Pâté de foie gras - with Asimov in my kitchen

 

I was reading(last days) Pâté de Foie Gras, a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov .  In this story, a nameless Department of Agriculture employee speaks about the discovery on a farm in Texas of a goose that lays golden eggs. That goose is transforming an isotope of oxygen into gold. The goose's liver is also able to catalyze nuclear reactions. Huh, yea ? The story is more than a SF because it's asking an open mind from the reader. The end is unexpected by itself. The story has just a possible solution. But, since the story is written, the theory of cloning has created a second (possible)solution.

Now, I really want to eat a pate so...let's go to the recipe for having that gorgeous pâté de foie gras.

Ingredients:

• 500 gr goose liver
• 100 gr butter
• some about 50 ml cognac or whiskey
• 2 shallots or onions (I used the red one)
• 1 tbs fresh sage or thyme( I used dry sage)
• 1/2-2/3 cup of cream (it depends on the texture of the pate)
• a pinch of nutmeg
• a pinch of ground juniper berries
• a pinch of ground peppercorns
• salt to taste

Clean the liver by removing everything that is attached to the liver. Then, saute the liver with butter or goose fat or some bacon and the onion or shallot. Then pureeing the livers with cream and melted butter. Allow it to stand overnight  in the refrigerator. Serve this goose liver pate as a sandwich or spreaded on crackers or crostini.

What's this  Pâté de Foie Gras ? Nothing more than a "SF"-tangible story said it into my kitchen. I simply serve it with melon and salad, all sprinkled with olive oil and ground dried chili.

Romanian version:

• 500 gr ficat de gisca
• 100 gr unt (preferabil topit)
• 50 ml coniac sau wiskey
• 2 cepe sau cepe verzi
• 1 l-ta salvie proaspata sau cimbru (eu am folosit salvie uscata)
• 1/2-2/3 cana de smintina
• un vf de cutit de nucsoara macinata
• un vf de cutit de boabe de ienupar zdrobite
• un virf de cutit de boabe de piper zdrobite
• sare dupa gust.

Curata ficatul de tot ceea ce este "tendon" si fiere apoi trage-l in unt sau grasime de gisca sau bacon prajit impreuna cu ceapa. Fa-l piure amestecindu-l cu untul topit, smintina si celelate ingrediente. Lasa-l sa stea peste noapte apoi il poti servi sub forma unor sandwichuri, cu biscuiti sau cu crostini.
Eu l-am servit pur si simplu cu pepene galben din compot, salata verde si totul stropit cu ulei de masline si presarat cu chili zdrobit.