Well I have it wrangled and wrapped. Whew that was a job. It kept trying to escape. I have to thank Kayelle for finding the website she did. I used some of the tips from there and also used Michael Ruhlman's instructions. Tomorrow I'll post a pic of it hanging and also links to both web sites unless Kayelle wants to do the honors for the one she found. I'm having a drink and taking the rest of the evening off after beating that thing into submission.
Foie gras torchon
- Thread starter medtran49
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Kayelle
Chef Extraordinaire
Ha, by all means, post both of the sites Med! It was only you who did the work! 
I've just done the drooling. 
How I'd love just a little taste.
Can't wait to see your post tomorrow. Good job girl, I'm having an evening glass of libation myself. *clink*
I've just done the drooling. How I'd love just a little taste.Can't wait to see your post tomorrow. Good job girl, I'm having an evening glass of libation myself. *clink*
Just in case anybody else ever wants to try one of these things.
Kayelle's link.
The Food Lab: How To Make a Foie Gras Torchon (Secret Technique Inside!) | Serious Eats
Michael Ruhlman's instructions.
How To Make a Foie Gras au Torchon | Michael Ruhlman
I ended up with 525 grams after I had cleaned and sliced off the pieces for dinner the other night. The foie was just under 2 pounds when I started. Let me tell you, cleaning it was just so much fun. Watch the videos that are on the net, they do help. And if you have kitchen pliers and/or tweezers, use them. Your fingers/hands get very slippery and those veins are hard to hold onto. Have plenty of paper towels on hand and either wear gloves or be prepared to have really fatty feeling hands and have to do LOTS of handwashing afterward to get rid of that feeling, as well as the liver smell.
I did go ahead and soak it overnight in milk. The milk was discolored a tiny bit when I took it out of the fridge. I rinsed the foie and then let it drain and finish warming up a bit on paper towels. Amazingly, there was still some scant blood tinge on the paper towels.
While the foie was still warming up (it's easier to work with when it's close to room temp, kind of fatty play-dough feeling), I mixed up the cure. I did use the pink curing salt (sel rose) because we already had it from our other charcuterie adventures. We also have a scale that measures in grams or pounds/ounces. After I had all the ingredients weighed out, used the spice grinder to make it into a fine "snow" as Kayelle's site talks about. The calculator on your phone is your friend.
I did use Kayelle's site for the curing and shaping. I decided to sprinkle the cure on and wrap all in 1 step instead of the 2 steps on Ruhlman's/French Laundry's method. I initially thought the idea of using the bamboo sushi mat to roll it up was great but that didn't work out so well for me. The foie kept trying to come out of the sides. So, after I finally ended up getting it rolled, got 1 end tied off, tied off the other and then used the "guitar-string" style method described on Kayelle's site to compress it further. Worked on the 1 end first and then did the other end until it felt like it was well compressed (at least I hope it is). Hung it up in the fridge on the porch with a bowl under it in case anymore fat oozed out before it cooled down and firmed up. It's an older fridge and has wire shelves so I didn't have to rig up something, just tied it to the upper shelf.
A partial clean-up then ensued. Lots and lots and lots of paper towels from cleaning my hands so I didn't get that fatty residue everywhere got gathered up and tossed, as well as the used plastic wrap. All I can say is have everything you need ready to go before you start messing with the foie, cure ready to go, all the plastic wrap pieces you will need pulled out and waiting, the fine strainer (if you are using) out, cognac in a small bowl, cheesecloth cut and ready, and twine cut and ready to go. Above all, have paper towels pulled off the roll and ready to use. I had all that done and still was constantly wiping off my hands. It is a messy job. I do have to say though that the liver smell was mostly gone after the milk soak. Good thing as the night before the residual smell I couldn't get off my hands after cleaning the foie was driving the pugs crazy. Have to put the scale away and wash a few things later today.
It bears reiterating, have LOTS of paper towels on hand. Don't try this if you are about to run out.
Pic to follow later. It's still dark outside. I'll probably do the "poach" sometime tomorrow since I'm off work then.
Kayelle's link.
The Food Lab: How To Make a Foie Gras Torchon (Secret Technique Inside!) | Serious Eats
Michael Ruhlman's instructions.
How To Make a Foie Gras au Torchon | Michael Ruhlman
I ended up with 525 grams after I had cleaned and sliced off the pieces for dinner the other night. The foie was just under 2 pounds when I started. Let me tell you, cleaning it was just so much fun. Watch the videos that are on the net, they do help. And if you have kitchen pliers and/or tweezers, use them. Your fingers/hands get very slippery and those veins are hard to hold onto. Have plenty of paper towels on hand and either wear gloves or be prepared to have really fatty feeling hands and have to do LOTS of handwashing afterward to get rid of that feeling, as well as the liver smell.
I did go ahead and soak it overnight in milk. The milk was discolored a tiny bit when I took it out of the fridge. I rinsed the foie and then let it drain and finish warming up a bit on paper towels. Amazingly, there was still some scant blood tinge on the paper towels.
