A Liver Runs Through It — Page 3

The second farm, located near Québec City, was a somewhat different story. This smaller producer, which used smaller, old and picturesque wooden sheds and barns, also revealed a slightly different methodology. The ducklings (hatched off-site) were allowed free range in outdoor pens before being moved indoors to the manipulated environment. But even that seemed a little friendlier: at this stage the ducklings were still allowed to roam in quite large rooms.

The gavage was similar to the prior operation, but with an important difference: the feed was stopped when the livers were estimated to be at the 400 to 450 gram stage of growth for slaughter, and before any obvious distension had taken place. For regulatory reasons (and much like many of the province’s wonderful cheeses), their product is not legally available outside Québec.

The chef with whom I was traveling, Jean-Luc Boulay, who operates a restaurant in Québec City called Le Saint-Amour, visited this operation regularly, as much, I came to feel, for his interest in the welfare of the animals as for the quality of the finished (smaller) product that they gave up. He seemed convinced that the smaller livers were superior—less likely to be granular—and that the ducks knew no suffering. Boulay regularly serves several variations—typical might be a homemade terrine with Sauternes jelly and fig pulp; squab stuffed with fresh foie gras; or foie gras seared with fleur de sel, the pan deglazed with cranberries and mango chutney. One can also order a foie gras plat combining several of these preparations.

Without for a minute wishing to prejudice anyone, I myself, having seen these two producers, wouldn’t eat from a foie over half a kilo. And because in a restaurant setting that’s nigh on impossible to verify, I choose to eat it no more. It’s an entirely personal choice, albeit one I regretfully add to a growing list of other much-missed foods, especially that other luxe indulgence, Caspian caviar.

In fact, the last foie gras I ordered was in Québec City, two summers ago, from the hand of the master Boulay. It was generous and seared quickly in a hot iron pan, with a dash of good salt and a fresh, barely warmed compote of rhubarb that put sweaters on my teeth. Those perfect combinant flavours, plush under their crust and tinctured with the rhubarb, melted away slowly, and then forever.


Sitting Ducks—A Glossary


FOIE GRAS POELE
Foie gras trimmed from the lobe to the size of outsized dominoes, then briefly seared in a very hot pan. It’s traditionally served with warmed, slightly acidified compotes of fruits such as rhubarb, gooseberry, or tart applesauce, and accompanied with a Sauternes, port, Banyuls, icewine or a late harvest wine. We recommend the La Frenz Muscat from the Naramata Bench, or the 2004 Inniskillin Okanagan Vidal icewine.

TERRINE DE FOIE GRAS
The terrine is the pure liver, deveined, cooked, often marinated in port and served cold, to be spread over toast, crackers or grilled brioche. The best local version is at Oyama Sausage Company, sometimes prepared en croute. Some terrines are made with B-grade product that may have suffered bruising; this does not usually affect the taste.

FOIE GRAS MOUSSE OR PATE
Foie gras mixed with other products such as cream, eggs, herbs or other types of liver. Mousse is lightened with cream and is usually served in a flute; pâté, on the other hand, is typically moulded to be spread on epi baguettes or crackers.

FOIE GRAS TORCHON
Torchon translates as cloth. The entire foie gras lobe is marinated in port, Armagnac or Sauternes, then steamed in a cheesecloth to preserve its shape before being sliced into serving portions.

MAGRET
The breast that comes from a duck that produced foie gras. The magret is a red meat that is usually cooked whole. It is first seared in a pan and then finished in the oven. The magret can also be hot smoked, or dry cured and cold smoked to make various charcuterie items such as sausage or prosciutto.

DUCK CONFIT
Confit means preserved, and preserving duck legs that are cooked and then stored in their own fat is an ancient art. The trick is to brine the legs first; the salting process removes bacteria and extends shelf life for up to six months when the confit is stored in a cool place. Oyama Sausage Company also prepares very good confit duck legs.

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