To the gourmands out there-foie gras
 

Please forgive this questions if it sounds so ignorant...

I love foie gras when we order it in restuarants here in the nicer restaurants in the US(Boston/SF/NY) - it is usually in the seared form with reduction of some kind(depending on the restaurant, that's where they get creative in what accompanies it). My question is, when I went around in Paris looking at the groceries and specialty stores, there were so many kinds and in so many different forms I was overwhelmed. There were the ones in block form, pate form, terrine and the ones in the hermetically sealed containers. Some so incredibly expensive, and others relatively much cheaper.

My confusion was further aggravated by the price difference that I saw when I started comparing products from the same store and those from other stores for similar items.

My first question is this: in what form in Paris will I find the ones that are normally ordered in restaurants here that are seared(are those the ones that i see in the stores in hermetically sealed containers or those in shrink wrap/vacuum packed plastic?)

My second one is what are the ones that you get when you order foie gras in a typical bistro type restaurant(more neighborhood type restaurants) that look like medallions and are often cold(almost looks like a cold cut)?

Third: What accounts for the big price difference for items that I think I am comparing properly(I am aware to try as much as possible to compare apples to apples, of course) -

For example, my first stop when I went to look for food products was Fauchon, and although they were quite a bit, thought that that was pretty much going rate, since they are quite expensive here anyway.

Specifically for example, the tinned block of foie gras(duck and goose). Then when I went to Hediard, the price difference for the same item - duck foie gras at Hediard and duck Foie Gras at Fauchon, and similarly goose foie gras at Fauchon and goose foie gras at Hediard was almost double.

Is this because Fauchon's quality is really better, or just break the news to me, I've been "tourist trapped"! So then when we were quickly passing through a little neighborhood store in the 7th arrondisement on our way to the Eiffel Tower, because it was late on a Sunday the store was already closed, I saw prices that were even better!!!(I think this store really caters to real people who live there, albeit, high end).

We are planning on going back again in the summer(we just returned the other day) and I would really like to go more intelligently this time!!! Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to research before we left and did not know about this site until our return.

I guess my fourth question also would be recommendations of where to get them?

I would really appreciate if someone can give a quick primer on this, or if not, refer me to a site that does a good job.

The price of ignorance!!!(or is it more like stupidity?) Looking forward to all your informed responses!

I believe that the ones you are referring to are either of these three: Raw (cru) vacuum-packed (sous vide) and not found outside holiday season; Mi-cuit or nature, sold in vacuum packs (sous vide) and also in foil-wrapped rolls and in jars: Fois gras entier, whole lobe which has been cooked and is sold in glass jars. This last one will last a longer time than the first two; they all need to be kept under refrigeration. The bloc fois gras can be blended with pork fat; you do not want this one for your purposes. I agree with you that the subject is quite confusing. You can find all of these and much more in a couple of shops on the food streets near Les Halles, or at least you could when I was last there about 4 years ago. One of these is: FOIS GRAS LUXE, 28, Rue Montmarte in the 1st. I would not buy this in Fauchon as I am sure you are paying $$ for their name.

Here is a site on the topic:

http://www.manoir-alexandre.fr/english/glossary.html

I'm not sure about some of your questions because I really like foie gras but don't generally have it seared (not sure I ever have), so I don't know about that. The kind I always get in restaurants is just a small slab of cold foie gras (a thin slice, but it isn't a slice, it's called a "tranche" in French). This is basically what I get when I buy the kind that is in small tins, which I refrigerate before serving, and I sprinkle with a little sea salt. Those tins have the tranches divided by little layers of metal, so they can be a little hard to get out in one piece.

I think part of the price difference you see it just the brand name, if it is the same product. Goose is more expensive than duck. Both Hediard and Fauchon are expensive, gourmet stores, so if you see a major price difference for the exact same product, same brand, same thing, same size, I would sure buy the cheaper one. They are traditional gourmet stores in France, so I'm not sure why you think the tourist thing is involved if you were looking at their main stores in Paris. I think Fauchon is a little better known name to tourists, so maybe they can price things a little higher for that reason. But double is surprising if it were the exact same product and brand.

Most of the price difference stems from the degree of concentration. 100% pure foie gras is, of course, most expensive, while you find preparations that contain maybe 50% foie gras and additional substances which are cheaper.
Everything which is formed is somewhat prepared and mixed with other stuff.
If you want to sear foie gras you have to buy it freshly at the butcher's. Canned foie gras is the worst quality (it has a taste of tin) albeit expensive. So serve it cold, I prefer the mi-cuit in plastic/aluminum wrapper.

Hi Christina -

I response to:
"I think part of the price difference you see it just the brand name, if it is the same product. Goose is more expensive than duck. Both Hediard and Fauchon are expensive, gourmet stores, so if you see a major price difference for the exact same product, same brand, same thing, same size, I would sure buy the cheaper one. They are traditional gourmet stores in France, so I'm not sure why you think the tourist thing is involved if you were looking at their main stores in Paris. I think Fauchon is a little better known name to tourists, so maybe they can price things a little higher for that reason. But double is surprising if it were the exact same product and brand."

