Foie gras is considered one of the most exquisite delicacies in the world. Foie gras is not only tasty but also healthy – it is rich in unsaturated fatty acids that lower blood cholesterol levels. Goose and duck liver are used to make pates, sauces, and gravies. But more often it is simply fried and served with fruits and berries. Let’s see what goes well with foie gras.
What goes well with foie gras? Foie gras goes well with pumpkin puree, figs, fruit sauces, baked apples, mushrooms, caramelized chestnuts, and grapes. Foie gras is used to make pates, sauces, and gravies. More often foie gras is simply fried and served with fruits and berries. Fruit and berry sauces complement the taste of the liver with a slight sourness and give foie gras a delicate aroma.
Foie gras is best served as an appetizer, while the taste buds are especially sensitive. Remove the foie gras from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving to reveal the flavor, and cut it with a sharp, hot, dry, serrated knife to preserve the delicate texture of foie gras. Serve on plain bread or with fruit and berry sauces.
Ultimate Guide on What to Serve with Foie Gras
- Baguette and white pepper
Perhaps this is the most classic presentation. Plain white bread, a slice of foie gras, and freshly ground white pepper. It is very important here not to spread the liver over the bread, but simply put a piece on top. Foie gras will reveal its taste better if the bread is warm and slightly toasted.
- Fruit and berry sauces
Sweet jams, sauces, and sour marmalades are some of the best foie gras companies. Light sweetness wonderfully complements the taste of the liver.
- Fig jam
I put fig jam separately from fruit and berry sauces since this combination is the most classic. The taste of foie gras, together with fig jam, plays with new colors, pleasantly affecting the taste buds.
- Baked apples
The light aroma and delicate texture of baked apples also go well with foie gras. A few small leaves of fresh lettuce will fit well with this combination.
- Onion chutney
Fried onions also have the pleasant sweetness that goes well with foie gras, and the refreshing spice adds a touch of sophistication. Foie gras can also be served with leek or finely chopped shallots.
- Truffles
This is the most expensive and rare ingredient. It can be replaced with any mushrooms that do not have a pronounced taste. For example, oyster mushrooms.
- Fried mushrooms
Chanterelles or those mushrooms that do not have a strong mushroom smell are most suitable. No wonder why mushrooms are added to pies with goose and duck liver, this combination is simply perfect. Foie gras can be also served with mushroom sauces, prepared with Dijon mustard, vegetable oil, and spices.
Serving Foie Gras From a Can
How do you serve foie gras from a can? Sterilize the liver at 100°C and then store it in its own juice. Take the foie gras out of the jar and cut into slices 1 cm thick. Use a special foie gras knife, or you can also take a regular non-serrated knife, but then its blade must first be held in hot water.
Canned foie gras goes well with:
- baguette slices and ground white pepper;
- sauces from berries and fruits;
- onion and fig jam.
Snacks are served with a white dessert wine.
What to Drink With Foie Gras
The rich flavor of foie gras requires a good drink. Traditionally, the most popular companion of foie gras is the French dessert wine Sauternes. However, it’s not only about the best flavor combination, but about a successful marketing move that the Sauternes skillfully made to promote their wines. For some time now the formula “sauternes + foie gras” has become so popular that gourmets stubbornly insist on it, not giving the sommelier a single chance to experiment.
Meanwhile, Sauternes is not the only wine that can emphasize the rich taste of foie gras. Moreover, for each type of foie gras, the combination will be different. There is only one rule: wines should not be too light and young, the bouquet of the wine should contribute to the full disclosure of the taste and texture of the eminent delicacy.
What wine goes best with foie gras? Traditionally, foie gras is considered best paired with the sweet white Sauternes. Wines from the Bordeaux region like Saint-Émilion or Médoc with soft tannins are ideal for foie gras with sweet confitures and foie gras with truffle. Rhone wines, especially those based on Syrah, also go well with foie gras.
Traditionally, the goose or duck liver delicacy, a regular on all winter festivals, is best paired with the sweet white Sauternes. In this, of course, there is some truth, and what a lot! But the French have long neglected the “wine rules” and can easily serve a light red with fish, and with meat, say, a white Gewürztraminer. After all, the main thing is that one emphasizes the taste of the other, and everything else is nothing more than convention. Besides, let’s face it, Sauternes is not very fashionable today. The world is moving forward and it is necessary to find new original solutions.
Red Wine and Foie Gras
Wines from the Bordeaux region like Saint-Émilion or Médoc with soft tannins are ideal for foie gras with sweet confitures and foie gras with truffles, for example. Rhone’s wines, especially those at the Syrah base, also go well with foie gras. Try wines from the South Rhone, such as the young Châteauneuf-du-Pape or Lirac. Their rich aroma and shallow tannins at the beginning of “maturation” make an excellent pair with fried foie gras.
And, of course, the ideal pair will be wines from the region where this very foie gras is produced, for example, the wines of the Southwest, especially Cahors, Bergerac, and some Madiran types (carefully look at the bottle: the year of manufacture and alcohol content — the lower it is, the better, in our case).
White Wines and Foie Gras
If foie gras is served not as a main course, but as an appetizer, which happens most often, then it is best to serve white dry wines with it, because sweet liqueur wines at the beginning of lunch/dinner will dull your appetite. What should you choose? Loire wines based on Chenin Blanc such as Montlouis, Vouvray, Anjou, or Savennières. Also look out for white Bordeaux Graves, Côtes de Provence, dry Jurançon, or aged Hardonnay like Mâcon.
Liqueur Wines and Foie Gras
Yes, they are always the perfect match. It’s a classic and beautiful. In addition to the traditional and exorbitantly expensive, but famous Sauternes from Château d’Yquem, try the sweet Pacherenc from Gers, Monbazillac from the Dordogne, Loire Coteaux du Layon, Loupiac from Gironde and, of course, the late-harvest Alsatian Gewürztraminer.
Champagne and Foie Gras
Forget about pairing foie gras with champagne. Sparkling wines will kill the taste of an exquisite delicacy, and foie gras will muffle the taste of champagne. Instead, drink champagne with something else.
How Much Foie Gras Per Person?
Okay, now you know what foie gras goes well with, but you also should know how much foie gras per person you need. French chefs advise 50-70 grams of foie gras per person as a post-snack meal. If you serve foie gras as the main dish, you will need 100-130 grams of foie gras per person. Foie gras is served cut into slices (circles) no more than one centimeter wide. For slicing, take a thin and sharp knife, which must first be dipped in warm water. Wipe off the knife after each bite.
Slice the foie gras just before serving, otherwise, the liver will lose its flavor and aroma. The liver is served with yeast, lightly toasted bread. Most often, foie gras is complemented by a white dessert wine.
