Re: ISO: Hans for foie-gras au torchons

Posted by Chef Mars on February 01, 1998 at 21:10:36:

In Reply to: ISO: Hans for foie-gras au torchons posted by cuoco on January 04, 1998 at 23:54:35:

: Apperantly you wrote to someone on CEU about how to properly make torchons and terrine. Something has gone wrong with that archive and I can't seem to find that topic. Would you be ever so kind to share that information to me? It would be greatly appreciated.

: Thanks in advance,

: Cheers

Here is a re-post, as close as possible to the original as I can recall. The original was lost when the Cyberchefs Electronic Union BBS suffered a crash a few years ago. My posting was in response to an inquiry concerning Foie Gras. It has been about 11 years since I last prepared this so some of the quantities are a bit hazy in my memory, but the ingredients are all there as are the preparation steps. If my memory serves me well a "Torchon" is/was a French term for what in the States we generally call a cook's side towel.

"BALLONTIN DE FOIE GRAS DE CANARD"
Fresh duck "Foie Gras" poached "au torchon"

Ingredients
2 lbs. of cleaned grade A duck liver
18 grams of dry seasonings mixture
9 grams of Salt
4 grams of "Cuatro Epices"
2 grams of Salt Peter (also called "Sprague Powder"
3 grams of Sugar

5 grams ground white pepper
Cognac (good quality)
Maderia Wine
Truffle Juice
all purpose flour
egg whites (lightly beaten)
chicken stock (clear and no grease)
gelatin sheets (use about 4-5 sheets for each liter of poaching liquid)

Preparation
1) Clean livers well; separate the lobes and remove veins carefully so as to not crumble the lobes. A pairing knife with a very sharp point is good for this.

2) Toss liver pieces with all the dry seasonings mixture and the ground white pepper and then marinade with the Cognac, Maderia and Truffle Juice for at least 2 hours.

3) Drain and reserve the marinade.

4) Dust the liver pieces with the flour and then mix with the egg whites.

5) Place the liver pieces in the "torchon" and tightly roll it up and tie off the ends. This will take some practice.

6) Bring the chicken stock to a gentle simmer, add the reserved marinade and the softened gelatin sheets and gently simmer the "torchon" for about twenty minutes or less, depending on the thickness of the roll. As always when cooking foie gras be careful to not overcook or use too high of a temperature.

7) Allow the "torchon" to cool in the poaching liquid.

SUGGESTION; Serve chilled slices of the "torchon" with a piece of toasted brioche and a small salad of roasted pears and fresh spinach.

Culinarily Yours,
Chef Mars of the Caribbean

• Cyberchefs Electronic Union

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