FOIE GRAS TERRINE - TERRINE DE FOIE GRAS

I can quite understand if you might be put off by the thought of eating foie gras (again) after having feasted over the holidays as if there would be no tomorrow, yet I really want to share with you this wonderful recipe I found on François-Xavier's blog and which I made for New Year's eve...

Foie gras is something I have discovered (taste-wise) only very lately. At first, I liked the taste of it, but the texture made me feel a little uneasy, because I found it had an unpleasant feel in the mouth. As it is an aquired taste, I got to really understand fully that unique speciality and fell madly in love with it. Now, I love this gourmet treat and cannot imagine not having any foie gras for Christmas, New year or Easter.

I particularly love my foie gras to be pan fried a few seconds only on each side and served with balsamic vinegar, but I also enjoy making terrines with that luxurious offal and serving it with homemade toasted bread and a sweet and sour jam (Vin Santo jam) or sauce (spicy cranberry sauce). It is just simply heavenly!

Well, last year, I stumbled upon a recipe for "Foie Gras Terrine" on the gorgeous as well as instructive blog named "FX Cuisine". Ever since I discovered it there, I have refused to use any other terrine recipe as this one really rocks and is easy to make.

The roasted nuts blend perfectly well with the sweetness of the liver and the whisky adds a little structure to the whole, thus giving it more character. Lovely!

~ Foie Gras Terrine ~
Recipe by François-Xavier (FX) at "FX Cuisine" (Switzerland) and adapted by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Makes one terrine.

Ingredients:
1 Whole duck or goose fresh foie gras (uncooked)
30g Dried apricots
13g Almonds, roasted
13g Hazelnuts, roasted
13g Pistachios
Himalaya pink salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
A small glass of whiskey

Method:
1. Wait until the liver is at 18° C (65°F) temperature (measured with a probe inside the liver), warm your knife blade and seperate the two lobes, then cut each lobe in two. Remove the veins.
2. Soak in cold water for 2 hours.
3. Meanwhile chop the dried fruits and nuts and soak them in the whiskey.
4. After two hours, drain the water and cover the bottom and sides of a terrine dish with 2/3 of the foie gras. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Fill the center with the dried fruits and nuts, and cover with the remaining foie gras. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
6. Place the terrine on a plate in a larger ovenproof dish filled with water and bake for 30-40 minutes at very low temperature, between 60°C to 100°C (140° to 210°F).
7. Remove the rendered fat from the terrine and set it aside. Let the terrine cool.
8. Cover the liver with foil and a very flat weight and place in the fridge for 2 hours.
9. When the terrine has set, remove the weight and foil and melt the rendered fat on top to protect the terrine from turning rancid.

Remarks:
Leave in the fridge for about 24 hours before serving.

Serving suggestion:
Serve with sea salt, toasted brioche bread, sourdough bread or pain d'épice (see bread recipes).

There is a great video tutorial to bee seen on FX Cuisine (Switzerland).

****************

~ Terrine De Foie Gras ~
Recette par François-Xavier (FX) de "FX Cuisine" (Suisse) et adaptée par Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Ingrédients:
1 Lobe de foie gras de canard ou d'oie (frais)
30g d'Abricots séchés
13g d'Amandes, torréfiées
13g de Noisette, torréfiées
13g de Pistaches
Sel rose de l'Himalaya, à volonté
Poivre noir fraîchement moulu, à volonté
Un petit verre de whisky

Méthode:
1. Sortir le foie gras du frigo et attendre qu'il atteigne les 18° C afin de commencer à le déveiner en utilisant un couteau dont la lame a été trompée dans l'eau chaude (méthode).
2. Reconstituer le lobe et le déposer dans de l'eau froide et le laisser tremper pendant 2 heures.
3. Pendant ce temps, hacher les abricots et noix, puis les mettre à tremper dans le whisky.
4. Après deux heures, retirer le foie de l'eau et placer les 2/3 du lobe dans le plat. Poivrer et saler à volonté.
5. Répartir avec les fruits secs sur le foie gras et couvrir avec le reste du foie gras. Poivrer et saler à volonté.
6. Mettre la terrine dans un bain-marie et cuire pendant 30-40 minutes à basse température (60°C to 100°C).
7. Retirer la graisse de la terrine du four et la mettre de côté. Laisser refroidir la terrine.
8. Couvrir la terrine avec du film plastique, puis déposer un poids plat sur la terrine et mettre au frigo pour 2 heures.
9. Quand la terrine se sera solidifiée, enlever le poids, faire fondre la graisse et recouvrir la terrine avec cette graisse afin de la protéger pour qu'elle ne devienne pas rance.

