faux gras

[scubadoo97]

While watching the lastest episode of Diary of a Foodie- Contraband Cuisine last night on the DVR, I was intrigued by the segment with Ruth Reichl preparing a faux gras. I have made faux chopped liver and even though it has a similar texture it is no where close to the real thing. She challenges anyone to be able to tell the difference between the foie and faux gras. Has anyone tried this recipe of simialr? How did it compare to a foie pate'?

CHICKEN FAUX GRAS

Adapted from Happy in the Kitchen by Michel Richard

SERVES 12 (FIRST COURSE)

ACTIVE TIME: 45 MIN

START TO FINISH: 4 3/4 HR (INCLUDES COOLING)

FOR MOUSSE

1 cup finely chopped onion (1 medium)

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 lb chicken livers, trimmed

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter in a small heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and cream and simmer, covered, until onion is tender, about 6 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1 3/4 sticks butter, then return to heat and stir until butter is melted and mixture is combined.

Purée livers with onion mixture, sea salt, and pepper in a blender, scraping down sides as necessary, until smooth. Force mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup. Bring a teakettle full of water to a boil.

Evenly space ramekins in a 13- by 9-inch roasting pan. Divide liver mixture among ramekins, then cover each ramekin with foil and place roasting pan in oven. Pour enough boiling water into pan to fill pan halfway. Bake until mousse is just set, about 30 minutes. Remove foil and transfer ramekins to a rack to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour, then chill mousse, covered, at least 3 hours.

[Luckylies]

I make something almost exactly similar except I cook the livers then puree; thus skipping the whole cook in waterbath step. Chicken livers are more durable so this works great my way.

[russ parsons]

i've made it a couple of times the original way. it's a wonderful, simple recipe. I don't know whether you'll think it's foie gras, or the very best chicken liver terrine you've ever eaten. does it matter?

[Dave Hatfield]

No, don't think it matters. Both delicious.

But nobody would ever confuse the two if they've ever eaten both types, both properly & well prepared.

[scubadoo97]

Well not really. Sounds wonderful. Can it be adpated to other foie applications like a touchon?

[Bueno]

Hehehe.. cute. I think you meant "torchon".

[Fat Guy]

The flavor of foie gras isn't what's hard to reproduce. If you're making pate, mousse, parfait, whatever, you can engineer something that's pretty close so long as you have a livery component (though I doubt you'd fool a serious chef). What's much harder to reproduce is the texture-flavor combination of seared, roasted or otherwise quickly cooked, intact foie gras. As much as I like a good pate de foie gras, I'll almost never order it if there's a fresh foie gras option available. Also a good terrine, made from whole foie gras, is going to be tough to reproduce -- it's a very specific texture.

[le petit boucher]

The flavor of foie gras isn't what's hard to reproduce. If you're making pate, mousse, parfait, whatever, you can engineer something that's pretty close so long as you have a livery component (though I doubt you'd fool a serious chef). What's much harder to reproduce is the texture-flavor combination of seared, roasted or otherwise quickly cooked, intact foie gras. As much as I like a good pate de foie gras, I'll almost never order it if there's a fresh foie gras option available. Also a good terrine, made from whole foie gras, is going to be tough to reproduce -- it's a very specific texture.

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As someone who is half french there are two things that annoy me about anglo-saxons, and i nearly thought you'd commited one, then I realised you hadn't!!!

The second of my pet hates is when people call fois-gras a pate. it clearly isn't, wether its fresh, or from a jar. Fois gras is exactly that, liver.

ofcourse it is possible to prepare a pate including fois gras, or a pate de fois gras but as my second reading of your post assured me, thats what you were aluding to, phew! sorry for doubting!

This recipe sounds great though, as a very fine chicken liver parfait. i'm afraid if i accepted it as a fois gras substitute the embassy would make me surrender my passport...

Edited April 16, 2007 by le petit boucher (log)