Foie Gras
 

Probably my absolute favorite indulgence on the planet is the much maligned and often under-appreciated culinary masterpiece... foie gras.

http://epicurious.blogs.com/photos/u...oie_gras_3.jpg

This misunderstood dish is in my opinion, the pinnacle of French Cuisine. The rich, delicate flavors are something I have found in few other dishes. The depth and just overall yummyness of well prepared foie gras is unmatched. Couple that with the fact that I rarely get to eat this dish and it somehow takes on a magical quality for me.

Most places don't serve foie gras anymore and generally the only places that do are upscale places that I only dine at a couple times per year. That and the fact that the PETA-nazi's have pretty much turned it into the pariah of the food world... and its just hard to find nowadays.

However it truly is one of the greatest foods I've ever tasted. Can be cooked in so many different preparations and goes great with a good number of foods and how anyone can hate it is beyond me.

My personal favorite is lightly sauteed foie gras with a truffle leek sauce and some carmelized figgs on the side. Simply mouth-watering.

Any other fans of this delicacy?

http://chicagoist.com/attachments/ch...5_foiegras.jpg

Re: Foie Gras
 

If I'm reading correctly, you don't care for the PeTA facists.

I'm with you, bro. They need a cigar...cherry end in the eyeball. :fl

Re: Foie Gras
 

You are 100% correct my friend. In fact my favorite quote from Anthony Bourdain pertains to the Peta bastards as well as Vegetarians in general :D


"Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans, are a persistent irritant to any chef worth a damn. To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, foie gras, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace, or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living. Vegetarians are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit, and an affront to all I stand for, the pure enjoyment of food"

Re: Foie Gras
 

Yes, Im a glutton when it come to Foie. Love it seared with a balsamic reduction, but also very happy with a torchon :D ive been know to buy a lobe and work my way through it over a few days with friends. Yuuuummm.

have you had the flash frozen slices? Pretty good and you can keep a bag in the freezer and just grab a few when you need them.


~Vitis

Re: Foie Gras
 

I actually haven't had those bro. Unfortunately where I live there aren't too many upscale shopping centers like in Scottsdale etc. But its sounds tasty and relatively convenient.

I must admit that I generally only get to eat Foie Gras when I'm in Vegas as its readily available and I'm there a few times a year.

Re: Foie Gras
 

Love the stuff although even thinking about it elevates my cholesterol. Last time I had it was seared and served on top of a petite filet over a potato puree. A bit of red wine on the side and I was dining like a king!!!

Re: Foie Gras
 

I love foie gras, but it has to have a sweet topping IMO. Either caramelized cherries or strawberries. MMmmmmm!

Re: Foie Gras
 

I worked in an upscale French restaurant near NYC many years ago and ate foie gras prepared by a great chef and love it.

I must admit the stories of ducks having grain shoved down their throats by a pipe is a little disturbing, but I can't comment further as I have reservations to the Italian place in town who makes the best veal I have tasted. Yum.

Re: Foie Gras
 

Haven't had it, never will. I oppose the manner in which the animals are raised...

The feed is administered using a funnel fitted with a 20–30 cm long tube, which forces the feed into the animal's esophagus; if an auger is used, the feeding takes about 45 to 60 seconds. Modern systems usually use a tube fed by a pneumatic pump; with such a system the operation time per duck takes about 2 to 3 seconds. Thats for up to 3 pounds of feed.

Thats not to say other folk shouldn't be free to make up their own mind about it, after all, there's room or all of gods creatures, right next to the mash potatoes.

PETA should stand for People Eating Tasty Animals.

Re: Foie Gras
 

One step away is smoked cod liver. They can reach 75% fat hehe .. YUMMO!

Re: Foie Gras
 

I LOVE foie gras. Hard to find. A good chopped liver can give you a similar livery fix and they add tons of chicken fat, hence, increaseing the yumminess while driving your blood pressure sky high, although nothing beats or compares to a seated foie gras in a port reduction.