Remarques:
Laissez reposer cette terrine pendant au moins 24 heures au frigo avant de la servir.

Idées de présentation:
Servir avec du sel de mer, de la brioche toastée, du pain au levain ou du pain d'épices (voir mes recettes de pain).

Pour plus de précisions, visionner la vidéo de FX Cuisine (Suisse).

THAI-STYLE NOODLES & STIR-FRIED LIVER

Ruth at "Once Upon A Feast" from Toronto (Canada) has decided to organize a weekly event that takes place every Friday. It's called "Presto Pasta Nights" (see infos and rules) and as you have maybe guessed, it's all about pasta!

For my third participation, I wanted my post to be a little exotic, so I invented a Thai-style dish. In order to come up with this recipe, I used my knowledge regarding this cuisine and I expressed my "creativity" in a free-stylish way, letting my senses guide me...


This is the kind of meal that I usually cook when I have bought offals such as liver or kidneys and decide to go Thai. So, I let myself get inspired and try to remember what I saw and ate some years ago when I had firsthand Thai meals a go-go.

I must say that I always find this kind of food very satifying as it tastes quite authentic and is very cheap as well as easy to make. The liver which is already very sweet in itself and tastes strong goes well in pair with oyster sauce which is ideal with that kind of "meat" as it complements it's rich and deep aroma perfectly. The lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf add a little tinge and a nice lemony contrast to the dish, the sauces being quite round, briny, sweet and on the same note as the liver. The ground toasted rice is there to bring an original popcornish flavor that is very interesting as well as an additional gustatory texture to this dish. The same goes with the extra coriander and fried red onions...

My "Thai-Style Noodles With Stir-Fried Liver" differ from the usual stir-fries as it's not something that you find in every restaurant or coobook. It is a very pleasant (if you like offals), homey, healthy dish that allies exotism with simplicity. So, why ask for more?

~ Thai-Style Noodles With Stir-Fried Liver ~
Recipe by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums

Serves 2

Ingredients:
250g Beef liver, cut into thickish strips
150g Frozen spinach
1 Onion, sliced
3 Cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbs Roasted glutinous rice, ground (optional, see infos)
2 Squares Chinese egg noodles
1-2 Tbs Fish sauce (Nuoc Mam/Nam Pla)
3 Tbs Oyster sauce (see infos)
2 Tbs Thai sweet chilli sauce (see infos)
2 Tbs Thai light soy sauce (see infos)
1/2 Stick lemongrass (the whiter part), chopped finely
1 Kaffir lime leaf, chopped finely (see infos)
1 Tbs Palm sugar (see infos)
1/4 Cup Water, if needed
Some fresh coriander (or Thai basil), chopped
Fried red onions (see infos)

Method:
1. In a little oil, fry the garlic until crispy and golden brown. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile cook the noodles in enough boiling water, for about 5 minutes.
3. Stir-fry the onions and set aside.
4. Over high heat, stir-fry the liver for abour 3/4 of a minute, until golden. Set aside.
5. Meanwhile cook the noodles in enough boiling water, for about 5 minutes.
6. Lower the heat to medium high and add the lemongrass, the kaffir lime leaf, the onion, the garlic and the ground rice. Stir.
7. Add the spinach, then the liver and mix them well together with the rest of the ingredients in the pan.
8. Add the fish sauce, the oyster sauce, the soy sauce, the sweet chilli sauce and the palm sugar. If it's a little dry, add a bit of water.
9. Strain the noodles.
10. Serve over the noodles and sprinkle with the chopped coriander and the fried red onions.

Remarks:
You can also use any other kind of liver or even kidneys and replace the frozen spinach by fresh spinach.
To obtain ground roasted glutinous rice, take the raw glutinous rice, roast it in a pan (without any fat) until golden brown and then grind it in a mortar.
If you don't have any Thai light soy sauce, any other soy sauce will do the trick as long as it's not too dark nor thick. The same goes with the chilli sauce, as long as it's sweet and mild.
When stir-frying and adding the ingredients, work very fastly, otherwise the liver will be too hard (overcooked). It should be smooth and a little pink inside.

Serving suggestions:
Serve as suggested above. If you want to drink some alcohol with this dish, then I recommend that you accompany your meal with a good beer (preferably blond).

(Ayuthaya -Pic by Greg Talecki www.trekearth.com)