Foie Gras - Trials of the Tongue

15 10 2007

Foie Gras - Trials of the Tongue

Foie Gras has long been clouded in mystery. To those who know nothing of its production methods, ignorance can be bliss. Of the people who are aware how it is produced there are two camps, one that feels that it is inhumane and another that feels that it is not such a bad thing. I personally enjoy the flavor and texture of Foie Gras tremendously. It can be hard to pick sides when your tongue is playing the Devil. So let’s lay down the facts.

Foie Gras is the fattened liver of either a goose or duck. In the United States, all Foie Gras produced is of Duck origin. These birds have a natural tendency to fatten their livers in preparation for migratory season in order to store energy. For us to be able to mass produce Foie Gras in a controlled environment we are unable to rely on this behavior, and frankly I doubt their livers get fat enough for our standards naturally, we use a method called gavage.

Gavage is a French word meaning to force feed. Fowl do not have any type of gag reflex and also come with a built in expandable esophagus. This makes it easier and logical feesible to actually perform gavage. Modern methods involve inserting a feeding tube into their esophagus a few times a day to be fed. The food is a mixture of cornmeal and fat and feeding takes about 4 minutes per session. They begin to perform gavage approximately 15 days before slaughter. The average fully fattened duck liver weights 1.5 pounds.

Opposition

Currently there is one U.S. city that has outlawed this delicacy, Chicago. There have also been talks and legislation attempting to ban it in New York City and Philadelphia. In 2004 Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a ban on all sales of Foie Gras by the year 2012. These are the only current bans, however many polls in other cites seem to suggest that citizens would generally support a ban on Foie Gras.

"The Average fully fattened Duck liver weighs 1.5 pounds"

Preparing Foie Gras

Deveining

The first thing you will need to do is devein the liver. It is easier to let the liver warm up somewhat,making easier to devein. The liver has two lobes, gently separate them and you will find them connected by a vein, cut that vein and take a needle nose pliers and pull each side out of the liver. The extent in which you will want to remove all the veins will be determined by how you plan to cook it. For terrines you will want to remove as many veins as possible, and for sauteing you need not be so cautious.

Sautéing

Sautéing is the most popular method of cooking Foie Gras, especially in the US. Remembering that Foie Gras has a very high fat content and that under high heat that much of the fat will render off. You will want to sauté under high heat and for a short amount of time. Great for hamburger toppings!

Terrine of Foie Gras

Preparing a terrine out of your Foie Gras can be very rewarding. You can either do it very simply, or add your own concoction of spices and ingredients to jazz it up. To make a terrine of it you will need to have the two lobes separated and well deveined. Season the Foie Gras and let it sit out for a couple hours. Then place one lobe, smooth side down, in a plastic-wrap covered mold and the other lobe, smooth side up, on top of it. Preferably cover the terrine and place in a water bath with a temperature of 160 degrees F. This will take about an hour to get the Foie Gras temperature up to 130 degrees F as an internal temperature. Then place the terrine in a cold water bath and let cool for 15 minutes. Afterwards pour off most of the fat and refrigerate in the terrine for 2 to 3 days. Slice and serve!

Grades of Foie Gras

The higher the grade of Foie Gras the fewer "blemishes" that it may have. This seems to have a direct correlation to the size of the liver because there would be more meat in ratio to veins and blood spots.