_gourmand’s sister, My Hang:



My Hang not only picked us up and drove us to Annecy, France, for a Christmas market (the theme of this trip), but she also whipped us up a holiday foie gras:



This photo fails to reflect the dimensions of the dish – it was a lot of incredibly rich and delicious liver.

This duck liver was prepared “entier,” the whole liver, in a bain Marie. Some kind of slow, moist heat (water bath, torchon) seems to be the standard way to prepare this liver in a way that dials down the savoriness, though I also love it when chefs just slice it into a pan of hot butter and sauté. I read in Caro’s excellent Foie Gras Wars that some serious foie fanatics also eat it raw, but I’m not there yet.

I ate My Hang’s foie gras every day from December 24 until December 30, when we left Switzerland (it, too, became a kind of theme for the trip).

My last meal in Geneva was My Hang’s foie gras with fig jelly:



I was intrigued by the way sweet stuff (e.g., Sauterne) works with foie gras; last week, I had a foie gras with white chocolate at Sixteen, also excellent:



I’ve never cooked a goose or duck liver, but I feel as though this is something I should try sometime. I’d probably go the sauté route, as I really like it when the liver is crusty on the outside, and you press it on the tongue against the roof the mouth, and it disintegrates into deliciousness.

Merci beaucoup, My Hang, pour tout.

David Hammond wrote: I read in Caro’s excellent Foie Gras Wars that some serious foie fanatics also eat it raw, but I’m not there yet.

The first time I had foie gras it was raw. At the time (about 15 years ago), I didn't know people ate it any other way! Raw or cooked, either way I like it. Tru has a whole foie gras on the menu as a "side dish." Were there four of us at the table, I would have ordererd it. I think it was about $110.

teatpuller wrote:

David Hammond wrote: I read in Caro’s excellent Foie Gras Wars that some serious foie fanatics also eat it raw, but I’m not there yet.

The first time I had foie gras it was raw. At the time (about 15 years ago), I didn't know people ate it any other way! Raw or cooked, either way I like it. Tru has a whole foie gras on the menu as a "side dish." Were there four of us at the table, I would have ordererd it. I think it was about $110.

Rob, where did you have it raw? I've don't think I've ever seen raw foie gras listed on a menu.

teatpuller wrote:Tru has a whole foie gras on the menu as a "side dish." Were there four of us at the table, I would have ordererd it. I think it was about $110.

I saw that on the menu when we were there in Dec! I did inquire and was told that they have served it for a table of 2 before. I love foie, but I am not sure that I "LOVE" foie that much...

David Hammond wrote:Rob, where did you have it raw? I've don't think I've ever seen raw foie gras listed on a menu.

It was at a place called Hawthorne Lane in San Francisco. Circa 1995-96.

edited to add: Also had it at Taillevent in Paris.

I like foie gras with sweet stuff too, but the white chocolate pairing sounds really unappetizing to me. The sweet things I like with foie gras all have some good acid zing to go with their sweetness, and that's what I think makes the pairing work. Rich, fatty foie gras and rich, fatty and usually bland white chocolate don't sound like a good pairing at all. Hopefully someone will invite me to Sixteen and buy it for me so that I can be proven wrong.

Kennyz wrote:I like foie gras with sweet stuff too, but the white chocolate pairing sounds really unappetizing to me. The sweet things I like with foie gras all have some good acid zing to go with their sweetness, and that's what I think makes the pairing work. Rich, fatty foie gras and rich, fatty and usually bland white chocolate don't sound like a good pairing at all. Hopefully someone will invite me to Sixteen and buy it for me so that I can be proven wrong.

The white chocolate was very "off to the side," but there are several other preps floating around town that pair black chocolate with foie gras (Longman&Eagle, for instance), and that may work better.

Last month at Geneva's holiday market, I found a kind of chocolate foie gras "layer cake" that was pretty good:



The dusty dark chocolate paired well with the creamy liver.

Sweets & Savories does a seared foie gras with chocolate and bananas. Not sure what kind of chocolate they use (it's not white chocolate), but I think the dish is fantastic.

Yes, dark chocolate - with its bitterness and higher acid concentration - sounds much better to me.

Aubriot (RIP) used to have a foie gras with chocolate sauce that was great.

Learning to work with foie gras is on my list of things to do at some point in my life. Cordon Bleu in Paris has a one-day class on foie gras that has been a dream for some time. That said, perhaps we can arrange a class here, to show those of us who are interested how to do it. I could call Patrick Chabert, if someone has a kitchen we could use.

Cynthia wrote:Learning to work with foie gras is on my list of things to do at some point in my life. Cordon Bleu in Paris has a one-day class on foie gras that has been a dream for some time. That said, perhaps we can arrange a class here, to show those of us who are interested how to do it. I could call Patrick Chabert, if someone has a kitchen we could use.

