Bacon Needs a Breather, Fried Foie Gras to the Rescue

Bacon is everywhere. Bacon jams, jellies, hoecakes, ice creams, donuts, and pizzas crowd the aisles of the food world. You can't swing a cat in this town without running into bacon. Trust me, we tried. Bacon is good, but it is also a little too everywhere right now.

Although not everywhere yet, foie gras offers many of the same delights as bacon with an added panache of exclusivity. Consider it bacon that went to an Ivy League school, joined a frat, and got hazed. You may think foie gras is elitist or cruel or what have you. And you would be wrong, but you already knew that.

Foie gras is the liver of a goose, or more commonly duck, fattened to an obscenely large degree. It comes in a big lobe and is delicious simply sauteed in a smoking hot pan and eaten with toasted bread. Because of its fat content, which hovers around the William Howard Taft level (a timely analogy, I know), it often needs to be counteracted with either something sweet or acidic. But really all you need is a really nice glass of Sauternes.

Bacon is still great and I should know, I eat 2 pounds of it every week. But give this recipe a whirl. It isn't terribly difficult, and if you have ever fried anything before it will seem like old hat. Just be certain you slice the foie thick enough so you get that soft outer layer, the molten second layer, and the firm interior. An inch and a half is optimal.

Fried Foie Gras, Arugula Salad, Strawberry Preserves

Serves two

Instead of buying a whole lobe of foie, get a thick 3 inch cut of a foie gras torchon from Butcher. Slice this into two pucks. Then coat the pucks in flour, egg, and panko, in that order. Fry the panko crusted foie in a thin layer of canola oil. After about one minute, carefully flip the cake over and cook just until brown on the other side.

Remove from heat and pat dry on a paper cloth. Meanwhile, combine a tablespoon of strawberry preserves with 4 shakes of red wine vinegar. Whisk in some olive oil. Add salt, pepper, and taste. Toss vinaigrette with some arugula. Arrange prettier than below, and serve with Oriel Ondine Sauternes. Watch as women or men or animals flock.

When you bite into the puck, you get the crispy, crack of splintery crust, then the just melting fat of the foie starts to come through. A bite of salad, sip of wine, and you are ready for more.

Foie Gras, it is not just for breakfast anymore.