A Whole-Lobe and A Clueless-Cook

[rstagg]

Hi All -

Long time reader, first time poster. Let me first say 'thanks' to everyone for the years of great advice. Countless hours on the couch pouring over old threads.

I have a Parisian-expat friend coming over with his family for dinner on Saturday. I'm cooking the foie, he's providing a nice bottle of Sauternes he brought back from home when visiting over xmas.

So now I sit with a nice 1.5lbs lobe from HVFG. What to do?

I've read just about every post related to this topic on eG, as well as all the usual suspects in the cookbook collection. Keller's seared w/ brioche in the French Laundry cookbook intrigues me, but I'm still a bit gun-shy about accidentally melting a fairly expensive piece of liver w/ the oven finishing. I'm just indecisive.

So what's the best preparation for a neophyte? I gather that I don't have to devein for a searing, but is it suggested? How to slice - do I cut on the 'bias'? (does foie have a directionality like a beef cut?) What's anyone's favorite accompaniment?

Sorry for the verbose first post.

[ChefJayPeek]

Hi All -

Long time reader, first time poster.  Let me first say 'thanks' to everyone for the years of great advice.  Countless hours on the couch pouring over old threads.

I have a Parisian-expat friend coming over with his family for dinner on Saturday.  I'm cooking the foie, he's providing a nice bottle of Sauternes he brought back from home when visiting over xmas.

So now I sit with a nice 1.5lbs lobe from HVFG.  What to do?

I've read just about every post related to this topic on eG, as well as all the usual suspects in the cookbook collection.  Keller's seared w/ brioche in the French Laundry cookbook intrigues me, but I'm still a bit gun-shy about accidentally melting a fairly expensive piece of liver w/ the oven finishing.  I'm just indecisive.

So what's the best preparation for a neophyte?  I gather that I don't have to devein for a searing, but is it suggested?  How to slice - do I cut on the 'bias'? (does foie have a directionality like a beef cut?)  What's anyone's favorite accompaniment?

Sorry for the verbose first post. 

←

Oh man, so many possibilities with that much Foie. Slice some off, no grain to worry about, then you can sear the slices in a REALLY hot pan. Score and season it first, and 30 seconds later you have little slices of heaven. Take some and cook it sous vide with some honey and brandy, then mold it into a terrine and chill overnight. Then make a port aspic and put that on top, let the aspic solidify and slice and put it on brioche toast.

For the searing, no deveining required. For the terrine, yes you want to do that so as to not discolor the terrine.

If you are wanting to do this for this weekend, which I gather by your post, you have to get the terrine going ASAP.

Oh yea, don't throw away the fat that melts out when searing, use that to make a "vinaigrette" for the garnish. Take some snipped frisee or microgreens and dress them with the cooled fat and some lemon or lime juice and S&P to taste.

Chef Jay

[Busboy]

Welcome, rstagg.

My experiments with terrines have not been particularly successful, so I might just sear on my first go-round. It's intimidating to play with foie gras, but it's actually pretty hard to screw up. Maybe a tart-ish fruit compote on the side and a balsamic vinegar glaze and a little bit of toast.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Welcome indeed. Bear in mind that 1.5 pound lobe is pretty big for two people. Consider cutting it in half and making a small terrine with one half (which will keep a really long time for continual enjoyment) and then you can cut slices from the remaining half to sear for immediate gratification with your friend.

[zoe b]

just some advice from a non chef--in my experience, with a home stove it was difficult to get a good sear on the foie--too much melting occurred.

I read here about freezing the slices before searing--and i intend to try this the next time.

Zoe

[Mallet]

This seems pretty foolproof.

[markk]

It's intimidating to play with foie gras, but it's actually pretty hard to screw up. 

Exactly right! I was afraid my first time, but it's fine - and I have photos of it.

As far as slicing, set it down on a plate or board the way it wants to be, then slice down through it. If you think a slight bias cut will give you nicer slices or better use of it, that's fine. A tremendous amount of fat is going to liquefy and run into the pan, so when you cut the slices, make them thicker than you imagine them when they're plated. Absolutely don't cut them any thinner than a very generous half-inch. 3/4 inch, or somewhere inbetween would be perfect.

