Goose liver terrine

[pAitch]

Having recently acquired 4 lbs of late season, fatty goose livers and a couple pounds of goose fat, I've been thinking of combining the two to create a terrine that would approximate a foie gras terrine. Several questions come to mind.

The approach I'm considering is to soak the livers (2 lbs) in milk or port, drain, season with kosher salt, white pepper, Prague powder (pink salt) and sugar.

After rinsing, I'm thinking of combining the livers with an undetermined amount of goose fat and SV'ing at 68 C for 20 minutes or so then running it through a tamis.

Then into the terrine, cover, add a little weight and refrigerate.

Is it reasonable to assume that by running the livers through a tamis I can eliminate the deveining step?

Please point out the flaws in my process/thinking.

[Baron d'Apcher]

If the livers are bona fide “foie gras” livers, then you can proceed as one would for SV foie gras, though milk has a much different effect on the livers than port. The milk helps to bring the blood from the capillaries into the bigger veins and central artery making it easier to remove. Port on the other hand is a flavoring agent. Any bitterness is likely due to the bile and anything green (where the 2 larger lobes come together) needs to be removed. No need for any extra fat.

Consider soaking the livers in milk overnight in the refrigerator, pull out the next day and let the milk come to room temp with the livers in them, and devein with the back of a spoon so as not to cut through the veins. If you leave the veins in, it will make a mess later. You can marinate with salt, nitrite, spices, herbs, port and whatever overnight, cook as you see fit (I cook at 63C for 30 minutes), chill completely, then put in a food processor to homogenize and finally press through a tamis. If you do not blend the liver smooth, you will not get a smooth product and blending the livers with veins will a pain to get out of the tamis mesh.

If the livers are no more than ordinary goose livers, only larger than chicken liver, it is worth exploring the idea of a liver mousse or “farce à gratin”.

4 parts liver

4 parts shallot (supplemented by mushrooms or onions if you choose)

2 parts rendered goose fat

1 part booze

Clean the livers by removing the vein connecting the lobes and any green parts. Soak the livers in port or brandy overnight with nitrite and whatever aromatics (lemon zest, thyme, garlic, etc…). Drain the next day and save the alcohol. When the livers are dry, sear them in a small amount of goose fat over high heat, making sure to keep the livers pink inside and transfer to a shallow container. Add the shallots/mushrooms and sweat covered until absolutely tender with a pinch of salt. Remove the lid and cook dry, then add to the cooked livers. Deglaze the pan with the drained booze and reduce until almost dry. Add the remaining goose fat to melt down and add pour over the livers and veg. Chill until all is cold then purée in small amounts in a blender with salt and whatever seasonings. Pack in jars and cover with fat.

[Icanmakeit]

Such a fabulous 'rendition' of duck/goose liver treatment in general. I have been absent for quite sometime and your response to this post makes me wonder why as life has taken me to a food 'lifestyle' (ugh, I hate that term) that I am finally making some money doing - aside from that pesky 40 hour job that doesn't involve food unfortunately.

Thank you!

[pAitch]

The livers are indeed not bona fide "foie gras" but late harvest livers from older birds.

I suppose the mousse or "farce a gratin" would be the best avenue to pursue however, the ratios you suggest are a bit surprising to me. I'm sure that two pounds of shallots will reduce significantly once sweated and cooked dry. Thanks for the detail.

[Baselerd]

I made a foie gras terrine recently using the roughly the same method as the OP and was able to produce a very smooth terrine with only the tamis. I de-veined the liver before curing, but when pressing the liver through the tamis I caught a few pieces I had missed. My guess is that I could've caught all the veins in the tamis, but it would make it more difficult to press the liver through.