Re: Foie Gras
 

Never had it. Would like to try it, but figure unless I get really lucky it's probably not going to happen. :)

Re: Foie Gras
 

Im not sure where to get it as I do through a chef I know when he is buying for his restaurant. Nice to have around though. You can thaw in a few minutes as it's just fat, and then a quick pan sear. Some of my favorite uses are with eggs in the am, and on top of a steak or a burger. Also nice to throw a slab into sauces. (yes im a hedonist :D )

this is what the label on the bag looks like.

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m...yahoo/Foie.png

Easy and yummy.

~Vitis

Re: Foie Gras
 

I bet ya eat that with your pinky up huh? ;)

Re: Foie Gras
 

Close, but wrong finger. :rolleyes:

~Vitis

Re: Foie Gras
 

Thumbs up? hahahah. You made me laugh :fu

Re: Foie Gras
 

I haven't had Foie Gras yet, but it's on my want to try list.

Re: Foie Gras
 

Do not like Foie Gras at all. Even had it in Lyon France, had it stuffed in filet mignon, had it other ways... Yuck. I do not like irony tastes in meat like liver or organ meats... I can certainly appreciate it, but it's just does not sit well with me.

Re: Foie Gras
 

https://www.caviarmore.com/buy-cavia....-p-17872.html

Imported from France, shipped from Miami. ~$150 for a 2 lb bag of slices. Same site also has a 6oz package for ~$30. Plus shipping of course.

All kinds of other goodness at that site too, can't comment on that company though, I just found 'em on google :D

Re: Foie Gras
 

Ive ordered from both:

http://www.dartagnan.com/search.asp?...=1&criteria1=1

and

http://www.hudsonvalleyfoiegras.com/ (I know its duck)

I love foie. a lot.

Re: Foie Gras
 

:tpd:I'm with Scott on both. So high in cholesterol but so good. My fave is also seared, almost to a crispy outside, in a balsamic reduction. If it's on the menu like that or similar, I'll likely indulge. So freakin' good. Damn it, Dustin, you've done it again (sushi, now foie gras).

:tpd: Yeah, not so thrilled about this either but I try not to think about it. I hear they feed the birds until their stomachs actually explode. Why the heck do they have to do that??

Not sure how you've had it Moses but it really shouldn't taste irony the way a lot of the nice joints are fixin' it up. Liver & onions, yeah, a little irony I think (from last I had it & it's been years) but seared foie gras, nothin' like it, just crispy, creamy goodness, almost melts in your mouth with a great sweet sauce over it! I'd give it another shot at a really nice place.

Re: Foie Gras
 

Mind numbingly perfect cover. I would like to be served this at least once a year.



Foie Gras, Roasted marrow bones, great french bread (slightly toasted possibly with some garlic butter optional). Side of several possible stouts or ales.





Heart attack optional as an aperitif.

Re: Foie Gras
 

Hehe, sorry bro. I am just as much of a hedonist as everyone else. I indulge when I can and to me there is no greater indulgence than good Foie Gras and a great bottle of wine.

Mmmm roasted marrow bones.... YUM! :dr

Re: Foie Gras
 

I'm not a fan of eating organs, so I pass on foie gras.

Re: Foie Gras
 

Roasted MArrow Bones, oh man, know you are talking. Best $2/lbs you can spend at your butcher! Beef butter, all you need to know!

Re: Foie Gras
 

Had a nice osso buco awhile back and was a little freaked out when they handed me a marrow spoon. Turned out to be one of the most delicious things I've eaten, 'beef butter' is a perfect description.

Re: Foie Gras
 

I have had at as good as it can get in some of the fanciest places in Vegas, Montreal, and France... I just can't stand liver and no preparation is going to change that. It's not fair for me to comment on Foie Gras as I am just so biased against liver. As a cook, I can appreciate some of what I tried, and if I did like liver; I'd be still talking about it.

Re: Foie Gras
 

I with you on that one!

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Mmmmm Osso Buco when done right is just fabulous! :tu

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never tried heard its good tho

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I enjoy it plain but dollar for dollar there other things that I enjoy more.

