Foie gras bust in California?

It sure looks that way. As most of you might know (in case you don't you are in the right place here), California has banned the production and sale of foie gras as of July 1st 2012. Here we go again! Remember the ban in Chicago? That did not last very long and Mayor Daley then commented that Chicago had bigger problems to tend to. They repealed the ban and moved on to more important things. As of now it does not look like repeal of the law in CA is coming anytime soon to the dismay of many Chefs there.

My humble origins go back to France in the heart of foie gras country, ie, Gascony. Foie gras in France is everywhere and has been for as long as anyone can remember. It is a delicacy but also an important part of our culinary culture and heritage. France produces 78% of the world's foie gras vs the USA 1.8%. Now you know why some of us are all for it. As a Chef, I am a bit, make that a lot, irritated by this ban nonsense in CA or anywhere else for that matter. I believe that the people who were behind that ban and lobbied for the law have an agenda of their own which bring the question: who are they to tell me what I should eat or not eat? The other side of the discussion is economics and jobs and California is doing it .......again. Chasing more jobs out of the state which is already broke. Let's talk about what it takes to produce foie gras.

The duck farmer needs land that if it does not own it, it will cost him rent.

Then there is equipment and materials along with shelter for the birds.

Then there is the staff to care for the birds 24/7.

Then there are the farmers who produce the feed and corn for the birds.

Then there is the company which produces the eggs ( males are raised for foie gras and meat, females are raised for meat only).

About two weeks old!

Then there are the truckers who transport all of the above.

Then there is the processing plan for slaugthering, cutting, packaging and final State and Federal inspections and stamps of approval (the producer pays for the inspections).

Then there is the cold storage facilities who stores the duck various products including the foie gras which the producer must rent.

Then there are the shipping companies such as FedEx and UPS who deliver the products to your door or to the Chefs directly. See the impact of this ban? and this is only a small fraction of the foie gras production in the USA so what's next?

Getting there, looks like happy ducks to me!

Moulard ducks and the foie gras they produce are close to my culinary heart. Of course I must address the controversy about the forcefeeding of the ducks to obtain foie gras. I recently visited a duck farm to find out for myself and what I saw was standards way above and beyond the farming practices typical of other types of poultries beind raised in this country. The birds are raised in well vented and cooled (or heated as the weather changes) in very spacious barns and have plenty of room to roam and grow comfortably. Once they have grown their feathers they are taken outside where they have plenty of food,water, shade and room to roam free. I was totally impressed to see how much land is used to raised the ducks. I have seen before a chicken farm where the chickens are raised in very cramped conditions and only indoors for all of their short lives. The media would have us believe that animal mistreatment is a common thing in poultry farming and they might be right in some instances. Well, not so in this duck farm. The duck farmers here showed me everything and had nothing to hide. They graciously answered all my questions and thanks to their honesty I now consider myself very knowledgeable on this topic. Of course I wanted to see the forcefeeding of the ducks for myself and was granted that too.

The process is actually pretty short, just a few seconds as the ducks are fed a premeasured portion of corn twice a day. There is no other way to produce foie gras and this process only last two weeks during which time they are housed indoors in spacious pens with plenty of water and in a cool environment.

I had the opportunity to process whole Moulards ducks raised for foie gras over the past year and can assure you all of the eight ducks that I did were in perfect health meaning, no bruises, scratches, no broken bones, etc. Now the same cannot be said for the chicken we buy in our neighbourhood food stores! Next time take a closer look!

What will it take to repeal this ridiculous ban in CA? The Chefs must join together and their guests too. As for me, sign me up for this fight.

A busy year ?

I think so and I am still talking duck so quack,quack to everybody. I have not kept up with this thing but I am here today trying to catch up. Apart from the searing heat we got in Dallas for three months, summer was pretty good overall. No matter how bad things get (still talking weather) we always get used to it and we just got to spend more time inside, worked for me just fine.

