Foie Gras: Recipes

[phlawless]

I received about a 1 1/4#'s of grade A lobe, and I need some advice on what to do with it. Ideally, I would like to cure it or something of that nature so as to make it keep for as long as possible. (Believe it or not, I can't find enough friends who want to help me eat it now: I'm 38 weeks pregnant and I really can't imagine eating any of this now, much less over a pound!)

[TJHarris]

I know that some will scream heresy, but, I would suggest that you freeze it and save it for a later date when you may have more willing friends. Then I would roast the thing whole.

Oh, by the way, I am a very nice person and would like to be your friend.

[carswell]

You could preserve the foie in goose fat, phlawless. The Larousse Gastronomique has a fairly straightforward recipe, which I can summarize if you like. Once preserved, the liver will keep for several weeks.

I know that some will scream heresy, but, I would suggest that you freeze it and save it for a later date when you may have more willing friends.  Then I would roast the thing whole.

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Not screaming heresy, Tobin, just wondering if you've ever actually done this. If so, can you describe how the foie changes (if at all)? Agree that roast whole foie gras is a treat, though a little goes a long way. I'd calculate 7–8 first-course servings for a foie the size phlawless is talking about.

[ludja]

Have you seen these threads re: Busboy's recent one on preserving and another on recipes ?

[TJHarris]

I know that some will scream heresy, but, I would suggest that you freeze it and save it for a later date when you may have more willing friends.  Then I would roast the thing whole.

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Not screaming heresy, Tobin, just wondering if you've ever actually done this. If so, can you describe how the foie changes (if at all)? Agree that roast whole foie gras is a treat, though a little goes a long way. I'd calculate 7–8 first-course servings for a foie the size phlawless is talking about.

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[howard88]

I froze the same quantity of foie gras for a couple of months

with no noticeable change after thawing and sauteing.

Alternately I could pick it up at your house, saute it, eat it

and give you a highly descriptive report on how it tasted.

And I promise we will be forever friends.

[DTBarton]

When you do eat it, here are a couple of ideas. Sort of cliche, I guess, but cliches do exist for a reason.

As a simple first course, saute slices of the fois gras and serve on buttered, lightly pan browned toast points. Use a nice quality fine grained bread (don't want a huge crumb with holes) and leave a little softness in the toast. Fine by itself, if you can find some fresh figs, they go great with that. Also this dish is the Lord's excuse to let you drink Sauterne with your first course.

A dish I had for the first time in San Francisco about 12 years ago (at Aqua), and I've seen several variations since. Seared tuna steak topped with a seared slice of fois gras and sauced with a pinot noir reduction. It was great. The same trick works very well with a nice steak for a decadent dinner. Spare no expense on the red wine in celebration of your healthy baby!

[sabg]

if you have a vacuum sealer that work work perfectly...then while home with new baby buy yourself mark ginor's book ..foie gras....total food porn...you can actually taste the pictures...sounds crazy but true and when you are up for it have yourself a feast

[carswell]

Many years ago, while training under a CMC, I questioned the boss about his practice of portioning and freezing slices of foie gras.  He said that due to the structure of the foie and the fat content that freezing, if properly wrapped, had little effect on the foie.  I was still unsure, so the next time that we purchased foie he took a slice that had been frozen for several months and sauteed it next to a piece that was fresh.  Several of us tried the foie and none of us could tell which was which.

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Interesting. Will have to give this a try. I notice, though, that you and the other freezing advocates (thanks, Ludja) are talking about foie gras scallops. Does freezing an entire lobe work as well?

[phlawless]

thanks for all the suggestions...

has anyone done a salt cure? if so, how long will it keep?

[TJHarris]

Many years ago, while training under a CMC, I questioned the boss about his practice of portioning and freezing slices of foie gras.  He said that due to the structure of the foie and the fat content that freezing, if properly wrapped, had little effect on the foie.  I was still unsure, so the next time that we purchased foie he took a slice that had been frozen for several months and sauteed it next to a piece that was fresh.  Several of us tried the foie and none of us could tell which was which.

