Cook foie gras sous vide in its original packaging

[Jon Tseng]

Okay so I've got me hands on a nice plump 700g duck foie gras for Xmas lunch.

My normal modus operandi would be to crack it open, devein the puppy, season, terrine and then bake in a water bath til the centre gets a shade over 60c (I know if can be 58c or below but I prefer to be a little over).

But the thing is vacuums packed so it occured to me is there any reason I can't just drop the pack into a warmish pot of water and just let it gently poach til its done? Obviously it won't be deveined or seasoned but I think I can live with that. Salt can always be added once its sliced.

As you've probably guessed I don't have a vacuum packer or any particular sous vide gear. I figure with a heat diffused and a gas flame I should be able to keep a pot of water at 70c or thereabouts.

Is there any reason this wouldn't work and/or kill someone? What temps does standard commercial vac packing plastic melt at? Anyone tried this before?

All the best

J

[OliverB]

while I'm not sure how cooking safe the plastic is, I'd think it'll be just fine since you won't have it swim for all that long. The plastic sure won't melt at that low temp. Maybe also consider a waterfilled pot in the oven, door cranked open a bit. If you have a thermometer handy you could experiment what oven temp/door crack would work out.

I've never worked with a whole one, would the veins be an issue? They might not be easy to remove after cooking.

You can also unpack and devein and season, then put it in a big ziplock bag and sink that into wather to get the air out. Poor man's vacuum :-)

That's probably what I'd do.

[Twyst]

IF you are ok with the veins I see no reason you couldnt do this. However, its foie gras, and I think it would be a sin not to give it all the love and attention it deserves! Its christmas, stop being lazy and devein your foie!

[Jon Tseng]

Yeah deveining it and using the poor man's sous vide is the way to go...

(Oliver yeah veins are a bit of a pain when cooked. Easier (though not easy) to get them out while its puttylike and raw).

My main issue is that I tend to get 40-50% fat leakage when I opt the traditional route oven - presumably even with a water bath its just too hot. Am trying to moderate the gradient of the temp curve variations so the top doesn't melt off before the middle is done!

Ta

J

[Twyst]

How about making a torchon and then quick poaching it?

Although I am a huge fan of sous vide and use it both at home and at work extensively I think going the traditional torchon route is the best way.

Heres a great "how to" along with some reasons ruhlman also prefers the traditional cooking method for foie

http://ruhlman.com/2...torchon-recipe/

Edited December 20, 2012 by Twyst (log)

[Jon Tseng]

How about making a torchon and then quick poaching it?

Although I am a huge fan of sous vide and use it both at home and at work extensively I think going the traditional torchon route is the best way.

Heres a great "how to" along with some reasons ruhlman also prefers the traditional cooking method for foie

http://ruhlman.com/2...torchon-recipe/

Yeah I tried the torchon (French Laundry version) a few years ago. Found it just a bit too rich though Maybe good if you're shaving it on a salad but not if you're gorging big chunks of it!

Also in the UK I'm never quite sure of the quality of the stuff we get - I always worry that we end up at the bottom of the heap when the French decide who gets what!

Lets see...

J

[Twyst]

Yeah I tried the torchon (French Laundry version) a few years ago. Found it just a bit too rich though Maybe good if you're shaving it on a salad but not if you're gorging big chunks of it!

Hmmmm. They should be very very similar as far as flavor and richness goes. Perhaps losing some of that fat in the terrine process is actually a good thing for your tastes as Im thinking it is the extra fat that is making torchon too rich for you. Edited December 20, 2012 by Twyst (log)

[Broken English]

I devised a recipe fora smoked foie mousse a while back which is insanely good, and pretty simple. I'm happy to post it if you want.

[KennethT]

I've done a lot of foie SV over the past few years - but slices, rather than the whole one. I always use a zip lock bag - but I use the one that has the one way valve with the hand pump since the foie is dry when it goes in the bag.

One thing - foie floats! So you'll need something to weigh it down to keep it submerged.

[ninagluck]

don 't do it, unpack it, and devein it! but, however it very much depends on how to use it after!