In July the American Culinary Federation was holding its National Convention here at the Gaylord and I was a presenter for 3 educational seminars. I was humbled and also very proud to teach these classes to Chefs from every corner of this country. I did two hands on seminars on Charcuterie and one seminar/demo on duck fabrication and foie gras. They were all very well received as the Charcuterie trend is on the rise with many Chefs doing ( or in some cases attempting to do) their own. The Charcuterie classes were the first to sell out and I did accept more attendees but without participation in the hands on segment which was fine as they got to understand the principles of curing and aging various types of meat and game.

The Chefs in this seminar got to taste ten different types of Charcuterie as show above. Yes it is a lot of work but the fun is huge along with the satisfaction from the results.

On the foie gras seminar 162 Chefs showed up as it was open to all; I could get used to this standing room only stuff, real easy. I was overwhelmed by the size of this professional crowd but recovered quickly (no other choice, so why worry) . I totally appreciated the level of attention given to my presentation by all the Chefs but was very surprised to find out that a lot of them were not very familiar with the topic. I went to work and did a PPT presentation on the raising of the ducks and the production of foie gras. The comments were all positive and I did not get any negatives on the process of force feeding the birds to produce the foie gras.

This a mi cuit foie gras marinated in a reduction of malbec and aromatics. The result ? YUMMMMMMMMMMM !

I had lots of help and could not have done this without the support of Junny and Guillermo Gonzales from Sonoma Artisan Foie Gras in California. Junny came in and was very excited and happy to see the support and understanding from the Chefs. It was a very unique class and I must give special thanks to Chefs Mark Schneider, John Jost, Stacy O'Neil and all the culinarians who volunteered and worked so hard to make me look good, keep me focused and on time. To all of you THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU !

After my demo I really enjoyed the Q & A session with my peers, it was great and I hung out as late as I could. My good friend and Chef Stafford DeCambra did process the second duck right next to me and followed my lead perfectly . Good Job Stafford and thank you for being there and being the best team player I know.

I cannot say how important it is in my field to attend these professional gatherings to learn new things, renew friendships and make new ones. Keeping up with trends in the food world and new techniques is absolutely critical, that is why we call it Continuing Education.

These are some of my best Chef's moments that I will always treasure. Just in case anyone still doubts my passion for duck and foie gras this pic should put any doubt to rest.

As they say "better late than never" and I am no different. So until the next post, keep on cooking .

Catching up is hard to do !

Ok, first an apolology for litterally abandonning my blogging. My good friend JK lectured me on

how imporatnt it is to talk to the world out there and I agree. So I will try, make that I will blog at least twice a month as after the JK encounter I realized that I really have a lot to share on food,wine,friends,life and whatever my common sensed mind has to offer.
As I said it has been awhile and as far as the travelling part of my life is concerned it has been kind of busy for the last six months. Dec 2010 in France, Jan 2011 in Argentina/Patagonia and April in NOLA. Not bad and the memories, well you get it, just so very special. My friends always remind me that I do take life too seriously but I must translate that to, I just happen to put real value on the precious moments that we are all blessed with.

The grilled meats and the chimichuri to go with it were great, so were the wines . Thanks to our friends at the Terraza de los Andes winery in Mendoza. (more on that in a future post)
The trip home to France was one of my annual rituals and it went very well except for the weather which was really nasty and cold. Got lemons ? make lemonade. Got cold weather ? throw another log in the fireplace,grab some Armagnac and start writing,which I did but not on my blog. I did however finish writing the bylaws for one of the professional association I belong to (World Master Chefs Society)and that was tedious but I got it done.

Went to the the top of the Pyrenees and over to Spain for lunches and coffee/pick me ups in the afternoon while enjoying the white scenery and the mountains goats running in the snow looking for food. I just love the simplest things in life and they are free too. What a deal !

See the goats ?

The rest of the time was spent with family and friends and of course I did cook for everybody and everybody cooked for me. The French get the prize as they do not need a reason to get together and enjoy what they love best: food , wine and themselves. Foie gras is always a big thing and one of my favorites. Down South where I am from it is half the price we pay here, works for me.
Yes I did schlepp 80 miles to the heart of foie gras country but as you can see it was worth it !

