Terrine of Fresh Duck Livers

Fois Terrine hindsight note;

Use hot tea water to rest a very sharp knife in before using said knife to slice into the terrine. That way, you get a smooth velvety cut.

3 Lobes, though, I did not use my Mac on them, I used my fingers, a toothpick and turning knife to effectively remove the veins/membranes/crap.

The fois marinating in Quatre Epices.

One of the Royal York's newest Apprentices Marc, doing the grunt work of the project.

Joel Robouchon came out with a book in '91 called "Simply French". It's simple dishes refined. This recipe was in the book. While the simplicity aspect of the title does not always reflect the techniques involved, it does stress the importance of keeping the flavours naked. Note, this terrine does not have any booze or truffles. Just simple spices, and fois. That is all you taste. Enjoy it with a Grand Sauternes or a Gewurztraminer, toasted brioche, and pickled cherries.

The recipe itself is huge, so I will take the easy route and give general directions. HA. My blog.

-Start off by brining the whole fois for 6 hours in a salt water solution (2tbs. per litre)

-Remove, pat dry, and locate and get rid of all veins/membranes/crap. Re-assemble it back as best as you can, but most likely you destroyed it.

-Right away afterwards (Did I mention you are doing all this fois work over a towel to avoid the liver from slipping?), coat the livers (I used 3!) in Sugar, Sea Salt, Freshly Ground White Pepper, and Quatre Epices (equal ratios of Cinnamon, Allspice, Cloves, and Nutmeg). Cling-film firmly, allow to rest in the fridge for 12 hours.

-Using an enameled cast iron terrine, remove the fois and separate the two lobes. Using the large lobes smooth side down, cover the bottom, fill the middle with the smaller lobes and topping off the terrine again with the large again. Cut a parchment sheet to the size of the terrine service and place over the fois. Press down equally firmly to remove all the air pockets. Rest in the fridge for 30 mins.

-At the same time, heat a large pot of water to 176F, prepare your water bath by using a hotel pan, parchment covering the bottom and parallel cuts on it to damper boiling water.

-Insert the terrine into the hotel pan, add the 176F water to 3/4 of the top of the terrine. Place in a pre-set 250F oven (If using Convection, do at a lower temp). Cook at 25 minutes per pound.

-Remove from the over, remove terrine from the water bath. Pressing your hands over the parchment, pour out all the fat and liquids stewing around into a jug. Expect a lot. About 2 cups. Let the juices sink to the bottom and using a ladle, Gently pour back the golden fat into the terrine evenly.

-Rest uncovered for 3 hours in a fridge. Afterwards, cover with the cover for 12 hours to let the fat harden. From there, cling film the terrine to cover.

-Let the fois ripen mature for 3 to 4 days before serving.

-Jerek (With the help of Joel Robouchon)