[Georgeair]

I need some help with the proper prep of foie gras. First, our preference - most memorable times have been a small portion of straight liver served as a side/garnish to a dish at a restaraunt in B'ham call Botega's. Lightly seasoned, crispy outside, buttery inside, perfect! We went to Paris recently and foolishly espected the same, to be greeted with slices of foie gras pate, etc. Trust me - we got over any dissappointment with the first bite!

So back to the question - how can I safely fix the straight foie gras so that the flavor of the base ingredient is neither overpowered or overcooked. Obviously this is a little expensive to just start toying around with in hopes of getting it right on my own!

Thanks.

[bouland]

Please check out these foie gras recipes and general foie gras information I posted a while back. There you'll find be all the information you should need there.

[Kimmie]

Put your hands on The French Laundry (Thomas Keller), pp. 103-108 where basic techniques and preparations are thoroughly explained.

One of my favorite methods is "au torchon", i.e. a cylinder of foie gras, wrapped in cheesecloth and poached for about ninety seconds.

But I must admit that I was floored (pleasantly that is) when I first tasted raw foie gras.

Keep in mind that the simpler is the better!

[cookie3]

One of the first things you should do with your fresh foie gras is to soak it in milk for a min of 6 hours. If truely fresh, then up to 24 hours, then gently massage the whole liver and with your finger tips, gently pull out any of the arteries and veins that are inside. Nothing worse than eating a slice of this velvety product to get a piece of rubbery vein. Then take a sharp knife and cut a 1/2 inch slice. Heat a saute pan until almost smoking, place the slice of foie gras into the pan, count to ten, then turn it over and count to 5. Remove from the pan seasion with coarse sea salt and use. Very nice served along side a wild herb and bitter lettuce salad with just a drizzel of balsamic vinegar. Also a nice Saultern and Kumquat Gelee would brighten up the taste buds

cookie

[mudbug]

You'll want to handle it as little as possible, like a cold stick of butter...

Here is a recipe written for the beginner with a gourmet taste:

Pan-Seared Foie Gras with Figs and Port Wine Sauce

[cape chef]

heres one of mine from the recipe index

http://www.cheftalk.com/HTML/Recipes/foie_gras.html