Taste With The Eyes: Foie Gras

11.11.2008

Foie Gras

The Whole Foie Gras - presented on a platter to the table...

...taken back to the kitchen and served thusly!

Per Se, New York City

Foie Gras 'en torchon' with Wasabi Crisp

Muscat, Cardamon, and Chenin Blanc Syrup

Alex, Las Vegas

Foie Gras Seared with Cherries and Cassia Gastrique

Water Grill, Los Angeles

Ahi Tuna and Foie Gras Sushi Roll

Caviar Russe, New York City

Foie Gras Parfait with Orange Cognac Gelée

Water Grill, Los Angeles

Seared Sonoma Foie Gras, Figs, Port, Brioche

Carneros Bistro, Sonoma

Moulard Duck Foie Gras in Terrine

Field Rhubarb Relish, Sicilian Pistachio Miettes

The French Laundry, Yountville

Are you a fan of foie gras?

"Oh, 'crise de foie,' that French sole was so delicious!" penned Julia Child.

Crisis of the Liver? I get such a kick out of that expression!

This latest compilation of photographs was prompted by an email that came from Thailand yesterday morning. My sister-in-law's father, Jim, is in Pattaya. He thought we might be interested in what they are serving up over in his neck of the woods: A Complete Menu of Foie Gras! Incredible - I just had to post it here:

APPETIZERS

Foie Gras Teriyaki 300

Charcoal grilled sweet soy sauce marinated goose liver, baby leek gently glazed with teriyaki sauce

Sushi Foie Gras 400

Steamed Japanese rice topped with pan-seared Foie Gras, scented with a sweet cherry & preserved Chinese plum sauce

Foie Gras Spring Rolls 650

Deep-fried spring rolls filled with duck Foie Gras & scented with port wine, Oriental mushroom duxelles, chilli & coriander sauce

Foie Gras Dumplings 400

A blend of steamed pork & shrimp dumpling, coupled with seared Foie Gras – to amuse your bouche…

Foie Gras Bruschetta 850

Pan-seared goose liver, on toasted brioche with orange sauce & mesclun leaves – how often can you say ‘wow’!

Foie Gras Fritter 850

Deep-fried port wine marinated Foie Gras served, with a wild berry dip – you’ve struck gold!

MAIN COURSES

Foie Gras with Spicy Sauce 750

Wok-fried crispy goose liver, onions, chilli, garlic & hot basil leaves with white truffle scented fried rice - try this Thai twist…

Foie Gras Pizza 850

Pan-seared goose liver, blue figs, tomato sauce, mozzarella & fontina cheese, with wild arugula salad & Italian parsley

Foie Gras with Angel Hair Pasta 850

Capellini pasta & grilled chicken, tossed in extra virgin olive oil, garlic, basil & chicken jus, topped with pan-seared goose liver & grated Parmesan cheese – a little Italian twist…

Foie Gras with XO Sauce 950

Chinese wok-fried goose liver, white asparagus, honey beans, maple glazed walnuts & XO sauce, served with crispy egg noodles… Ohhhhhh soooo fabulous!

Foie Gras Risotto 1,250

Arborio rice gently cooked in special broth, seasoned with Parmesan cheese & truffle, topped with pan-seared goose liver & black cherry sauce

Beef Sirloin & Foie Gras 3,000

Charcoal-grilled US prime selected sirloin of beef, with pan-fried goose liver caramelized onions, sautéed potatoes & a port wine reduction – inspirational or simply sensational?!

Gratinated Beef & Foie Gras 3,500

Lavastone grilled US fillet of beef, artichoke & goose liver topped with cheese, wild mushrooms & black truffle sauce – ah the good life - wine, dine, recline…

MANTRA RESTAURANT & BAR in Pattaya, Thailand. This is their special menu for November. The prices are in baht, approx. 35 baht to one US dollar.

So, foie fans, what do you think? Shall we meet in Pattaya?

Julia Child Quotes - TOUJOURS BON APPETIT!

“You should never apologize at the table. People will think, ‘Yes, it’s really not so good.'"

"In France, cooking is a serious art form and a national sport."

"It's easy to get the feeling that you know the language just because when you order a beer they don't bring you oysters." Paul Child on speaking French

"I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate. "

"Life itself is the proper binge."