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Interesting. Will have to give this a try. I notice, though, that you and the other freezing advocates (thanks, Ludja) are talking about foie gras scallops. Does freezing an entire lobe work as well?

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If anything, I would have to believe that it would be better. Less exposed surface area. Also, most anytime that I have purchased foie, it comes in cryovac so it should be ready to go right into the freezer.

[PattyO]

I have frozen whole lobes of foie gras many times, and it does fine.

I always make sure to wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, then foil, then a heavy duty freezer bag. I also put it in the back of the freezer so that the temperature will remain stable.

[Wolfert]

When I was working in SW France Andre Daguin told me he was strongly against freezing raw foie gras that had not been treated to special cleaning and commercial vacuum packing. “Simply throwing it into the freezer will make it taste like soap, feel like soap, and the only thing it won’t do is foam up like soap!”

So if you freeze foie gras, freeze it in its original packing. It freezes very quickly, just like butter, and will keep for several months.

[ChefJohnny]

Since we're on the subject of foie gras, Id love to know how everyone here likes to prepare it. Hot or cold? With what accoutrements? I happen to love foie gras and its one of my favorite things to work with. I have pages and pages of preperations and such that Id love to share, so I thought this is a good way to start.

More recently, I did some torchons TFL style. I took some sous-vide Frogs Hollow peaches, a peach reduction, and some vanilla powder to finish. Served with warm broiche. We have also done black truffle crusted torchon with pickled strawberries and vanilla pain purdue and balsamic reduction. Back in spring we did sauteed foie with a warm rhubarb tart and rhubarb ice cream with pistacio crumble. Heres some pics....

heres our torchons hanging in the walk in:

Yea, thats foie gras crusted in black truffle:

Heres the truffle foie with pickled strawberries and vanilla pain purdue:

This is the sauteed foie with rhubarb tart and 2 "broken vinaigrettes", sans the ice cream:

[ChefCrash]

Your dishes look great ChefJohnny.

I for one, have never had fois gras. I would love to know more about it:

Where to buy?

How does is come, raw, cooked?

The simplest way to enjoy it? In a recent thread here, everyone cautioned that preparing it is tricky (something about removing vanes).

Sounds like you know what you're doing. A pictorial demo would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[SheenaGreena]

Where to buy?

How does is come, raw, cooked?

The simplest way to enjoy it? In a recent thread here, everyone cautioned that preparing it is tricky (something about removing vanes).

Sounds like you know what you're doing. A pictorial demo would be greatly appreciated.

the easiest way for you to find it, I imagine would be in pate form. I have only been able to find foie gras in one store in the boston area and they don't sell it in lobes, only in slices so you don't have to remove any veins. I bet if you go to the local grocery store and look in the cheese section you will be able to find a foie gras pate, maybe? They have it at my grocery store down the street....although I dont think it tastes anything like the real thing, sliced and seared quickly on both sides (if that is how you like it).

There are several different ways to enjoy it, try each. I recommend trying it at a reastaurant first with a good reputation. If you don't like it, give it to your date

[ChefCrash]

Where to buy?

How does is come, raw, cooked?

The simplest way to enjoy it? In a recent thread here, everyone cautioned that preparing it is tricky (something about removing vanes).

Sounds like you know what you're doing. A pictorial demo would be greatly appreciated.

the easiest way for you to find it, I imagine would be in pate form.  I have only been able to find foie gras in one store in the boston area and they don't sell it in lobes, only in slices so  you don't have to remove any veins.  I bet if you go to the local grocery store and look in the cheese section you will be able to find a foie gras pate, maybe?  They have it at my grocery store down the street....although I dont think it tastes anything like the real thing, sliced and seared quickly on both sides (if that is how you like it). 

There are several different ways to enjoy it, try each.  I recommend trying it at a reastaurant first with a good reputation.  If you don't like it, give it to your date 

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Thanks Sheena

Since I haven't had foie gras yet, I would like to try it unadulterated. Seared on a piece of toast sounds good.

