Foie gras

Foie gras (French for "fat liver") is the liver of a duck or goose that has been overfed. Along with truffles, foie gras is considered one of the greatest delicacies in the world of French cuisine. It is very rich and buttery, with a delicate flavor unlike regular duck or goose liver.

Presentation

Foie gras, in France, exists in some different legally-defined presentations, from the high-end to the low-end:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• foie gras entier (entire foie gras), made of one or two whole liver lobes; it can be cooked (cuit), semi-cooked (mi-cuit), or fresh (frais);
• foie gras, made of pieces of livers reassembled together;
• bloc de foie gras, a fully-cooked, molded block made of 98% or more foie gras; if termed avec morceaux ("with pieces"), it must contain at least 50% of pieces of foie gras for goose, and 30% for duck.

In addition, there exist pâté de foie gras, mousse de foie gras (both must be made with 50% or more of foie gras), parfait de foie gras (75% or more foie gras) and other preparations (no legal obligation).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Fully cooked preparations are generally sold in metallic or glass cans for long-term conservation. Whole fresh foie gras is not usually available, except in some producers' markets in the producing regions. Frozen whole foie gras are sometimes sold in French supermarkets.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

French foie gras preparation is generally over low heat (terrine) as the traditional goose foie gras suffers from too much fat melt. The American palate, used to the more accessible duck foie gras, has more recipes and plate preparations that serve foie gras hot. The recent (in french culinary tradition) introduction of duck foie gras has resulted in some recipes crossing back from America to France. In other parts of the world foie gras is served in exotic dishes such as foie gras sushi or alongside Ethiopian steak tartare.

Related Topics:
Sushi - Steak tartare

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Foie gras may be flavored with truffles or liquors such as armagnac. It is commonly served accompanied by crusty bread or toast. It is often served with a dessert wine such as Sauternes as the rich sweet flavours go well together, a classic example of wine and food matching. Some people, on the other hand, prefer it with a dry white wine, such as those from Alsace. Accompaniments may include onion jam.

Related Topics:
Truffle - Armagnac - Dessert wine - Sauternes - Wine and food matching - Alsace - Onion - Jam

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~