A whole foie gras, perfectly cooked until soft and smooth, nestled in a shallow serving dish, accompanied by braised cabbage and a chunky sauce of chopped carrots, leeks, and onions, can be an understated but elegant choice for a dinner menu. Slice the liver at the table and accompany it with mashed potatoes.
Danielle Delpeuch, an expert and former private chef for President Mitterand, gave me this recipe. She told me how, when her grandfather made a four-hour round trip to market in a horse-and-buggy, her grandmother would sometimes prepare this dish in a closed iron pot in the embers in the fireplace, moving the pot around to keep the cooking even and slow. Danielle has updated her grandmother's recipe, using an enameled cast-iron casserole on a stove top. Still, I would gladly make a four-hour horse-and-buggy trip knowing I was coming home to a meal like this!
To make last-minute preparation easier, trim the foie gras, soak the caul fat, and prepare the cabbage about 4 hours before you plan on serving the dish.
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Place the caul fat in a small bowl. Add the vinegar and enough cold water to cover and soak the caul for 15 minutes; rinse and drain.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, remove and discard the outer leaves from the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into 8 wedges; cut out the core and remove the thick ribs. Drop the cabbage into boiling water, cover, and quickly return to a boil. Cook 3 for minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water; repeat with fresh boiling water. Squeeze the cabbage dry in a kitchen towel.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the duck fat in a large skillet. Add the cabbage and sauté over high heat, stirring, for 1 minute. Add 1½ cups of the chicken stock, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon white pepper. Cover, reduce the heat to moderate, and cook for 15 minutes. Uncover and boil over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until the liquid evaporates and the cabbage begins to caramelize slightly, about 20 minutes. Remove the cabbage from the heat and set aside, partially covered. (The recipe can be prepared to this point several hours in advance.)
About 1 hour before serving, pat the foie gras dry. Season with ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon of pepper, and ⅛ teaspoon of the nutmeg. Snuggle the smaller lobe into the large one. Gently press the two lobes together to form an egg shape. Wrap them in the prepared caul fat.
In a heavy 3-quart flameproof casserole, soften the carrots, leeks, onion, and shallots in 2 tablespoons of the duck fat over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Season with pinches of salt and pepper. Meanwhile, reheat the cabbage over low heat.
In a medium nonstick skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the duck fat over moderate heat. Add the foie gras, season with pinches of salt and pepper and the remaining ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, and cook until lightly browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn over and cook the second side until browned, about 2 minutes.
Carefully pour off the fat from the skillet. Add the Port and gently turn the foie gras in the liquid to coat it and form a glaze, about 1 minute. Place the foie gras on top of the vegetables in the casserole. Add the remaining chicken stock to the skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits at the bottom with a wooden spatula; pour over the liver. Cover and braise over low heat for about 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature registers 120°F. Remove the casserole from the heat and let it stand, covered, for 10 minutes; the liver will continue to cook in the receding heat.
When the liver has rested for 10 minutes, carefully transfer it to a heated serving dish. Remove any caul fat that has not dissolved. Tip the pan and skim as much fat as possible from the pan juices. Surround the foie gras with the vegetables and the cabbage. Moisten with the pan juices and serve at once.
Caul Fat
Caul fat, a lacy fatty membrane that melts as it cooks, must be ordered from a butcher shop that carries it fresh. You can usually find it in an Asian market. It is well worth looking for. When you order caul fat, buy several pounds, and then freeze it in ½-pound packets. (It will keep in the freezer for up to 1 year.) Use it for cooking lamb, sausages, salmon, and terrines. To prepare the caul fat for use, soak it in several changes of vinegary water (1 teaspoon vinegar for every 1 cup water) for 30 minutes. Drain it well and pat dry.
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