I got alarmed when I read Michael Ruhlman's piece on MegNut's site about a certain politician wanting to pass a bill to ban the sale of foie gras in New Jersey (it’s already banned in Chicago). I hope such idiotic laws do not see the light of day in Virginia. In any case, this made me look at the contents of my freezer and realize that I am out of these precious morsels of duck liver; I usually buy a whole lobe to cut up and freeze.  It makes a fabulous first course or appetizer; all you need is something tart to cut through its richness. I have tasted it cold as a torchon or lightly pan seared; I prefer the latter preparation because the former sits heavier in my stomach and would simply ruin my appetite for the main course. Of course it is a matter of preference.

           For this preparation I loosely adapted a recipe from Patrick O’ Connell’s “Inn at Little Washington”.

Blackberry sauce

            1 tbs butter

            1 tbs chopped shallots

            6 oz. fresh blackberries

           1/3 cup water

            2 tbs currant jelly

            1 tbs chicken stock

            ½ tsp finely chopped thyme

            Freshly ground pepper to taste

            In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the shallot and blackberries and sweat for 3 minutes. Add the currant jelly, water and stock and reduce until it is the consistency of syrup. Remove from heat and strain. Add the time and pepper. Add the thyme and pepper.

NOTE: In case you are lazy to make a sauce, you can buy sauternes jelly to have on standby, even lingonberry preserves are pretty good with foie gras.

Foie Gras

            Foie gras

            Salt and pepper to taste

            Fresh black berries    

            To prepare the foie gras, soak it in ice water for about 10 minutes. This draws out the blood and firms up the flesh to prepare for slicing. Separate the two lobes and remove any visible fat and sinew. Using a very sharp knife dipped in warm water, slice the foie gras on a bias about ¼ inch thick. Season with salt and pepper. In a heavy skillet, sear the foie gras on each side for about 30 seconds, or just until golden brown until a crust forms. Remove from skillet and blot on paper towels. Pour off any excess fat and deglaze with the blackberry sauce. Add fresh blackberries and

reduce to syrupy consistency.

COOKING NOTES:

            The first time I bought foie gras I did not know what a fresh lobe looked like. In short I was clueless as to what to do with it. The ice water bath and the warm knife really makes life easier as to its slicing so never skip this step. Also the first time we cooked it, we were seized with panic as we watched the slices dissolved steadily into a puddle of fat. I was left with barely discernible pieces of foie gras and any self respecting chef or chef wannabe for that matter, will be aghast by such irreverent treatment. It is best that the foie gras be at room temperature before cooking since you want a nice melting center to emerge as you sear it, which will not happen if it is cold. Foie gras freezes very well so don’t be discouraged from buying the whole thing. Remember, it could be intimidating to handle at first, but after your first one it gets a lot easier.