Tinned Foie Gras

[Matthew Grant]

I've recevied 2 tins of Foie gras d'Oie Truffe. What can I expect when I open them, any ideas on how I could incorporate them into a dish? Can i use them to Foie Gras butter? etc. etc. I've eaten Fresh Foie Gras many times but am uncertain of the composition of the tinned stuff.

[Beachfan]

Does it have any more descriptions on the label. It could be mousse, or one whole piece of fois gras, or something in between.

[Busboy]

If you enjoy fresh foie gras, lower your expectations dramatically. Think more in terms of a particularly rich pate and treat it as such. If you try to turn it into a grand stand-alone treat, you'll probably find it wanting. But if you want to serve it with toasted brioch, do a little salad or (as my girlfirend did the first time I tried it) serve it with steak, crouton and a mushroom sauce as a kind of blue collar tournadoes Rossini (bit of an oxymoron, that), it's perfectly tasty.

Be aware that it's even trickier to hande than fresh, melting or disintigrating the moment you look away.

[Stone]

I've recevied 2 tins of Foie gras d'Oie Truffe. What can I expect when I open them, . . .

Long streamers and confetti will fly out of the can, and you will hear a loud "SPROING" sound.

[tony h]

The taste is there but the texture is very poor - quite grainy.

I wouldn't cook it but have it cold or as a very expensive way to sauté potatoes.

If you do want to fry it - cut it into the portions you want, freeze them & then put them on the frying pan & cook very quickly - the outside will crisp & the inside melt. WARNING: there could be food poisining issue - I don't know if you can freeze stuff out of a tin safely.

[Matthew Grant]

Would it be suitable for a rich Beef Wellington or would it completely melt away?

[tommy]

i had tinned foie gras a few years ago (not an inexpensive, um, specimen) that smelled of cat food. it went directly into the bin.

[Dave the Cook]

Would it be suitable for a rich Beef Wellington or would it completely melt away?

It wasn't tinned, it was vacuum-packed, but I used a similar product on a Beef Wellington a while back. Tasted OK in the package. Got lost in the finished dish. It didn't melt away, just didn't stand up to the duxelles and beef. Maybe I didn't slather enough on, though I followed the recipe to the letter.

Crackers. Or croutons. Or slap some on meat right before serving.

Edited January 16, 2003 by Dave the Cook (log)

[Wilfrid]

Would it be suitable for a rich Beef Wellington or would it completely melt away?

I thought we'd discussed this problem a long time ago, but I can't find the thread. There is a danger of it melting, but if you want to insert it into a dish, why not a Tournedos Rossini? Or just put slices of it on top of a sizzling steak?

Also, consider the famous Huitres Foch of Antoine's in New Orleans. I expect their recipe is a closely guarded secret, but if you toast bread, spread it thickly with your foie gras, top that with some fried oysters, then bathe the whole in red wine sauce, you'll be on the right lines.

[Matthew Grant]

If it melts I'm more inlined to add it to a nice rich sauce with truffles although Tournedos Rossini is a good idea.

[Jon Tseng]

Tinned FG fine just different - is this entier (better) or bloc, mousse &tc (worse)

The texture is slightly grainier because it is usually heated to a higher temperature (c100c) when cooking rather than 60-ish at home

As for cooking it I wouldn't bother frying it. However if you did remember to use a good thick piece - frying thin slices of FG they tend to disintegrate ito a fatty puddle.

I have melted pate into a sauce quite successfully though... something as simple as reduced cream with it melted in is lovely, if slightly unhealthy. A useful tip if using it in a sauce is to puree it in a food processor/with a hand blender first.

Another use is as a backdrop to other flavours - eg in the wellington below. When I make duck ravioli I slip in some FG which quite melts away but adds a certain richness - again this lessens the effect of it being pate not fresh

good luck

J

[Matthew Grant]

Unfortunately this is Bloc but was quite expensive (maybe I should just spread it on some Poilane).

Aha! Duck Ravioli w/ Foie Gras and Truffles - a fiendishly good idea and in keeping with my current ravioli experiments (so far: Pheasant and truffle w/port sauce - excellent, crab w/leek and curry sauce - very good).

How do you prepare the duck for the Ravioli (Confit?) and what do you serve it with? I think I shall then continue the foie gras and truffle theme and make some ridiculously rich and unhealthy sauce for a main course. Meat still to be decided.

[Tonyfinch]

When I make duck ravioli I slip in some FG which quite melts away but adds a certain richness -

As you do, as you do.

Do not cook it. Do what busboy said. Eat it as pate or use it as it is as part of Tournedos Rossini.

[Jon Tseng]

My duck ravioli stuffing (which has had a good working out this year) is shredded confit leg (remember to salt it before confiting!), caramelised onions or shallots, some of the fat from the stuffing and some egg white to help bind it. I'm sure there's some herb/truffle action which could also be adeed. I throw in a couple of small chunks of fg (maybe c1cm cubes)

I generally shred the meat to a small dive (ie <0.5cm); this is coarser than italian recipes which seem to basically puree the forcemeat.

Pasta as thin as possible.

cheerio

J

[sng sling]

The cooking suggestions sound best, but if you want it "from the can", beat in some heavy cream, cognac, and a bit of pepper to overcome the tinned taste.

[Steve Plotnicki]

Just as an aside, this months issue of Gault Millau magazine does a taste test of various canned and jarred Foie gras. The winner, by a large marging if I am recalling correctly, is a brand named Laffite.