Does the kitchen have to be professional grade? If not, I have a serviceable kitchen, and we should videotape it for for publication. Not fabulously equipped, but serviceable. I don't have a lot of equipment, so we can list out the equipments and procure the must haves.

I haven't had a lot of Foie Gras ... but ... last fall in Montreal we had dinner at Chez L'Epicier and started with Torchon o foie gras from le Ferme Elysee with banana, chocolate light cream, Piment d'Esplette jelly, and "grue powder" (that last I can't identify)

It was spectacular ... the perfect mix of flavors. We all tried various combinations and grinned a lot.

I tried to photograph but Chez L'Epicier is quite dark and we went unexpectedly ... and I dream of going again!

petite_gourmande wrote:

Cynthia wrote:Learning to work with foie gras is on my list of things to do at some point in my life. Cordon Bleu in Paris has a one-day class on foie gras that has been a dream for some time. That said, perhaps we can arrange a class here, to show those of us who are interested how to do it. I could call Patrick Chabert, if someone has a kitchen we could use.

Does the kitchen have to be professional grade? If not, I have a serviceable kitchen, and we should videotape it for for publication. Not fabulously equipped, but serviceable. I don't have a lot of equipment, so we can list out the equipments and procure the must haves.

Very excellent offer (apparently, foie gras evangelism runs in the family ). If this goes, I'm in.

David Hammond wrote:Very excellent offer (apparently, foie gras evangelism runs in the family ). If this goes, I'm in.

If only we were allowed to bring home fresh truffles, we could have sourced some from my sister's property in Provence for a more complete experience.

My Hang froze the left over truffles from this summer and layered them in the middle of the terrine. Don't know if she remembered to put some in yours. I know she did in the later batches.

petite_gourmande wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Very excellent offer (apparently, foie gras evangelism runs in the family ). If this goes, I'm in.

If only we were allowed to bring home fresh truffles, we could have sourced some from my sister's property in Provence for a more complete experience.

My Hang froze the left over truffles from this summer and layered them in the middle of the terrine. Don't know if she remembered to put some in yours. I know she did in the later batches.

We picked up a truffle in Strasbourg and used it in another Christmas Eve plate:



Another cool thing your sister did was to bring us two crates of oysters, which we shucked and sucked down that night:



Superb.

Pasta flecked with truffles, heavenly! So simple, so delicious! How were the truffles in the winter? The height of the season is around February, I believe. That alone is worth a trip in February.

She says they are not as plentiful this year due to the oyster disease that has been infecting the French coast (info below). Even early in the morning, they were out of the no. 1 sized ones that are big fat succulent oysters overflowing with sweet briny liqour, clear and ocean fresh. She had to settle for these, which were adequate enough, quite nice even.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/chris ... -year.html

I hope they find a cure or at least recovery measures to contain the problem soon. So sad.

The truffles were not quite as mind-blowing as I'd hoped. One problem could be that we cut them up, then had a lot of things going (oysters, pate, cheese, etc.), and so maybe let them sit around in the kitchen for an hour before using. They visibly changed, got a little dried out. I now understand why servers shave truffles a minute -- to do so before hand risks a kind of dehydration and flavor loss. Oh well, I learned (I think).

p_g, we had talked about Manor before we left. We went there for bouillabaise ingredients and were knocked out by the selection. I read the article you linked to, and all I can say is that the crustacean selection at Manor was immense (it sounds, though, like the real shortage problems will be seen next Christmas). Here's the whelks, snails, oysters and other shelled seafood at Manor; a selection like this is rather rare to find in the US, and this was in the basement of a chain department store.

There are preparations where a whole foie is salt cured with the addition of some saltpeter to retain color. This has actually turned out to be one of our favorite preps and I wonder if that is meant by raw as it looks just raw foie gras.
The book 'Foie Gras…A Passion By Michael Ginor' contains an excellent example of this prep.-Dick

budrichard wrote:There are preparations where a whole foie is salt cured with the addition of some saltpeter to retain color. This has actually turned out to be one of our favorite preps and I wonder if that is meant by raw as it looks just raw foie gras.
The book 'Foie Gras…A Passion By Michael Ginor' contains an excellent example of this prep.-Dick

I can't speak for others, but I'm positive the stuff I had was raw. It was like eating cold livery butter. Good stuff.

petite_gourmande wrote:

Cynthia wrote:Learning to work with foie gras is on my list of things to do at some point in my life. Cordon Bleu in Paris has a one-day class on foie gras that has been a dream for some time. That said, perhaps we can arrange a class here, to show those of us who are interested how to do it. I could call Patrick Chabert, if someone has a kitchen we could use.

Does the kitchen have to be professional grade? If not, I have a serviceable kitchen, and we should videotape it for for publication. Not fabulously equipped, but serviceable. I don't have a lot of equipment, so we can list out the equipments and procure the must haves.

