12389 Foie Gras Cured in Salt Serves 4 as an Appetizer Wed Aug 06 01:05:49 -0700 2008 Thu Feb 05 19:06:30 -0800 2009 Licensed http://www.chow.com/recipes/12389 Fri, 06 Feb 2009 03:06:30 GMT Foie gras cured in salt is not that different from turning salmon into gravlax. Only an exceptional and very fresh liver should be used to prepare this dish. In San Francisco, I tasted one of chef Laurent Manrique's brilliant innovations using Artisan foie gras: sea salt–cured foie gras and monkfish à la Basquaise with Serrano ham.

You serve these thin slices on grilled slices of hot country bread and the salt-cured liver simply melts onto it.

Begin at least 1 day before serving.

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  • Soak the foie gras in 2 cups of water with the milk for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, rinse, and pat dry on kitchen towels.
  • Season the foie gras lobe with a pinch each Quatre Épices, pepper, and fleur de sel. Use a tripled large sheet of cheesecloth to roll the foie gras into a sausage shape as if you were making sushi with a bamboo sheet. Wrap up the liver with the cheesecloth and tie at each end.
  • Mix together the salt and sugar. Spread about ¾ inch of this mixture in a nonmetallic terrine just large enough to hold the liver lobe. Surround and cover with the remaining salt; top with a flat board weighted with bottles of wine or a heavy can of the same shape and store the terrine in the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours.
  • To serve, unwrap the liver and rinse it quickly under cold water. Dry completely, then cut into very thin slices while still chilled. Serve on very hot crusty bread.
  • You can remove the salt and cheesecloth and wrap the foie gras in airtight plastic wrap and store 1 to 2 more days in the refrigerator.
    • ]]>     http://www.chow.com Paula Wolfert 50 Main 1 small lobe fresh Artisan foie gras, 7 to 9 ounces (see Mail Order Sources, pages 415–417)

    ]]>     ½ cup milk

    ]]>     Quatre Épices (page 231)

    ]]>     Freshly ground pepper

    ]]>     Fleur de sel

    ]]>     ¾ to 1 pound coarse kosher salt, or more as necessary

    ]]>     1½ tablespoons sugar

    ]]>     4 to 8 hot grilled slices of thin-cut baguette or country bread

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