While the foie was still warming up (it's easier to work with when it's close to room temp, kind of fatty play-dough feeling), I mixed up the cure. I did use the pink curing salt (sel rose) because we already had it from our other charcuterie adventures. We also have a scale that measures in grams or pounds/ounces. After I had all the ingredients weighed out, used the spice grinder to make it into a fine "snow" as Kayelle's site talks about. The calculator on your phone is your friend.
I did use Kayelle's site for the curing and shaping. I decided to sprinkle the cure on and wrap all in 1 step instead of the 2 steps on Ruhlman's/French Laundry's method. I initially thought the idea of using the bamboo sushi mat to roll it up was great but that didn't work out so well for me. The foie kept trying to come out of the sides. So, after I finally ended up getting it rolled, got 1 end tied off, tied off the other and then used the "guitar-string" style method described on Kayelle's site to compress it further. Worked on the 1 end first and then did the other end until it felt like it was well compressed (at least I hope it is). Hung it up in the fridge on the porch with a bowl under it in case anymore fat oozed out before it cooled down and firmed up. It's an older fridge and has wire shelves so I didn't have to rig up something, just tied it to the upper shelf.
A partial clean-up then ensued. Lots and lots and lots of paper towels from cleaning my hands so I didn't get that fatty residue everywhere got gathered up and tossed, as well as the used plastic wrap. All I can say is have everything you need ready to go before you start messing with the foie, cure ready to go, all the plastic wrap pieces you will need pulled out and waiting, the fine strainer (if you are using) out, cognac in a small bowl, cheesecloth cut and ready, and twine cut and ready to go. Above all, have paper towels pulled off the roll and ready to use. I had all that done and still was constantly wiping off my hands. It is a messy job. I do have to say though that the liver smell was mostly gone after the milk soak. Good thing as the night before the residual smell I couldn't get off my hands after cleaning the foie was driving the pugs crazy. Have to put the scale away and wash a few things later today.
It bears reiterating, have LOTS of paper towels on hand. Don't try this if you are about to run out.
Pic to follow later. It's still dark outside. I'll probably do the "poach" sometime tomorrow since I'm off work then.
Did the poaching yesterday finally. Lost at least another inch, probably a bit more, afterward when I was doing the guitar-string style tying again. Another day and we'll be cutting it open. Got my fingers crossed.
I plan to try some when we cut it open and the rest will be sliced, vacu-packed in 2-slice serving portions and frozen.
I plan to try some when we cut it open and the rest will be sliced, vacu-packed in 2-slice serving portions and frozen.
Rocklobster
Master Chef
Looks great! I'm envious. Enjoy!
Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
MedTran, I applaud you. You are taking on a challenging cullinary task that most of us won't have the time to duplicate. In my home, I'm the only person who enjoys liver. DW would have a fit if I purchased foie gras to make a torchon. And she wouldn't eat it. I wonder if I could make a mock-foie gras with pork liver. It would be a fun experiment.
Anyway, I'm impressed, and that's not easily done. Good job.
Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
Anyway, I'm impressed, and that's not easily done. Good job.
Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
Sir_Loin_of_Beef
Chef Extraordinaire
You killed the goose that laid the golden egg!
Dawgluver
Chef Extraordinaire
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2011
- Messages
- 25,033
Quite the process, Med! Good job!
LizStreithorst
Senior Cook
I adore foie gras but I could never have taken on that challenge. If I wore a hat I would take it off to you. Instead I will bow to you in front of the computer.
And the finished product with a celery, parsley, basil salad with a black pepper/caramel drizzle.
Have to admit, we ate the ends while I was finishing dinner. It is so good, smooth, creamy, extremely rich. We decided on just 1 slice each for our actual meal after eating the ends. 6 more slices have been vacu-packed in packages of 2 each and are in the freezer firming up before final bagging. It was melting at room temp. Craig put his finger on 1 slice and it really started to melt.
Next time, if there is one, I'll use white pepper. One site said not to use it because they felt it gave a chemical aftertaste but I'm not sure I like seeing it in there, although it doesn't show up as much in regular lighting versus the camera flash.
Have to admit, we ate the ends while I was finishing dinner. It is so good, smooth, creamy, extremely rich. We decided on just 1 slice each for our actual meal after eating the ends. 6 more slices have been vacu-packed in packages of 2 each and are in the freezer firming up before final bagging. It was melting at room temp. Craig put his finger on 1 slice and it really started to melt.
Next time, if there is one, I'll use white pepper. One site said not to use it because they felt it gave a chemical aftertaste but I'm not sure I like seeing it in there, although it doesn't show up as much in regular lighting versus the camera flash.
Kayelle
Chef Extraordinaire
Well Done!!
Thanks all! I have to admit I was holding my breath when I made that first cut into it and was so happy to see that lovely creamy texture with no air spaces or fat pockets. It no longer had that greasy fatty feel either. I guess all the excess fat got squeezed out during the wrapping and/or came out during the poaching portion. I think I would do this again, maybe use the grade B (which is recommended for terrines and torchons) instead of the grade A that Craig got for me. I actually like the torchon much, much better than the seared pieces we had.
Kayelle
Chef Extraordinaire
Thanks for taking us along for the ride Med! Now the rest of us can say we know someone who not only made it, but made it well. 
