I’m celebrating with a glass of Riesling right now. Why the celebration? Well, there’s lots to celebrate: the beautiful weather in NYC, my company getting funded, the fact that this blog blew past it’s previous record of visitors in one day today (currently at 1,565 and counting), but this is not what I’m celebrating. I
I’m celebrating with a glass of Riesling right now. Why the celebration? Well, there’s lots to celebrate: the beautiful weather in NYC, my company getting funded, the fact that this blog blew past it’s previous record of visitors in one day today (currently at 1,565 and counting), but this is not what I’m celebrating.
I succeeded in making a substitute for Foie Gras that could pass for the real thing. This was my first attempt and I expected it to go horribly wrong, so I didn’t actually write down a recipe, but I’m so excited that it worked that I just had to post.
Foie Gras literally means “fat liver” as is made by force feeding ducks. I’ll omit the gory details of the process, but needless to say, it’s pretty inhumane. The liver of these poor ducks end up swelling by up to 10x their normal size making them taste incredible. If you’ve never had it before it’s a little hard to describe, but it’s like a more ephemeral version of butter that practically vapourizes on contact with your mouth, exploding into a rich serum of flavour as it rises in temperature.
Due to the cruelty involved in its production, it’s been banned in many places around the world. I’m a bit like a crack-addict in the sense that I know it’s wrong, but I just can’t help ordering it when I see it on a menu (I know, I’m a terrible person), coming up with excuses like “the duck has already been killed anyway” and “it won’t be long before they ban it here, so I should enjoy it while I still can”. But in my heart I know it’s wrong and that I’m probably going to hell over an hors d’oeuvre.
The idea came to me the other day when I was roasting a duck. With the exception of foie gras, I really dislike liver. Whole ducks of course come with a liver, and I always feel bad about throwing it out, you’re also left with an enormous amount of rendered duck fat. It occurred to me, that all foie gras is, is liver from a really obese duck. This got me wondering if it would be possible to infuse a regular liver with fat to make it taste more like foie gras.
Certain that I wasn’t the first person to think of this, I went on the Internet looking for a recipe. What I found was a bunch of pâtés with butter mixed into it. I’m sure they’re tasty, but most of the recipes admited that it wasn’t the same. They generally looked brown and slightly mealy like a regular pâté which is a far cry from the smooth glistening dusty pink terrines that one would visualize when they think “foie gras”.
It was light biege on the outside, and a dusty pink on the inside. The terrine glistened and had none of the chalkiness or bloody taste that pâtés do. Most importantly, it mimicked the melty thing almost perfectly.
It’s still horribly unhealthy and vegetarians might still consider it “inhumane”, but as a meat eater I feel better about not wasting a perfectly good liver that was spared the fate of growing up in a foie gras farm.
I’m sure I’m not the first, and won’t be the last to figure this out, but I still felt a bit like Indiana Jones having just discovered the Holy Grail. I could tell you how I did it, but that would spoil some of the fun of figuring it out for yourself;-P.
Leonardo says
Hi, i’m a brazilian amateur cooker and i really love all parts of duck. foie gras is, of course, one of the most desirable things, although is something people feel bad to admit it. Could you reveal your recipe, in the blog (that would increase the page views) or for e-mail? Thank yopu anyway and i liked a lot to know your site. Best regards.
Susan at Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy says
You big tease! However you made it, it looks wonderful!
Oh, and you can sit by me at the next Foie Gras 12-step program meeting. 😉
Susan at Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy says
You big tease! However you made it, it looks wonderful!
Oh, and you can sit by me at the next Foie Gras 12-step program meeting. 😉
Tartlette says
I have been spoiled with the real thing (first beau’s family made their own for sale) but I will take a sub for a weekday!
Congrats on your company getting funded!
Tartlette says
I have been spoiled with the real thing (first beau’s family made their own for sale) but I will take a sub for a weekday!
Congrats on your company getting funded!
Lulu Barbarian says
What a wonderful idea! I’m delurking to beg with the others. You know the begging will never stop. 🙂
Lulu Barbarian says
What a wonderful idea! I’m delurking to beg with the others. You know the begging will never stop. 🙂
Yvo says
Ahhh, I came here from the NY Times article post and there’s no recipe!
BTW — there is actually a humane way to raise foie gras. I can’t say for certain but I recall reading that a lot of the NY foie gras farms engage in the humane side of making foie gras; I want to say Hudson Valley farms was one of them. It’s one of those things that’s hushed up somehow because people like to feel bad about eating something that delicious, I think. ;p
Yvo says
Ahhh, I came here from the NY Times article post and there’s no recipe!
BTW — there is actually a humane way to raise foie gras. I can’t say for certain but I recall reading that a lot of the NY foie gras farms engage in the humane side of making foie gras; I want to say Hudson Valley farms was one of them. It’s one of those things that’s hushed up somehow because people like to feel bad about eating something that delicious, I think. ;p
Shaffik (Chef) says
My dear, I you have just made my day. Keep that $#!+ under lock and key!
Shaffik (Chef) says
My dear, I you have just made my day. Keep that $#!+ under lock and key!
barneylow says
I’m opening a restaurant. Please reveal the secret to me. I’ll share with you the profit for each Faux Gras sold. 🙂
barneylow says
I'm opening a restaurant. Please reveal the secret to me. I'll share with you the profit for each Faux Gras sold. 🙂
Heidi says
I am not opening a restaurant nor will I profit from this secret other than for myself – but I simply LOVE fois gras! Ever since I left France, it’s been so hard to find and most of all, it’s so expensive in Canada. So please, please, please give me the recipe! Even the unperfected one would do. Qui ne demande rien n’obtient rien!
Heidi says
I am not opening a restaurant nor will I profit from this secret other than for myself – but I simply LOVE fois gras! Ever since I left France, it's been so hard to find and most of all, it's so expensive in Canada. So please, please, please give me the recipe! Even the unperfected one would do. Qui ne demande rien n'obtient rien!