Finally, here it's to you friends in the foodosphere, grab a glass and start a good conversation; don't have a friend nearby ? no problem, make one now, cheers !

Homebody ? You bet !

I am very late posting this but fortunately I had written it on the plane coming back to Dallas just before Christmas, now you know !

The week went by pretty quick as I visited friends and family and tried to do some work on the house ( tried being the key word here ). Today is saturday and also my sister’s BD. Here is the menu for dinner and of course I am cooking it which is fun. My sister is not a cook and has no interest in furthering her culinary know how or lack thereof. Here is the menu with too much details but........

Foie gras en terrine with black tomato compote
Frisee and fenouil
Rose poached Passe Crassane

Farm raised roasted Guinea Capon
Black trumpet farce
Celery root mousseline
Haricots verts

Pears and Bananas Foster

I have prepped for a few hours and my lunch was quick but not light: country ham, pate, munster cheese (the real stuff) pistachio pot de crème and the real baguette that is perfect with it. All the good stuff that’s bad for me but so good to eat. I know, I know, I’ll have to get back to normal asap, for now it’s all good.
Watching rugby and a nap in the afternoon was just great along with a roaring fire place makes it for a perfect winter afternoon. Who cares what the weather looks like ?

I opened all the wines before dinner and was especially surprised at the Sauternes,1984 Chateau Lamothe that I picked out of my cellar without knowing what it was since the whole label was covered with mold but the color through the glass was just perfect. I will serve this wine with the foie gras. Yummmmm ! See the pic below.
It is a 25 years old bottle which has laid undisturbed in the darkness and the damp atmosphere of my cellar which will need some improvements in a few years but is doing the job for now. This is a case where the wait is really worth it. Of course it has a lot to do with the fact that I was not anywhere close by for that bottle to be left alone for that long.

The rest was a Pomerol for the capon and a Haut Medoc for the cheese, champagne with dessert and I did not have to drive, what a deal !
I had done a lot of advance work so doing this dinner was no sweat for me but enjoyed by all. I was really pleased with the terrine which came out great with rich duck flavor and silky texture. the Guinea capon was a first for me but very very good with a good yield of meat, lots of flavor. The foie gras was just deeeeelish and the flavor was all terroir and tradition which means an awful lot to me. The Sauternes with it was truly God’s work and my appreciation for these high quality products is way up there as a Chef and the lucky guy that I am for being born in the thick of it.
I am looking forward to many more in a few years with a few of you . Wait, I am not looking to be the next Peter Mayle but I’ll do all the cooking !
A great evening it was with lots of conversation, laughs and no dissents . What ? Yeah, in my French neighborhood it might be a rarity but it does happen.

Later,

Chef Andre

Can't wait to start that foie gras terrine !

I just had to take this picture and regretted not to have brought with me a couple of gallon jars. Look at those price ! Chateau Margaux it ain't but what a deal for everyday drinking, 1.30 $ a liter ! You pick your color and take it home.

I will be prepared next time, you can be sure of it !

I took a different way home and found by accident a duck farm in the middle of nowhere. Stop, it is picture time…..again ! The ducks seemed happy and social as they did not scatter when I moved closer to their fence. Big ducks ! Size, only a Chef could understand and work wonders from. I stay for a few minutes just watching the ducks and this feels like real life in mother nature’s back yard ! This is fun as long as I don’t have to walk in the mud like the farmers do on their farm .
The trip back was eventless . I went to the market closer to home and bought some duck foie gras for my terrines, the price ? 18 $ a pound ! I am not making this up but when it comes to foie gras, buyer beware !

That is what we started with below.

I got to work on my terrines the next day and got help from Natalie, one of my sister’s friends who is a real fooddie. She was just thrilled to learn how to make her own foie gras terrine. What can I say ? It was fun and as we know: once a Chef, always a teacher ! That would be the new or not so new me. Wait a minute, a now American French Chef teaching his own countrymen how to make foie gras in their own backyard and they are all ears ?

And this is what we had as our appetizer along with a great Sauternes, but more on that later !