"It was a Morsel of Perfection."

"I was in pure, flavorful heaven at the Cordon Bleu."

Julia Child sees herself on TV, July 1962, she saw room for improvement, and still she can say it was fun : "There I was, in black and white, a large woman sloshing eggs too quickly here, too slowly there, gasping, looking at the wrong camera while talking too loudly and so on...But it had been fun."

She has her own opinions on kitchen equipment: "Clairborne sniffed at our use of a garlic press, 'a gadget considered in some circles to be only one cut above garlic salt or garlic powder.' I happened to like garlic presses..."

Understanding Julia's captivation by French food: "This is the kind of food that I have fallen in love with: not trendy souped-up fantasies, just something very good to eat. It was classic French cooking, where the ingredients have been carefully selected and beautifully and knowingly prepared. Or, in the words of the famous gastronome Curnonsky, 'Food that tastes of what it is.' "

"You never forget a beautiful thing that you have made. Even after you eat it, it stays with you - always." Julia's instructor, Chef Bugnard at Le Cordon Bleu

"Oh, 'crise de foie,' that French sole was so delicious!"

Julia's passion comes through loud and clear as she describes a fish dish: "La Truite's true glory was the Sole a la Normande, a poem of poached and flavored sole fillets surrounded by oysters, and mussels, and napped with a wonder-sauce of wine, cream, and butter, and topped with fluted mushrooms. 'Voluptuous' was the word. I had never imagined that fish could be taken so seriously, or taste so heavenly."

Julia's unique way with words, on Crepes Suzette: "The creature named Suzette may or may not have been the mistress of the Prince of Wales, but whoever she was, she long ago inspired a magnificent dessert that is still one of our favorites."

"I am probably one of the few people around who saw the real Caesar Cardini making his salad. I was about 9 when my parents took me to his restaurant in Tijuana. They were so excited when big jolly Caesar himself came to the table to make the salad. And it was dramatic: I remember most clearly the eggs going in, and how he tossed the leaves so it looked like a wave turning over."

"With a handsome package such as Jacques's, you can neatly cut the top open at the table with a pair of scissors..." Julia on Salmon en Papillote

"There's no reason to be intimidated by the idea of making pâté. You can just think of it as meat loaf."

From Julia's dear friend Jacques Pepin, "You are what you cook."

"Understanding egg yolks will make you a master of hollandaise sauce."

Julia encouraging us not to be intimidated: "When you know how to saute your meat so it browns rather than steams, you're cooking. What's difficult about that? You heat the pan, you dry the meat, you don't crowd it into the pan, and you're browning it. Is that difficult?"

Food Quotes

"Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch."

Orson Welles

"Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are."
Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

"Chefs, as a whole, say yes to any project, fundraiser, or tasting because they have such a generous spirit."
Charlie Trotter

"Once you understand the foundations of cooking - whatever kind you like, whether it's French or Italian or Japanese - you really don't need a cookbook anymore. "
Thomas Keller

"I love to make people happy."
Wolfgang Puck

"Fish sauce is to Vietnamese cooking as olive oil is to Italian."

The Little Saigon Cookbook by Ann Le

"I wish, I wish lunch could last forever...waiter, bring us one more bottle of wine..."

Jimmy Buffett

"My philosophy from day one is that I can sleep better at night if I can improve an individual's knowledge about food and wine, and do it on a daily basis."
Emeril Lagasse

"Gordon Ramsay makes me laugh because he knows that I'm not a chef."
Nigella Lawson

"You know, when you get your first asparagus, or your first acorn squash, or your first really good tomato of the season, those are the moments that define the cook's year. I get more excited by that than anything else."
Mario Batali

"I always knew the importance of it, since I was three or four years old my mother used to feed me wine and water. I grew up with wine as liquid food."
Robert Mondavi

"No one who cooks, cooks alone. Even at his/her most solitary, a cook in the kitchen is surrounded by generations of cooks past, the advice and menus of cooks present, and the wisdom of cookbook writers."
Laurie Colwin

"Food is a central part of our lives. It provides the body with fuel and raw materials for maintenance, growth, and repair. It draws together family and friends, anchors celebrations and rites of passage, and sometimes soothes the soul."
Ethan Becker