Cookbook:Foie Gras

Foie Gras
Category	Meat and poultry

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Foie gras (French for "fat liver") is the liver of a duck or a goose that has been specially fattened by force-feeding.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Typically, commercially-available foie gras has minimum size standards—500 g or more is common.^[1] The liver comes with two lobes,^[1] and it is much paler than regular duck or goose liver due to the high fat content. Similarly, the flavour and texture of foie gras are rich, buttery, and delicate,^[1][5][6] unlike those of a regular duck or goose liver. Duck foie gras tends to have a more complex flavor than that of goose, which is lighter and milder.^[2][4]

Foie gras may be purchased fresh, frozen, or cooked, though availability of the different types will depend on the region, regulations, and available suppliers. Fully cooked preparations are generally sold in either glass containers or metal cans for long-term preservation.

In France, foie gras exists in multiple forms:

• Foie gras entier: whole foie gras, made of one or two whole liver lobes; fresh (frais), semi-cooked (mi-cuit), or fully cooked (cuit);
• Foie gras: pieces of livers reassembled together;
• Bloc de foie gras: fully-cooked, moulded block of >98% foie gras; if termed avec morceaux ("with pieces"), it must contain at least 50% foie gras pieces for goose and 30% for duck;
• Pâté/mousse/parfait de foie gras: various preparations containing variable quantities of the foie gras.

In the United States, fresh duck foie gras is graded from A to C. Grade A is large, firm, and creamy, without bruising or blemish.^[1][2][6] Grade B is softer and may have some blemishes, while Grade C is even more so and often used for shaped foie gras products like mousse.^[1][2][6]

Given that animals must be force-fed to obtain it, foie gras can be considered unethical.^[5] As with all meat products, the consumer may want to vett the supplier to ensure humane conditions of animal rearing and slaughter to obtain the foie gras. The classical signs of high-quality foie gras are a firm texture, smooth texture, and creamy tan or "putty" color. Lower-quality foie gras may be yellowish or grainy.^[1][4] Fresh foie gras may be kept only a couple days in the refrigerator, but proper freezing will extend the shelf life to a couple months.^[3]

Before cooking, fresh foie gras must be cleaned and prepared, the first step of which is deveining.^[1] Bring the liver to room temperature, and gently separate the lobes if applicable.^[1][4] Use a thin, sharp knife to halve the larger lobe lengthwise along its broader plan, producing two broad pieces. Lay one cut-side up, and use the knife to make a shallow slit down the central length of one half, which should expose the large central vein network below the surface—very gently bend the liver if necessary. Use the point of the knife to pull out the thick end, then carefully pull to remove the whole network. Repeat with the other piece.^[1][7] Make sure to do this entire process at room temperature in order to prevent brittle breakage of the liver.^[1] However, it's also important to work quickly to prevent the heat of the hands from melting out any of the fat^[1]—once finished deveining, you can pop the liver in ice water to firm it up.^[7]

Examine the deveined pieces. If you see any membranes, bits of external/white fat, or blemishes of blood or bile (green spots), carefully remove them.^[1][3] Finish with a rinse in cold water.^[1] Optionally, soak the cleaned pieces in ice-cold, lightly salted water or milk for at most 2 hours, then rinse again; this is said to improve the quality.^[1]

Foie gras is one of the most popular and well-known delicacies in French cuisine, where it can be cooked using a variety of methods and served in diverse courses.^[4][5] As a terrine or torchon, it is typically served cold, and it may also be quickly cooked using dry heat methods like searing or grilling.^[4][5] Pâté de foie gras is perhaps the most famous dish prepared from it. Foie gras is an important component of the dish Tournedos Rossini and many other haute cuisine dishes.

Regardless of the cooking method, one of the most important requirements when cooking foie gras is to avoid overcooking—doing so will cause a large amount of the fat to render out and ruin the texture.^[1][4] If any does render out, save it for cooking something else.^[1] If you have the choice, goose foie gras is less firm and therefore good for terrine, while firmer duck foie gras is better for searing.^[2]