Don’t tell me the French have not changed because they really have and the influence of the younger generations is starting to show in many ways some good some different some not so good but overall change is the thing as it stirs many passions.

Look below, when we see this picture live we know we are home and we all know that there is no place like home, wherever it may be. Small yes but the peace and quiet there are sweet, why ? because that pretty much all there is and I like that.......a lot !

Thanks for listening but stay tuned.

Chef Andre

It does not get any fresher than this !

This post might be a bit pictures heavy but those are the real thing.

I remember in my early years as a young cook ( noticed I did not say Chef ? ) the foie gras markets of that time and they have not changed much except that they are now better regulated and the sanitary conditions are excellent whereas before it was rather basic and a bit primitive. All products now are inspected and displayed in a refrigerated hall.

The doors are locked and the only people in the room are the sellers and whatever authority is in charge of the gig. Everybody else, mostly potential buyers and some tourists are standing outside the locked doors until it is the official time to open which is announced by a loud whistle blow. People start to rush in like the mad shopping crowds the day after Thanksgiving. I just follow and get in the atmosphere, I like this and know that some day I will be back and be one of the buyers.

By the way it is only cash or check here and as you can see no fancy packaging either as it is all about the foie !
I am surprised at the look and size of the foies on display. First they are mostly all duck with a few goose livers. The duck livers are of various sizes anywhere from 10 ounces to 1.25 pound and up.Their color is more of a fleshy white/pink than the light beige color we are familiar with. I do not know what it means and do not dare ask as the sellers are in no mood to play twenty questions with some tourist who sports the local accent. I would think that they might be feeding the ducks with white corn instead of the other yellow kind we see everywhere. There are however a few livers of the beige color and the ducks which produced them were for sure fed yellow corn.
I am however stunned by the freshness of the product as yesterday was the birds last day in this world. This is way above fresh if there is such a thing. We American Chefs are not used to see this level of freshness on foie gras as everything in the states is stored before it travels. I spend a lot of time there taking about a hundred pictures of different scenes and foie gras of all sizes and color. Some are moving faster than others but it is a serious business. Don’t let the convivial atmosphere fool you, this is business first, small talk when it is all gone and not before. The price ? 30 $ a pound for duck foie gras and 38 $ a pound for goose foie gras. Not cheap ! but the quality seems there and it is the holiday season when demand peaks .

In France most households will celebrate with foie gras for their holiday dinner. I do not buy here as I find the price a bit stiff. I will take my chances closer to home and hope to find a better deal. I am however thrilled to have come and the learning part of this trip is huge for me even though this is real close to home. Yes, you heard me : learning is the word and I am loving it. Just hope I am able to convey this experience to you the readers and that someday you will be able to visit this country side of France and who knows, I could be your guide/driver. I sure will come back with or without you as I see a lots of foie gras terrines and confits in my future.

Yummmmmmmm!

Here is a tip for you foie gras lovers:

For your hot foie gras preparations the freshest foie must be used as it will melt much less. This means as close to harvest as you can get it !

Join me on my next post as I'll get to talk about the trip back home and the porto laced terrine I enjoyed with my family.

Chef Andre

Duck cutting time

I got enough duck pics but not what I was looking for and since the foie gras market does not open till 1030 am I do wonder around and find the “salle de decoupe” or cutting room where for an undefined and unsolicited tip, two butchers will process/cut up your birds the way you want them or their own ways.

We're waiting for the butcher !

The pieces flying off of the carcass are packed in plastic bags and go directly into the customers shopping bags. It is all a well defined ritual including the tips in Euros which are dumped in the hand sink you can see on the left, no formalities here, only real people in a real place and they could not care less about whatever is happening elsewhere. This is their world and that’s the way they live.














Tradition and culture is alive and well here !
I am a happy tourist even after the bust of the previous stop.



Them ducks are FAT and I like them that way !

Pork fat might have ruled for a long time but in my book duck fat is KING !!!!!!

As you can see this duck business is really serious, this is what I call being in the zone, the Samathan zone that is !

Now, we're almost ready to go !

I will continue on my next post as this foie gras story is not over.

Chef Andre