Goose liver pâté is a delicacy made from the fatty liver of a goose, created through the process of gavage. The liver is cooked and compressed into a paste, often served with bread or crackers. Other poultry can be used, but the taste will differ. The pâté can last up to three days in the refrigerator.
Goose liver pâté is a paste or culinary cream made from the fatty liver – or foie gras – of a goose. It is considered a delicacy by some, though others would prefer it to be banned on animal cruelty grounds. To make a pate, the swollen liver of a goose is combined with seasonings and wine or brandy. The liver is then cooked and compressed into a liver cake.
The first step in the process of making goose liver pate is to force a goose to eat copious amounts of food while denying exercise. This process, based on one developed by the ancient Egyptians and Romans, results in a goose with foie gras. The most common food used for this purpose is a grain such as wheat or corn, although the ancient Romans appear to have fed figs to their geese. When French cooks adopted this process as part of their cooking traditions, they began calling it gavage.
Geese are birds that have a natural tendency to develop fat all over their bodies. Geese used to make goose liver pate get extra food which causes them to develop fatty liver. Once the goose keeper thinks its liver has enough fat, the goose is slaughtered.
The goose liver is then cooked in a terrine, a glass dish with high sides. The lid is weighted to force the fat stored in the foie gras to rise to the top of the dish. After chilling the cooked liver, the resulting pate is served as an appetizer or full course in a multi-course meal.
Goose liver pate is simple yet sophisticated. The classic accompaniment for goose liver pate is a freshly baked French bread baguette. When none are available, thick white bread or crackers can be substituted. If crackers are used, the flavor should be subtle so as not to overwhelm the rich flavor of the pate.
You can make liver pate with the liver of other types of poultry, but they won’t taste the same as goose liver. In the French countryside, cooks often substitute duck liver when a fattened goose isn’t available. These poultry substitutes may also require a different seasoning strategy.
With the advent of refrigeration, there’s no need to consume an entire pate immediately after making it. Goose liver pate lasts up to three days in the refrigerator. The unused portion should be kept tightly wrapped.
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