Since my desire would be learning how to fix foie gras in a non-professional setting -- i.e., at home -- it might work. The only question is whether or not you have enough room for a chef-student ratio to make the price reasonable.

So how many people could you handle? And is there a limit to what you'd spend. I'm thinking $100 per person, if we get to eat it.We'd need at least four or five people, and a "teachy" sort of area, where all four or five could see closely what the chef is doing.

Cynthia wrote:Since my desire would be learning how to fix foie gras in a non-professional setting -- i.e., at home -- it might work. The only question is whether or not you have enough room for a chef-student ratio to make the price reasonable.

So how many people could you handle? And is there a limit to what you'd spend. I'm thinking $100 per person, if we get to eat it.We'd need at least four or five people, and a "teachy" sort of area, where all four or five could see closely what the chef is doing.

I can easily accomodate 6 people. I have an island workspace that will be conducive for show and teach. Again, the only concern is kitchen utensils and cookware. Appliances are still relatively new, but not professional grade.

You're welcome to stop by the next time you're downtown, and check it out. I will PM you my contact info.

budrichard wrote:There are preparations where a whole foie is salt cured with the addition of some saltpeter to retain color. This has actually turned out to be one of our favorite preps and I wonder if that is meant by raw as it looks just raw foie gras.
The book 'Foie Gras…A Passion By Michael Ginor' contains an excellent example of this prep.-Dick

I don't recall having had this preparation before, and am very interested in tasting and perhaps even talking my sister or brother into trying this preparation.

David Hammond wrote:p_g, we had talked about Manor before we left. We went there for bouillabaise ingredients and were knocked out by the selection. I read the article you linked to, and all I can say is that the crustacean selection at Manor was immense (it sounds, though, like the real shortage problems will be seen next Christmas). Here's the whelks, snails, oysters and other shelled seafood at Manor; a selection like this is rather rare to find in the US, and this was in the basement of a chain department store.

The seafood selection in Europe and Asia is overwhelming in variety and abundance. I wonder if it's because of demand (folks having a taste for them) or plentiful supply.

If I was staying in Europe and Asia for durations longer than 2 to 3 weeks at a time, I would have more opportunities and stomach space to deviate from my usual favorites. As well as side by side comparisons of variations of one type, such as clams. Prepare as many varieties of clams as possible and try to discern the differences. Homard vs. langouste from various originations (e.g. Bretagne, Australian, etc.).

Such drool worthy pictures. *sigh*

petite_gourmande wrote:The seafood selection in Europe and Asia is overwhelming in variety and abundance. I wonder if it's because of demand (folks having a taste for them) or plentiful supply.

HI,

I always enjoyed Floyd on Fish series from BBC. The host was frustrated by the English eating only a few varities of fish and mostly via fish and chips. Most of the bounty of fish collected off the the English coasts went to Europe. I wonder how much has changed over the last 20 years.

The whole premise of the show was to encourage the English to consider a broader range of fish than they did. A sidelight to the show was watching the host get progressively drunker with every sip of wine as he cooked.

On facebook and twitter, Carl Galvin of Supreme Lobster is constanly teasing his chef-customers on fish from all over the world. I get the impression the best and most exotic fish ends up in restaurants before it ends up in retail. He is constantly asking chef's for their wishlists before he participates in auctions in Hawaii and all over.

Regards,

petite_gourmande wrote:

budrichard wrote:There are preparations where a whole foie is salt cured with the addition of some saltpeter to retain color. This has actually turned out to be one of our favorite preps and I wonder if that is meant by raw as it looks just raw foie gras.
The book 'Foie Gras…A Passion By Michael Ginor' contains an excellent example of this prep.-Dick

I don't recall having had this preparation before, and am very interested in tasting and perhaps even talking my sister or brother into trying this preparation.

Hudson Valley foie is may favorite for this, you do not need Grade A but Grade C will do. You can order Grade C by phone as it is not listed on the website at a cost savings.
The prep is really simple, shape your foie into a torchon with a cloth towel using kosher salt with a small addition of saltpeter to preserve color. Twist the ends and let rest in the fridge to cure. When unwrapped it looks for all the world like raw foie and I 'm almost 100% sure that is what the previous Poster ate. Again the book by Ginor who owns Hudson Valley is almost a must for preps of this wonderful product.-Dick

Certainly could be what I had. Some salt and a toss in the cooler would still count as "raw" to me.

Raw and a cured product are two different things.
The foie has to rest for a number of days to insure penetration of the salt and therefore prevention of bacteria growth which results in a safe product to consume.
Call it what you want.EOT-Dick

As I recall, in Caro's book, the foie was eaten raw, as in just taken from a butchered goose and eaten without further preparation.

Bonsoiree's foie gras latte with sauteed foie gras, fruits and chocolate.