Foie Gras Cooking Demonstration by Rougie
When in Manila, indulge to your heart’s and stomach’s content! Every once in a while, it’s nice to treat your taste buds to something divine—something like foie gras.
Foie gras or fattened duck/goose liver is a delicacy in France and is not so common in the Philippines, as it is only available in some high-end establishments. I know many local foodies have acquired the taste for this indulgent ingredient, which is nice to eat when you want to treat yourself to something special. However, there is a misconception that foie gras is fatty and not good for you. Some have also learned about the foie gras production practices that include force-feeding, which made them veer away from this delicacy.
But did you know that foie gras contains a variety of nutritious elements? You would be surprised to know that aside from iron, those who consume foie gras would also get nutrients and vitamins like calcium, potassium, vitamin E, vitamin C, and Vitamin B, among others. In fact, it has less saturated fat than butter, and less calories than a portion of pizza. According to studies, foie gras contains 58% unsaturated fatty acids that help generate Omega-3 and protect the heart—olive oil has 65%.
As much as I love to eat foie gras, I could only do so whenever I dine in restaurants that serve this favorite of mine. Recently though, I discovered that you can get fast frozen foie gras locally. Werdenberg International Corp., is importing fast frozen foie gras products from a French company called Rougié. Its products have the same consistency as fresh foie gras. The company flash freezes each piece individually so there would be no clustering in the packaging and you could take out one piece at a time—perfect for wannabe cooks like me who want to experiment.
However, I haven’t cooked with foie gras before and I admit that I’m a bit intimidated by it. Fortunately, I was able to attend a foie gras cooking demonstration, which boosted my nerves to handle this delicate ingredient.
A tall and slender man appeared before us, a group of foodies with a common love for foie gras. Chef Jocelyn Deumie, Rougié Culinary Advisor and Corporate Chef for Asia, is a French chef is based in Japan. While there, he had a difficult time looking for French ingredients so he learned to use Asian ingredients when cooking foie gras.
He started off with some Mini Buns de Foie Gras, which looked like burger sliders. He paired the liver with some duck breast meat and topped it off with shallots and barbecue sauce. It was as delicious as I imagined. The chef also suggested that home-cooks could use store-bought barbecue sauce for convenience.
Another dish the chef created was Pot Au Feu of Foie Gras, which includes foie gras with duck confit wrapped in fine daikon slices and served in a bouillon of dashi, sake, soja, lime and mirin. The steamed meat is dished up with some colorful vegetables. This dish has approximately 220 calories per serving. I love the fact that it is both tasty and healthy.
My favorite during the cooking demonstration was the Poached and Pan-Fried Foie Gras that was served with Japanese vegetables and bouillon. The foie gras is really the main star in this dish and the other supporting roles were played by peas, shitake mushrooms, radish, yozo, daikon, and dashi, among others. The mixture of flavors was simply divine.
The chef prepared four dishes and finished with Foie Gras and Miso/Nasu that had some sesame seeds, eggplants, oyster sauce, and other herbs and spices. I thought the oyster sauce overpowered the foie gras, but it was good to know you could cook foie gras with this kitchen pantry staple.
Aside from the recipes, what I appreciated most about the cooking demonstration was the chef’s passion for food as he searched for various ways to particularly cook with foie gras.
“Don’t be afraid to eat foie gras,” says Chef Jocelyn Deumie. “I eat [it] everyday.”
With the chef’s healthy appearance and slender built, it seems like foie gras is good for you indeed.
Werdenberg International Corp.
Address: 7431 Yakal Street, San Antonio Village, Makati City
Tel: +63 2 840-3771 to 82
Fax: +63 2 893-1573 / 817-1217