The brand that I am referring to is basically their own label respectively, the Hediard duck/goose foie gras version is cheaper than the Fauchon version (now i know to get it from Hediard, unless others suggest to me much better alternatives).

To clarify further my question though when I made a reference to being "tourist trapped" at either store, so are both stores really a place that locals really go to or are they basically catering to tourists(I am trying to figure out if the prices are just higher here because they are really better quality or because they are catering more to tourists).

Thank you!

Thank you!

French people do shop at these big stores but why would you buy the product there when you can buy it in a "no-name" specialty shop that sells to restaurants as well as retail customers? I gave you the name of one such place in my earlier post.

bonzhoor, if you're interested in buying foie gras in the U.S., you can order from D'Artagnan (www.dartagnan.com), or if you live in or visit Boston (you mentioned it in your original post), Savenors on Charles Street sells it by the slice. I'm sure there are many other places around the country to get it. It's very easy to cook - just don't cook it too long or it will all melt away!

The type of foie gras that you see most often in restaurants in the U.S. is an entire foie gras (literally, a fattened liver), which is simply seared over high heat. There is nothing done to the foie gras (other than cleaning it, and possibly seasoning it) before cooking.

What you mostly see in Europe (or rather, what I've mostly seen in Europe) is foie gras that's been prepared in some way. Usually, it's some form of pate de foie gras, which means it's ground up and combined with other items (fat, nuts, etc.), then cooked, usually by steaming and/or in some sort of water bath. Usually served cold or at room temperature.

I have decided that in France, sometimes the "pate de" is left off in conversation or descriptions, even when what is meant is a pate preparation. Another sort of pate of foie gras is a "torchon," which is ground up foie gras that's made into a sausage shape, then steamed. Thomas Keller has a good description of this in his French Laundry cookbook.

I've also decided, after eating all the foie gras that I can manage while in Europe, that you're more likely to see foie gras preparations in European restaurants, because they take art in skill in preparing the foie gras, as opposed to just searing it. (Personally, I like it either way.) But that's just my guess.

The difference in prices is due to the other items that are included with the pate de foie gras, and the source of the foie gras. For example, I know that goose tends to be the most expensive, with duck following behind. But you can (or a chef can) make a pate de foie gras out of any animal's liver.

Hi Cantstayathome -

Love your screen name(sounds like me and my preschooler!) - we live in Boston, stone's throw away from Savenor's as a matter of fact, can't believe I didn't even think of them. I remember checking with Formaggio a while back but didn't really look much further than that. Nice to know - and thanks for the website too - I don't really go looking for it but thought sine we were there and it's so much more common there I would check it out, little did I know : )

Thanks!

I have some of the tinned stuff just because that's the only kind you can bring home from France on the plane. It isn't as good as what you get in a restaurant in France, of course.

I don't know the prices at Hediard and Fauchon, but there are other gourmet shops you can go to that aren't those big names, but still aren't nameless. Go to the gourmet grocery section of Bon Marche dept. store, for example, they have lots of foie gras for sale and their prices might be a little cheaper (but might not, I don't know). Plenty of French people shop at Hediard and Fauchon, but you are still paying for the name. Those stores are not "tourist stores" and have a long history.

Sorry, bonzhoor (love your name, too!), didn't have more insight into your initial question. I love Formaggio! Also love Wasik's in Wellesley. Know how you feel about the preschooler - my little toddler always wants to go, he points to the door and says "go!"

D'Artagnan's domestic duck foie gras is produced in the Hudson Valley of New York State by Hudson Valley Foie Gras. They sell to retail customers by mail.

www.hudsonvalleyfoiegras.com

Christina,

Are you sure you can bring canned (or any other kind) foie gras through U.S. customs? Just wondering.

Hi Bird -

I just brought back several tins, declared them and although we were put in the line where they would inspect your luggage if you have food items, they just let us go through without looking at them anymore. I searched through the archives on this site and there was quite a bit of discussion on this subject(if you do a search on foie gras). The responses were quite mixed but I was able to bring them in, no problem.

Hi bird,

You can't bring meat into the US.

Foie grs is not considered "meat".

The best, and most expensive, foie gras is the entire goose liver.

That is what you are describing.

You can bring it back in tins or vacuum sealed packages.

((I))

Cantstayathome, Savenors has so much to check out. I bought my boar there over the holiday I've been shopping there before the fire in the Cambridge location (which is again a second shop at the same spot), You can get exotic cuts of meat if you like and goose confit.
Terrine refers to the dish the patés and other things are baked in.

Thank you Ira. There are several versions of the entire liver, as I and other posters, have detailed above.

Lexma90,

Foie gras is not pâté de foie gras. The former is marinated in herbs and alcohol (cognac or armagnac is common), placed in the tin and sealed. It is then cooked in the tin. Pâté de foie gras usually includes pork fat. That is why pâté cannot be imported while foie gras can. Check the labels for content.

Christina,

Some day you should try fresh foie gras. It is completely different from the canned variety.