CHICKEN FAUX GRAS

Another favorite recipe from Chef Michel Richard. He’s right. It certainly does taste like foie gras, for about one/tenth of the price. Fun to make, too. Here goes...

Mousse:

16 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup heavy cream
1 # chicken livers,  rinsed and dark spots removed
1 tsp fine sea salt
½ tsp black ground pepper

Parsley Gelee:
½ English cucumber (about 7 oz), cut into 2” pieces
1 teaspoon gelatin
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Pinch (1/16^th tsp) of sea salt
1-2 dashes of Tabasco sauce
2-3 Tablespoons of Italian parsley ( flat-leaf)

In a small saucepan, melt 2 Tbs of butter over medium heat.  Add onions and stir to coat with the butter.  Cover pan and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion are translucent.  Add garlic, then cream and ring to a simmer.  Cover, reduce heat to low, cook gently for about 6 minutes, or until onions are very soft.

Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 14 Tablespoons of butter.  Return to heat and stir until the butter melts and mixture is combined. 

Place raw livers in blender and add onion mixture, salt and pepper.  Blend until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides of the blender as necessary.  Transfer to a measuring cup or bowl with a spout.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Bring a pot of water to a boil. 

Place 4 ovenproof bowls or crocks with about a 1-cup capacity into a large deep baking dish, arranging them so the bowls do not touch each other or the sides of the pan. Using a small strainer, strain the mousse into the bowls, dividing it evenly.

Cover each bowl with a piece of foil and place the baking dish on the oven rack.  Ladle or pour in enough boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the bowls.  Cook for 30 minutes, or until the mousse is set.  Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.

Refrigerate mousse for a few hours to chill.  After  the mousse is cold and set, make the gelee…

Place cucumber in a food processor and process until liquefied.  Strain.  You should have about ½ cup of cucumber water.
Combine the gelatin and ¼ cup of cucumber water.  Add lemon juice, sugar, salt and Tabasco.
Heat to melt the gelatin.
Stir in 2 Tablespoons of the parsley.  Add remaining parsley.
Remove faux gras from the refrigerator and spoon about 2 tablespoons of gelee on top of each container.  Refrigerate until the gelee is set, about 1 hour.

Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.