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still have not tried it and i am an old man, big fancy dinner coming up soon tho, i must have it

Re: Foie Gras
 

Foie Gras is truly incredible. I didn't know about it until coming to culinary school, but man do I love it. It is simply perfect, in all its forms. The restaurant I work at always has it on the menu, either as a hot dish or cold item. Right now we're serving it as a torchon with a light salad made of cara cara orange, poached rhubarb, and micro greens with a light vinaigrette. It's just amazing and delicious. At school, we put a lobe of foie gras in a bag with a whole beef tenderloin. Then we cooked it sous-vide, and the tenderloin was so tender, perfectly cooked, and the entire thing tasted like foie gras. Incredible!!

Las, if you ever want to cook it at your own place, D'Artagnan is probably the best place to get good foie, and from there the only thing you have to do is not mess it up! :D

Re: Foie Gras
 

love the stuff!

We have a big deli/liquor store in downtown Houston that usually keeps Foie Gras at the Deli counter. I normally get a 1" think slice and just eat it plain with water crackers.

as far as the cruelty thing, I hate to say it but I know it's inhumane and I eat it anyway! :fu

Re: Foie Gras
 

Thought this would be an area for a first post. I am in the high end white-table cloth Meat/Specialty goods busines, and I absolutely adore Foie Gras. I sell around 300 pounds of Hudson Valley's Grade 'A' fresh stuff a week and I eat some too!

Not sure if anyone has seen it, but Anthony Bourdain has done two major specials on Foie Gras. One (on no reservations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABeWlY0KFv8) was short and one was an hour long special explaining it.

I have had complaints and threats for selling the product, but still love it!

Re: Foie Gras
 

Thought I would revive another "blast from the past" thread as I will be dining on some delicious Foie Gras this weekend in celebration of our newly purchased home.

And I don't know if I mentioned it, but earlier in the year when my wife and I were in Vegas we ate at Mario Batali's CarneVino restaurant. I dined on sweetbreads and Foie and various other types of offal to my heart's content. It was epic!

Re: Foie Gras
 

Before I read that quote I didn't care one way or another about Vegans, now I hate them!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Before quote:
Vegan ------> :noon-(P <-------- Me


After Quote:
Vegan ------>:gary <-------- Me

Re: Foie Gras
 

yum. had some a couple of weeks ago that was terrific.

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have tried it a few times since my last post of not trying it, decadent stuff

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Tried it, never liked it. Except for this one, I almost always like anything that I can't pronounce properly.

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http://blog.peta2.com/foie_gras.jpg

I'll pass.

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:tpd:

I like my organ meat British. Steak and kidney pie, FTW! :tu

Re: Foie Gras
 

http://blog.peta2.com/foie_gras.jpg





http://homepage.mac.com/carpetback/i...raphic%203.jpg


or maybe...





http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4134/...5a768dd7_m.jpg

or, if you are feeling special, possibly even

http://www.beerhelps.com/wp-content/...nal-poster.jpg


Any questions?

Re: Foie Gras
 

ugh, yeah people partaking in chugging beer is by choice. Not sure i understand your point at all.

Re: Foie Gras
 

Sounds like an amazing dining experience Tyr. I LOVE Foie gras. It would be on my last meal menu for sure.

I saw some earlier sources posted, but has anyone bought foie online recently from any good sources? I'd love to try searing some for myself at home.

Re: Foie Gras
 

I will assume you are a vegetarian. ;)

Re: Foie Gras
 

they don't feed the birds till their stomachs explode..how would that be beneficial in fattening up the liver?

this started naturally when ducks would overeat for a coming winter, amazing how people believe everything they hear

how bout you watch this before you judge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABeWl...mbedded#at=239

Re: Foie Gras
 

You assume wrong ;)

Re: Foie Gras
 

Well I have tons to say based on this, but I really don't want this thread to get out of hand and get away from topic.

I will say this though, one video, from one farm, does not set the tone for EVERY farm that produces this. Furthermore, I don't care what kind of species -sticking a metal tube close to a foot down the throat can not be pleasant by any means.

An for the sake of what? Something that tastes good and costs a lot? Give me a break.

Re: Foie Gras
 

It's okay that I'm not a fan of this. I am allowed opinion, as are you.

The best way for me to show my disapproval is to not purchase and eat Foie Gras.

:)