duck
Foie Gras
The fattened liver of a duck or goose. In the last two to three weeks of the bird's life it is fed a high-energy diet through a tube, and the liver swells to several times its normal size as it fills with fat. That process is why the product exists and why it is contested.
In one line
A liver that is mostly fat, and dissolves if you look away.
Buy it if
You're serving a few people something very rich, and you either want it cold and spreadable or you're confident enough to sear a slice in under a minute.
What it is. The liver of a duck or goose fattened by gavage: in the final two to three weeks the bird is fed a high-energy corn diet through a tube, and the liver enlarges several times over as it stores fat. A finished duck foie gras runs around a pound and a half; an ordinary duck liver weighs a few ounces. Almost all foie gras sold in the US is duck, from Moulard — a Muscovy-Pekin cross.
Why it is contested. Animal-welfare organizations oppose the practice on the grounds that force-feeding harms the birds; producers and the French government defend it as traditional and not distressing to them. Production is illegal in a number of European countries. California has banned its sale under a law that has been through repeated court challenges. This is a real disagreement, not a misunderstanding.
Grades. A is the largest, smoothest and least veined, and is what gets sliced and seared. B is smaller and more veined, and goes into terrines, torchons and mousse — where the texture is being rebuilt anyway and the veins stop mattering.
Searing a slice is a 90-second job. Cut it half an inch thick straight from the fridge, salt it, and lay it in a dry pan that is genuinely hot: 30 to 45 seconds a side, until browned and just yielding. Foie gras fat flows at a low temperature, so a slow or timid pan does not cook it, it dissolves it. Hesitate and you are left with a puddle and a thin brown scrap.
Mousse and pâté need no cooking at all. Take them out of the fridge fifteen or twenty minutes ahead so the fat is not stiff, and put them on something plain.
Where it comes from on the animal
| Species | duck |
|---|---|
| Subprimal | liver — whole lobe, or emulsified as mousse or terrine |
What else it’s called
How to cook Foie Gras
| Best methods | Pan sear Terrine Sous vide Roast |
|---|---|
| Skip | Grill |
| Cook to | Seared: 30–45 seconds a side in a very hot dry pan — browned outside, barely warm through. Mousse and terrine are served cold, out of the fridge 15 minutes ahead. |
Common questions
Is foie gras legal where I live?
It is legal in most of the United States. California prohibits its sale under a law that has been repeatedly litigated, and New York City has passed a ban of its own. In Europe it is generally the production that is banned rather than the sale. Check locally before ordering.
What is the difference between foie gras, pâté and mousse?
Foie gras is the whole liver or a lobe of it. A pâté or terrine is foie gras pressed and set, often with other liver or fat worked in. A mousse is emulsified — whipped with fat until it is spreadable. Mousse is the mildest and the easiest to serve; the whole lobe is the one you can sear.
Why did my foie gras disappear in the pan?
The pan was not hot enough. Its fat starts flowing at a low temperature, so heat that would gently cook a scallop simply liquefies it. You want a dry pan hot enough to brown the surface on contact, and the slice back out inside a minute.
Does it need to be deveined?
Grade A lobes have few enough veins that most people sear slices without touching them. For a terrine the veins are pulled out while the lobe is at room temperature and pliable — cold liver tears rather than releasing them.
More duck
Whole Duck
One bird, two cuts that want different temperatures.
Duck Bacon
Bacon in shape and cure only — it cooks like something else entirely.
Duck Fat
The reason a restaurant roast potato doesn't taste like yours.
Duck Leg
Same bird, opposite rulebook.
Duck Breast
The only poultry you cook to medium-rare.