Culinarians of Chicago Rejoice: Foie Gras is Back

Chicago's Gourmands, Epicures, Foodies and Foie Gras aficionados are all breathing a sigh of relief. Foie Gras is back on the menu in Chicago. The Chicago city council voted 37 - 6 to repeal the controversial ban. The ban was originally instituted two years ago. Alderman Joe Moore was inspired by Charlie Trotter's decision to no longer serve Foie Gras in his restaurant. Foie Gras is literally translated as "fat liver". It is made from the fattened livers of ducks or geese who have been subjected to gavage (force feeding by means of a tube or force pump). Alderman Moore saw this process as inhumane and considered it animal cruelty. While he was able to enlist the city council to support him, they faced fierce opposition from Mayor Daley as well as several sectors of the restaurant community. When questioned about his part in the Foie Gras ban, Charlie Trotter indicated that he'd never been in support of the ban. "I was appalled that Joe Moore decided to list my name as an advocate of this point of view... I have my own reasons for not serving this product".

For many chefs and restaurateurs, Foie Gras is considered a gastronomical indulgence that is steeped in history and tradition and not fodder for "half-hearted" reforms. All throughout kitchens in the greater Chicagoland area chefs are celebrating the repeal of the ban by changing their menus and hastily creating Foie Gras recipes in preparation for their customers who are arriving in droves for a taste of this delicious delicacy.

Foie Gras is a sumptuous and decadent addition to a meal either as a main course, an appetizer or as hors d'oeuvres. In honor of the lifting of the ban, I will share two of my most favorite hors d'oeuvres recipes that are made with Foie Gras. Either of these recipes can be enlarged to make them into main courses. I prefer them as more bite sized offerings. I created these recipes for my catering company. Since shutting down the company, I make these for my friends and family on occasion. They love them.

This recipe calls for Phyllo Dough so I will give you some pointers to make working with this dough as simple as possible. Phyllo Dough sheets are very fragile.

1. Thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator.

2. Make sure your hands are completely dry before handling the dough.

3. In order to keep the dough pliable while you are working, cover the unused portion with wax or parchment paper.

4. Cover the wax paper with a slightly damp kitchen cloth.

Mini Brie and Foie Gras Wellingtons With Roasted Garlic Duxelle

1 Duck or Goose Liver

1 Lg round of Brie

1 Lg Ginger root minced fine

½ C Soy Sauce

1 t White Pepper

3 shallots chopped fine

¼ C white wine

1 T butter

5 - 7 bulbs of roasted garlic

Phyllo Dough (1 pkg)

1 egg

Create Marinade*

Create a marinade with the Soy sauce, ginger and pepper. Place in the refrigerator. This can be done up to 24 hours in advance.

Roasted Garlic Duxelle

The garlic for the duxelle can be roasted ahead of time. I try to keep roasted garlic on hand since it can be spread on toasted bread or mixed with cream cheese to spread on bagels.

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Remove the outer skin off the garlic and cut off the top of the garlic bulb to expose the cloves.

3. Place the cloves of garlic into the bottom of a cast iron pan. At this point you can wrap them with aluminum foil.

4. If you don't have a cast iron skillet then another covered baking dish will do.

5. Whatever you use watch closely to ensure the garlic doesn't burn. Brush with olive oil and bake for about 45 minutes or until the garlic is slightly brown and completely soft.

6. While the garlic is roasting combine the white wine, shallots, butter in a small sauce pan. Simmer together until the liquid evaporates.

7. Once the garlic is done squeeze the garlic into a glass bowl and stir in the shallot mixture. Cover and set aside.

Foie Gras

The most important thing to keep in mind when working with Foie Gras is temperature. This includes the ambient temperature of the kitchen and the warmth of your hands during preparation. Remove Foie Gras from packing and rinse with cool tap water and pat dry. If temperature is a concern in your kitchen you can put ice in a shallow pan and cover with parchment paper. Lay the Foie Gras atop this ice. Do work quickly so that the ice does not melt too much and make the paper soggy. Separate the two lobes of the Foie Gras. Devein and remove any blood patches. Now using a knife warmed under running water and wiped dry, slice the Foie Gras to create medallions of 1 in by 1 ½ in.

*Marinate the Foie Gras in the cold Ginger Soy marinade for about 10 minutes. It is best to do this just before assembling the Wellington.

Brie

Remove chilled Brie from the refrigerator. Slice the brie into 1 in by ½ in slices.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Assemble

Open the Phyllo dough and take out 4 sheets. Slice 3 in by 5 in rectangles.

Place the Brie, Duxelle Mixture and the marinated medallion of Foie Gras in the Phyllo Dough. Brush the corners of Phyllo with egg wash or water. Seal the dough around the ingredients and place seam down on a sprayed cookie sheet. Brush the top of pastry with egg wash or butter.

Bake until golden brown. This should be about 20 minutes.

Mini Beef Wellington with Smoked Portabello Duxelle and Foie Gras

2 Rib Eyes or Sirloins sliced in ½ in by 1 in piees

1 Duck or Goose liver

Smoked or Grilled Portabello mushroom, minced fine

1 Red Habanero minced fine (optional)

½ C Soy sauce

1 t Granulated garlic

1 ½ t black pepper

3 Shallots, chopped fine

½ C Sherry

2 pkgs Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry Dough Sheets

1 T butter

1 egg

Marinade

Combine Soy sauce, Granulated garlic and Black pepper in a bowl. Add meat and set aside to marinate for 15 to 30 minutes.

Duxelle

Since the mushrooms have already been grilled, you don't have to simmer them with the rest of the duxelle mixture, however I just find it easier to simmer them together. The smokiness and the sherry create a wonderful marriage of flavor. In a small sauce pan combine the sherry, mushrooms, shallots, butter and habanero(if you are sensitive to spicy food, please leave it out). Simmer until liquid evaporates. Set aside.

Foie Gras

The same instructions as above apply for the care and handling of the Foie Gras.

Assemble

Roll out dough thinly on a floured surface. Cut 2 x 2 squares. Layer meat, Duxelle and Foie Gras. Brush the edges of the dough with water or egg wash and seal. Place seam down on a sprayed cookie sheet. Brush with egg wash and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Delicious served with Bernaise Sauce.

Sources:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/949483,foieupdate051408.article

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-foiegras-15-may15,0,4080495.story

http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking/cs/techniques/article/0,13803,1177055,00.html

http://greekfood.about.com/od/tipsnutritionmenus/qt/handling_fyllo.htm

http://www.culinarymedianetwork.com/ingredients/foie-gras-0305.html