Poultry Liver

Chicken Liver

Chicken livers appear in almost every national cuisine; they are a well-known feature of Jewish cooking and form an essential ingredient in many pâtés, terrines and stuffings. They are also often eaten whole - lightly seasoned and sautéed in butter or wrapped in bacon, skewered and grilled. Always try to buy fresh, fine-grained, pale livers rather than the frozen varieties.

Goose Liver

A normal goose liver (as opposed to one that has been fattened for foie gras - see below) weighs about 115 g (14 oz). It is delicious when sliced and fried, or may be mixed with breadcrumbs, herbs, mushrooms and bacon to create a tasty stuffing. If you soak the liver in milk before cooking, it will swell and become even more tender.

Foie Gras

Both ducks and geese are raised to produce fois gras (literally: fat liver), considered to be one of the greatest delicacies in French cuisine. This rich pâté made from the preserved liver of specially fattened bird has a rich and buttery texture and a delicate flavour quite unlike regular duck or goose liver.

To make foie gras, birds are force-fed ('gavage') for the last two weeks of their lives so that their livers enlarge with large amounts of fat, giving it a smooth, buttery consistency. The best foie gras comes from geese; however, as the carcass of a fattened duck is more valuable than that of a goose, duck foie gras is by far the most common kind. Duck foie gras tastes musky with a subtle bitterness, whereas goose foie gras is smoother and less gamey.

Foie gras is usually served in thin slices with a sweet wine such as Sauternes. It can also be used as an ingredient for many recipes, such as Suprêmes de Volaille Strasbourgeoise (chicken breasts in a creamy foie gras sauce).

France is the leading producer and consumer of foie gras; the gavage method of feeding is prohibited in the UK and many other European countries. It is commonly available in four forms:

1. Foie Gras Cru

Raw foie gras.

2. Foie Gras Frais

Fresh foie gras. This may be purchased from delicatessens and will keep for about one week in the fridge.

3. Foie Gras Mi-Cuit

Semi-cooked foie gras. Sold in cans, this version will keep for about 3 months in the fridge once it is opened. It may be labelled in one of a number of ways:

Foie gras au naturel
Pure whole livers.
Foie gras de canard entire
Whole duck foie gras, made of one or two whole liver lobes - also available cooked (cuit), or fresh (frais).
Pâté de foie d'oie
Whole goose liver coated with a forcemeat.
Foie gras d'oie entire
Whole goose foie gras, made of one or two whole liver lobes- also available cooked (cuit), or fresh (frais).
Bloc (or parfait) de foie gras
Liver reconstituted from small pieces, made of 98% or more foie gras