Foie Gras: The Topic

[Paul Bacino]

"Saltpeter".. haven't heard that in awhile Bud. aka Potassium Nitrate

I also use Hudson Valley grade A, these guys are very friendly. On my last order they also threw in a couple Duck Breasts.

I usually just cook mine in a hot pan , not taking it to the oven. Keep the rendered fat too.

Paul

[pep.]

Inspired by an article in the local paper (German language), I'll be making foie gras au torchon for New Year's Eve. It's actual goose foie gras, not duck (we get them from Hungary as foie gras production - but not sale - has been outlawed in Austria for a number of years).

Naturally, I'll be cooking it sous vide. I had a look at the index earlier, and the postings by NathanM implied that it would be OK to actually pasteurize the foie gras. On the other hand, most recipes are using hotter than core water with precise timing. Will fat loss be excessive at pasteurization times?

[Franci]

we also cook in a terrine in a Bain Marie in a water bath at about 300f preheated oven until about 120F internal and then remove and allow to rest and then chill before removing from a Le Creuset large ceramic terrine http://cookware.lecreuset.com/cookware/product_Heritage-1-1%2F2-QT.-Pate-Terrine_10151_-1_20002_10058_10051. The longer you cook and the higher your temp, the more fat you will render and the less appealing your Foie Gras will become. It's really an iterative process because I don't know how your oven responds, your temp measuring equipment and your terrine mold. I would assume a metal mold would render more fat than a ceramic but really don't know because I don't use one. They do have a smaller model that may or may not fit your needs.

So, 120 F is 48 C, same internal temperature I read on my thermometer. Although I admit it is an old and sometimes I don't feel is too reliable. I used a LeCreuset terrine mold different shape, the 800 ml size. So I'm not sure what went wrong. You are right on the experience factor...

I'll keep you posted with next experiments, maybe someone else will benefit from it.

[Franci]

I'd like to organize in a better way everything I might find useful including different techniques for devening or cooking...

For now I discovered that a quick terrine can be made with saute' slices of foie. It is better to assemble it while the foie and other ingredients are still warm. Of course, it tastes different then a terrine mi cuit that has been poached. You can clearly taste that the foie has been saute' and I do prefer the foie cooked in the water bath but it was not bad.

For this mini terrine I used the tiny bits of foie that came off from slicing the lobe. Some cooked quince in between

[Jon Tseng]

Hola

The good thing about foie gras is that its probably the worlds easiest ingredient to cook with. You either fry or terrine the b*stard and serve it with fruit. Very hard to go wrong (although sometimes I'm a bit reluctant to order it in restaurant given I know how easy it is to do. I mean yes its delicious but yes I could probably fry the damn thing just as well as they can. I sometimes have the same dilemma with scallops).

Anyhow back to your questions. On deveining room temp is fine. If you do it fridge cold the liver with crack into chunks (well it does this a bit at room temp do... but not as much). In terms of the veins get as much out as is practical but you don't have to be religious about this. If you're that obsessed with the smoothness rub the whole this through a tamis sieve and make a parfait rather than doing an entier terrine.

Also remember if you slice and fry hot foie gras there is no need to devein.

re: Temperature this is an ongoing debate. James Petersons Glorious French Food has a good discussion of this (p99 of the hardback). In a nutshell:

48c: Where French Cooks sometimes cook to

60c: Kills most pathogens

71c: FDA requirement - but too dry

100c: Canned foie gras (the stuff that tastes slightly like dog food)

Peterson recommends cooking to 58c and letting carry-over take it to 60c. That's what I do - it works fine for me.

I think this whole discussion is complicated by the fact that there area whole bunch of cold pate-like spreadable preparations of foie gras which are not terrines. Apart from the terrine which is cooked and weighted and cooled you can have preparations which are barely cooked - just enough to melt the pieces together - and compressed (the foie gras torchon recipe in the French Laundry cookbook is a good example of this), then there are various recipes for salt- or otherwise-cured foie gras which are not cooked at all. Then there are the sort of cheaters-terrine recipes you mentioned where you fry the liver slices, layer them weight and cool and end up with something cold and spreadable.

All are valid approaches, but deliver different products.

BTW when I saute foie gras I make sure I have nice thick slices and zap in a smoking hot pan til brown both sides (wont take long!). If its a thick piece however that will leave the inside raw - then I put them in a low over for a few more minutes to carry on cooking through. Works for me, although I do acknowledge this way gives you oil leakage (you can always mop up with toast...) and my slices always seem softer and more jellylike than the ones in restaurants.

I think actually poaching foie gras in a nice stock is an excellent and underrrated preparation. Poach it in a consomme and serve it in the broth (think "foie gras pot au feu"). Then any oil which comes out simply floats to the top of the broth and gets munched.

I've tried roast whole foie gras before. That's just a recipe for pain and losing half the damn thing as fat! Don't bother. Poaching a whole one might work though. qv.

Rgds

J

[Franci]

Thanks Jon, I also read what you wrote with a lot of interest!

I tried to cook foie gras two more times and I'm here to report. Both recipes come from this little book.

1. a torchon of foie gras poached in a spiced wine

After simmering wine with spices and sugar, out of the stove the foie is dropped into the hot liquid and left to cook for 1 hour. I found impossible to tight again right after poaching, so I trasferred in the fridge for a couple hours before retightening. I cut it open after 24 hours but for sure the foie needs at least 2 days.

2. Then I tried to steam it. After the foie is deveined and properly seasoned (here there was only salt, pepper, 4 epice and port), it was left to rest overnight in the fridge. S. Reynaud says to wrap in cling film and steam. I feel very uncomfortable at cooking in plastic, so I wrapped in cheesecloth and steamed for 18 minutes. He says 15 minutes of 500 g foie. Well, my was 680 grams and I set the timer for 18 minutes. I totally forgot I had the foie gras steaming, so I left in the steamer for 10 minutes longer , I was already hitting the head on the wall but I checked the internal temperature and it was 48 C and the foie resting was still releasing some blood. I transferred as it was in the fridge and after an hour I rerolled the foie tight. Also this foie is pretty good, I agree with S. Reynaud when he says that the steamed foie keeps his taste "brut".

Since I steamed in a dish, I could collect all the fat (I lost almost 50%), which is much more delicate than the fat from panfrying the foie. Also this was quite nice. So far the salt foie is the winner for me. No waste, very little fuss.

Edited February 17, 2012 by Franci (log)