If you can't find foie gras in Boston, I surely won't find it here in East Lansing. The Last time I mentioned foie gras at the local fine dinning, I got "GAZOONTITE".

I know that I'd have to order for some on line. I want to know a good source, and what to do with it when I get it.

[SheenaGreena]

you can always order it online. you can't go wrong with d'artagnan

I have never ordered food online, so I wouldn't even know if d'artagnan is good or not...but I have never heard anything bad about it. Unfortunately I don't know how to cook it, seeing as how I have never cooked it.

What I do know is that you must sear it on both sides at a relatively high heat in order to brown it, if you cook it too long it will melt and of course not keep it's shape. I believe it should be served with something sweet to cut through all the richness and it's also traditionally served with sauternes.

Edited September 28, 2006 by SheenaGreena (log)

[Michael Ruhlman]

Where to buy?

How does is come, raw, cooked?

The simplest way to enjoy it? In a recent thread here, everyone cautioned that preparing it is tricky (something about removing vanes).

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You have to order it from d'artagnan or hudson valley foie gras. buy it whole and raw. cut a slice an inch thick, tweak out veins as you see them or gently pull out the network of them when you separate the two lobes, but don't worry overly. they don't look purty but they won't hurt you. Saute it in a hot dry pan over high heat till outsides are nicely seared and the inside is molten, a few minutes. Foie really is suitably paired with something intensely sweet and sour (like pickled fruit). the above truffled torchon is gorgeous.

It's not difficult to work with, it's easy. It's primarily fat. The less done to it the better. i wrote a loving post to it on megnut awhile back (http://www.megnut.com/ruhlman.html, scroll down to "Foie Love").

Stay away from pates which vary widely in quality (though i'm sure d'artagnan's are excellent) till you can evaluate quality.

[ChefCrash]

Thanks Michael

Great info.

I enjoyed reading your post and all 58 comments on Megnut. Very informative.

Thanks again.

[Carolyn Tillie]

ChefJohnny, you are in NoCal....

Where the heck are you? Want that truffle-encrusted one now!

[ChefJohnny]

ChefJohnny, you are in NoCal....

Where the heck are you? Want that truffle-encrusted one now!

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lol. Our restaurant in in Sonoma. www.eldoradosonoma.com. I invite anyone in the general area to come by. FYI, get the tasting.

-Chef Johnny

[Peter Green]

I heartily recommend Michael Ginor's book on foie gras to one and all. Even if you don't cook anything, you'll drool for hours over the photos.

For me, over here (from time to time) we can get Rougier (I think that's the right spelling - my last piece is buried behind a new pile of pig's bellies). With this, my preference is to pan fry slabs while a tenderloin rests, then when the foie is ready, quickly carve steaks off the loin, finish them in the excess fat, and serve the meat with the foie.

Alternatively, roasting a whole foie gras is a wonderful thing. When I was home in Vancouver last year, I ordered one through our local deli in Lynn Valley from Quebec. I was cautioned by the folks at Diva to brine the foie a bit, so as to protect against creating an expensive pool of fat in the roasting process. The result, with a bit of rhubarb compote, was excellent.

I'm getting hungry again.

[Vadouvan]

ROUGIE......from france.

[A Patric]

Hi all,

While spending about a year in Lyon and the Beaujolais region of France, I often came across delicately seasoned little ramekins of cool and firm, but spreadable, foie gras "paste" that were served with baguette prior to the meal. I always assumed that these were pate (accent aigu) de foie gras, but recently upon searching for a recipe in Larousse de la Cuisine, Larousse Gastronomique, Charcuterie, and Les Halles, I have had no luck finding such a recipe. I have found plenty of examples of terrine de foie gras, but not "pate" de foie gras. It seems to me that the difference would be that in a terrine, the foie is in large pieces, or even whole, whereas in the pate, it would be chopped very finely or ground.

Can anyone with experience in traditional French foie gras preparation confirm or deny any of this for me?

Best,

Alan