Sprinkle with some salt and pepper if you want, get a nice heavy pan good and hot, and put the slices in. They'll start to sizzle immediately. In the 30-45 second range you'll be ready to flip; do it, sear the other side the same way, and serve.

If you're wanting some kind of complementary sauce, have it ready. Or if you're doing a deglazing with some older vinegar and anything, do it quickly. If you have a Sauternes, which of course is sweet, you might not need anything more than some bread or toast for sopping up the fat. The liver, quickly seared, with a teeny bit of salt on top, is really all you need. Just don't be afraid to get your pan nice and hot, and don't be scared by the amounts of smoke and grease.

If you want to see this technique in action, we photographed me doing it my very first time. Follow the link in my signature, and choose the "duck" pages.

What you didn't mention - have you eaten sauteed foie gras before? Or have you never tasted it either?

[markk]

just some advice from a non chef--in my experience, with a home stove it was difficult to get a good sear on the foie--too much melting occurred.

It's really not hard - it just requires a tremendous leap of faith in getting the pan hot enough - it wants to be much, much hotter than your instincts tell you to let it get. That's where the quick sear comes from.

The liquefying is normal, even in the 30 seconds it takes to get that sear. This photo was taken at 30 seconds when I flipped it.

[rstagg]

Wow, thanks for all the thoughtful replies. 'Some really nice ideas there - and mostly I just needed some hand-holding to build confidence.

I am going to do a sear rather than a terrine - I think my range and hood are up to the task. We're serving six (plus a very precocious child who might try some), so I don't think I'll have too much left over for Carolyn's suggestion. Another time perhaps. I have brioche going through a first rise right now, just have to figure out a sauce. Preferably something done ahead so I can concentrate on the liver; a compote like Busboy mentioned might do the trick.

markk - thanks for the link. 'Looks like you have a nice website of food-porn. Already bookmarked for some nice reading later. To answer your question - yes, I've eaten foie a number, actually an embarrassing number, of times, in all of its wonderful and varied forms. And I eat it whenever possible - I can't *not* order it if it's on the menu. 'Just never had the guts (yuk yuk) to prepare it myself.

Ryan

[Busboy]

Welcome indeed. Bear in mind that 1.5 pound lobe is pretty big for two people.

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A bit of understatment. I think you meant to say that 1.5 pounds will feed ten and kill two people.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Welcome indeed. Bear in mind that 1.5 pound lobe is pretty big for two people.

←

A bit of understatment. I think you meant to say that 1.5 pounds will feed ten and kill two people quite dead.

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You'd be surprised... When Sonoma Saveurs restaurant was open, Ms.W and I ate there two to three times a month for an entire year. When Chef Mary Dumont left I went and got a physical and my colesterol was only around 180!

[santo_grace]

We were nervous the first time. The thought of ruining something so good was scary.

We usually put the foie gras in the freezer for about 30 minutes before cutting. I think my husband also runs the knife under hot water before cutting also. He's never had a problem with the slices, so I guess it works well for him.

With 1.5 pounds you have enough to experiment a little on your own with different presentations/accompaniments such as different honeys, toast vs. bread. vs cracker vs. nothing, fruit or baby lettuces, etc. You get the idea.

Edited to add: Good luck and enjoy!

Edited February 9, 2007 by santo_grace (log)

[markk]

markk - thanks for the link.  'Looks like you have a nice website of food-porn.  Already bookmarked for some nice reading later.

Thanks! The "France" pages are full of hot foie gras preparations, many you'd never think of (cromesquis, ravioli, etc.) so I hop you enjoy!

A bit of understatment.  I think you meant to say that 1.5 pounds will feed ten and kill two people. 

Actually, you should locate the front-page New York Times article from Nov. 17, 1991 "Can Foie Gras Aid the Heart? A French Scientist Says Yes".

