Goose Liver

[RDB]

A question for those more technical than I

I have recently found a farm near me that is selling goose liver. Now the lady informs me that the geese have lived a very 'ethical' life and not been force fed at all.

What I was wondering is because the geese have not been force fed etc is this product going to taste as good as normal goose foie gras and can it be treated in the same way, with the same delicious results?

[Matthew Grant]

I imagine it'll be a lot smaller than a properly produced foie gras, not as fatty either.

[Champagne Sadie]

is this product going to taste as good as normal goose foie gras and can it be treated in the same way, with the same delicious results?

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No.

Not even close.

[Carolyn Tillie]

is this product going to taste as good as normal goose foie gras and can it be treated in the same way, with the same delicious results?

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No.

Not even close.

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Concur.

[Max Frank]

I think the general conclusion is that if the geese have not been force fed, then it won't taste as good. You can do your own cost-benefit analysis from that.

[RDB]

I think the general conclusion is that if the geese have not been force fed, then it won't taste as good.  You can do your own cost-benefit analysis from that.

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I do indeed take on board the comments, but of course in the spirit of gastronomic empiricism I will try it none the less. The proof of the ............

[muichoi]

Not even close, of course, with the qualification that a freshly made pate from these will be nicer than a tinned/bottled foie gras, which really are overrated.

[Grub]

I'm a little curious about these responses... Someone on this board posted a question about how to prepare foie gras, since he had a number of ducks/geese and wanted to utilize the liver. The guy said there was no need to force feed them, since they pretty much force fed themselves at that time of the year.

In that thread, no one brought up the point you've all brought up here -- that non-force fed foi will be so different from "traditional" foi. What gives?

[CheGuevara]

i've had some of the best foie gras from a producer in northern italy who does not force feed his geese. also, it is just as large as a french force fed liver.

-che

[jackal10]

Mybe its the UK climate, or breed of goose, but all the ones I've had are much more like a large chicken or turkey liver than the barely held together fat of FG. Taste is great, but the texture is quite different.

Makes a wonderful pate or terrine, and killer chopped liver though,

Edited December 11, 2006 by jackal10 (log)

[RDB]

i've had some of the best foie gras from a producer in northern italy who does not force feed his geese. also, it is just as large as a french force fed liver.

-che

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Excellent Che that has cheered me up no end

[Jon Tseng]

Normal goose liver per se isn't like foie gras. Lacks the fattiness and ability to melt away to nothing in the pan. Its comparable to normal duck livers (as opposed to duck foie gras) - its bigger and more tender but still prononuced "livery" flavour. You don't see plain goose liver that much around, but I have had it quite a lot in Hungary.

re the question of can you make foie gras without the gavage (force-feeding) I'm not sure but I think not.

I do remember seeing a passing reference once to Americans having developed a breed of bird which gorges itself naturally without force-feeding. However I've never seen this confirmed, and the Ginor foie gras book doesn't mention it (you'd think it would do if this was practice in the US given they are such a high profile US producer).

I suspect it may be confusion with the fact that in the wild geese do gorge themselves naturally ahead of migration, but this is different from artificial gavage. AFAIK force-feeding is still the only way to make proper foie gras.

Also given the controvesy about foie gras, banning it etc in recent years, you'd have thought that if there was a way to produce foie gras without artificial force-feeding it would have received a higher profile in the ongoing debate - but I haven't seen this really raised yet (anyone else?)

ta

J

Edited December 11, 2006 by Jon Tseng (log)

[markk]

I'm a little curious about these responses... Someone on this board posted a question about how to prepare foie gras, since he had a number of ducks/geese and wanted to utilize the liver. The guy said there was no need to force feed them, since they pretty much force fed themselves at that time of the year.

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I was scrolling through the thread to get to the end to post this same thought and I see that Grub beat me to it. The geese definitely gorge themselves twice a year, and we don't know that this isn't one of them.

I've had non-fattened duck liver, and it's pretty delicious in its own right.

But I think RDB should ask the farmer if she's selling the livers because the geese have recently gorged themselves, and buy them anyway to taste.