Faux Gras
its like foie gras but it faux - meaning no sad ducks in this recipe
My favorite way to cook and get creative is to use what I already have on hand, like these mushrooms and beets - instead of going out of my way to have everything I need for a certain recipe. Which is what inspired me to share this faux foie gras that sounds so bougie. But is made with sauteed mushrooms and lentils instead of fattened duck liver. So added bonus no sad ducks and happy wallet !
And you know sometimes its what we make in the spur of the moment with what we already have that beets the recipes we have stressed over to make. You don’t need to have the fanciest kitchen gadgets or the fanciest ingredients to make something that tastes super fancy.
What is Foie Gras ?
Foie gras is a food product made from the livers of fattened ducks or geese. The name literally means "fatty liver".
Production of Foie Gras
Force-feeding ducks and geese to increase the size of their livers
The livers can increase in size up to ten times
The livers can be sold whole or ground up into a pâté
What you will need
Food Processor
Spatula
4 Inch Ramekins
Medium Sized Sauté Pan
Faux Gras
yields approx. 8 oz / prep 30 min - chill time 1 hour
Ingredients
*olive oil for cooking*
10 cremini or button mushrooms - washed and quartered
2 tbsp - chopped / sliced shallots
2 tbsp - minced garlic
1 cup - cooked lentils
2 tsp - fresh thyme
2 tsp - fresh rosemary
2 tbsp - soy sauce
1/4 tsp - freshly cracked black pepper
1 tsp - salt
1/4 cup - port wine
1/2 cup - toasted walnuts
2 tbsp - beet puree or 1 small baked beet with skin removed
1/4 cup - plant-based butter
Instructions
Step 1 - Bake the beets and toast the walnuts
There is nothing worse than going to make something and realizing you don’t have the stuff ! Take this moment to gather everything.
For this recipe in the past I have boiled beets and blended them into a puree and that did work out perfectly. Recently I tried baking the beet wrapped in tinfoil rubbed in some olive oil, thyme and salt and that was much faster and easy to peel with the tin foil so for this recipe either of these methods will work. I baked 2 very small beets together for 20 minutes at 370 degrees Fahrenheit until they were cooked through and firm.
Step 2 - Sauté the mushrooms and build the base
In a warm sauté pan with a touch olive oil add in the mushrooms and allow them to cook and soften for maybe 5 - 10 minutes before adding in the sliced shallots. This mixture is going to be pulsed in a food processor later so there is no need to do your best chopping here with the shallots and mushrooms.
Once your mushrooms and shallots are looking nicely cooked down and starting to bring on a caramel sort of sheen, plop in the minced garlic and give everything a good stir to combine. Over this add in the cooked lentils as well as the fresh thyme and rosemary, give this a nice stir and allow this too cook for maybe 5 minutes. Once everything has mingled nicely together season this with the soy sauce, salt and pepper then stir well to combine and let the mushrooms and lentils take in all the flavor. Once the soy sauce has been absorbed deglaze the pan with some port wine and allow this to simmer on low heat, stirring when needed until the wine has cooked down completely. Now take the pan of the heat and allow the mixture to cool down.
Step 3 - Pulse in the food processor
Transfer everything from the pan into the processor along with about 2 tbsp roasted beet and or beet puree along with the 1/2 cup of toasted walnuts. Pulse this in the food processor until a pate texture is formed which shouldn’t take maybe a minute of pulsing this mixture.
Step 4 - Press “pate” into ramekins
Press the mixture maybe 90 % the way to the top of your ramekin leaving some space for the butter or the “fat” is typically on top of foie gras. For this we are using plant-based butter. Before adding the butter over top you are going to want to make sure the mixture is pressed in there well and pop it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to “set”. Skipping this step will result in the layers not being so clear and when rubbing over the butter, the pate will lift and move around and kinda make a mess. So this step requires a bit of patience before going in and spreading over the butter to the top and then letting it chill for maybe another 30 minutes before eating.
Step 5 - Plating + serving
To plate or serve, I like to plate this on maybe a wooden cutting board or a nice dish surrounded by crostini’s, crisps, grapes, nuts and basically anything you would find on a charcuterie board. Save any left overs in an air tight, food safe container and enjoy for up to 7 days in the fridge.
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3