The actual publication of the "French Paradox" study by Dr. Serge Renaud concluded that because duck fat (and the fat in foie gras) is mono-unsaturated, it's what's responsible for the French Paradox, which he named for that - it's why people in regions of France that eat tons of foie gras and cook with duck fat have a rate of heart disease so low that it lowers the whole national average!

Ms.W and I ate there two to three times a month for an entire year. When Chef Mary Dumont left I went and got a physical and my colesterol was only around 180!

Yes! After reading the Renaud study (I was in Europe when it came out, and they concentrated on his findings about the beneficial nature of the fat, and discounted red wine because that's a constant in European diets - unlike the 60 Minutes reporting which gave the credit to red wine and omitted the very part of the study results that were reported all through Europe.) Anyway, after reading that, and having been diagnosed with high cholesterol, my partner and I created a pretty scientific study of our own - for six months we carefully elimated all the animal fats and sugars that you'd normally associate with high cholesterol, but we ate duck and foie gras on average 2 nights per week (easy for us to do). And our cholesterol levels dropped low into the range of normal for the first time. Even my doctor was convinced because of the European media coverage we dug out for him, and how well we had designed the experiment.

[budrichard]

The above has all been good advice. I use Hudson Valley Grade C Foie and its really so simple that you don't have to worry at all. Just slice, season, sear and eat. The only thing that can go wrong is a possible flame up but I have only seen that happen on a commercial burner and letting it sear too long. You want the foie very rare and this will go against your instincts, but the longer you sear the more fat you render. Have a good time!-Dick

[ned]

A lot of people use non-stick pans. Leave all the fond on the liver I think is the idea. Also the pan should be hot but you don't need to get too carried away. Things can start to burn in the pan and you can have some unwelcome flavors. Also, a non-commercial stove will do the job just fine. You have to leave the pan on the heat long enough. You can drop a drip or two of water in there to test it. I like to season mine with a little nutmeg or allspice.

[rstagg]

Success!

Ended up having a great time on Saturday. Seared the 3/4" slices of foie gras frais in cast iron, accompanied by homemade brioche crostini and blackberry compote. Friends brought a nicely botrytised '00 Sauternes.

I was a little unsure of how hot to get the pan for the sear, so I went the hotter route - had the range on 'kill'. I think this ended up being a bit too hot - each side would sear to almost black in about 5 seconds, and was still pretty cold in the middle. I adjusted the heat for the latter pieces, and it was nicely browned, molten in the middle.

Oddly, the first piece I did which I kept in the pan *way* too long, was almost black on the outside, but still quite edible. Although it looked carbonized, it didn't have a burnt taste at all. Is this because of the high fat/low solids content of the liver?

Thanks to all for helping through this confidence-building exercise. On to torchon!

[budrichard]

It really doesn't burn unless a flame but melts.-Dick

[schneich]

get yourself some tapioca maltodextrin,

and blitz it with the whole lobe

voila!

you got

melt in your mouth

foie gras

powder....

:-)

t.

[Toufas]

i got a liver as well today.

heated my chasseur pan on blasting hot, dropped the slices in and...it stuck to the bottom and got burned instantly. i flipped it after 10 secs and tried to remove it after 5 more but it was destroyed. looked like someone threw up foie...

next time i am going to wipe an oiled rug on the pan but...what about the heat? how hot is too hot? i now have the 80% of the liver wrapped in some kitchen paper in the fridge.

what should i do tomorrow?

also is it ok to freeze the remaining?

[Toufas]

2nd try was much better. made a small vinnegraite with some of the oil from the pan and some balsamic jelly i had in the fridge and it was really good. third try is going to be better tomorrow. i will freeze the rest and make some ultra burgers one day or fillings for raviolli.

the thing i didnt like was that it was a bit runny inside. should i freeze my slices for a few minutes before frying them? will resting make any difference?

[Toufas]

so nobody knows what to do?

[sabg]

i have never frozen slices....i use a non stick pan after a couple "too hot" issues with a cast iron...for some unexplainable reason, it worked much better for me...seared brown, no burning ...then i fried bread in the foie gra drippings and ate it with pear slices..heavenly