Je vais prendre le foie gras, s'il vous plaît...

...and a bottle of the house wine, too. At this particular restaurant, Le Nouilles, located in the center of town, the house wine was a Bordeaux Calvet Reserve, red, of course. It was a combination of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. I'm a huge fan of Merlot, and I like Sauvignon, too. Together, they made for a smooth, sweet but not too sweet red.

Which went well with my duck liver. Eager to immerse myself in all things French, I took the plunge this past weekend during my trip to Bordeaux and tried foie gras for the first time. I am completely smitten with confit de canard, another French duck dish, and was tempted to stick with the tried and true. But instead I pointed to the unfamiliar option, and the waiter smiled and nodded his approval.

So I munched on some bread, tasted the wine, all the while wondering if I was going to go back to my hotel hungry because I couldn't stomach the plat I had ordered.

Good news, friends. There was absolutely no reason to worry! It was delicious. Didn't taste like a duck's liver at all! Instead, it had a smooth, buttery flavor that vaguely reminded me of the runny part of the yolk of a sunny side up egg (over-easy style--that's really the only way to go, à mon avis). I later read that foie gras is obtained by gavage, the French word for force feeding. By pumping gross amounts of food into the duck or goose, one overloads its liver with fat, which is what gives the foie gras the buttery taste gourmands desire.

The Bordeaux style differs from the rest of France, in that the dish is served fresh and hot, instead of cold or at room temperature. Traditionally, the liver is served with grilled fruits, in my case apples and grapes, and toast. The cooked fruits together with the liver make a delicious sauce. When eaten all together with the bread, it is splendid.

That being said, I've had my share of liver for the time being. I'm glad I had the chance to taste something so uniquely French, and so excellently prepared, but really, how much liver can one eat? The French typically have foie gras only once a year, around Christmas time. Interestingly, in many countries, the dish is banned entirely to protest animal cruelty (force-feeding geese and ducks is considered cruel?? Can't be true). I would like to try the Parisian version of it--the chilled, sliced kind, just for comparison's sake. But until then, I'll stick to my confit.

A word about wines: Bordeaux's were good, but I still prefer the Napa Valley/Sonoma region. I told this to Françoise, and she thinks it's because I'm American, and not acclimated to how fort French wines are. I responded, no, I just don't like some of them that much. But perhaps my tastes will change.

:: foie gras, Bordeaux style ::

:: dessert - a raspberry tart ::