Terrine de Foie Gras — Foie Gras Terrine

Ingredients

• 500–600 g duck or goose foie gras, fresh, Grade A, whole lobe
• 10 g fine sea salt, per 500 g liver; weigh precisely
• 2 g white pepper, freshly ground; per 500 g liver
• 30 ml Sauternes, or Armagnac; a generous splash
• 1 pinch caster sugar, optional
• 1 pinch pink curing salt, optional; for colour preservation

Method

1. 1
   Remove the foie gras from refrigeration in sufficient time for it to reach 20°C throughout. Press a fingertip into the thickest part of the large lobe: the liver is ready when it yields uniformly without resistance, feeling soft and waxy rather than firm or cold.
2. 2
   Separate the two lobes. Working with fingertips and, where necessary, a small knife, locate the central vein where it enters the large lobe and follow its branching path outward, easing the vein free without pulling. Repeat on the small lobe. This is where the dish lives or dies: incomplete deveining leaves fibrous cords in the finished terrine; aggressive deveining tears the liver beyond use. Where a vein breaks, use fine tweezers to trace and extract the remaining branch. The finished lobes should be intact, showing only shallow channels where the veins ran.
3. 3
   Combine the salt and white pepper. Season all surfaces of the deveined lobes at the rate of 10 g salt and 2 g white pepper per 500 g of liver. Add the Sauternes, and the sugar and pink salt if using. Turn the lobes gently to coat. The seasoning should be perceptible to smell — a clean, saline, faintly sweet aroma — confirming even distribution.
4. 4
   Pack the lobes into a terrine mould, large lobe first, pressing firmly to eliminate all air pockets. The surface should appear level and compact, with no visible cavities when viewed from above.
5. 5
   Cover the terrine and set it in a bain-marie. Bake in an oven held at exactly 90°C until a probe thermometer inserted at the centre reads 45°C. Do not allow the internal temperature to exceed 50°C: above that threshold the texture becomes grainy and crumbly rather than silky. Remove from the bain-marie as soon as the target is reached.
6. 6
   Weight the surface of the terrine with no more than 500 g. Heavy weighting expels the fat that constitutes the terrine's mouthfeel. Refrigerate for a minimum of 48 hours. The terrine is ready when it has set to a uniform, firm block that releases cleanly from the mould.
7. 7
   Remove the terrine from the refrigerator and allow it to temper to 16–18°C before serving. Slice with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped between each cut. Each cross-section should present as a smooth, rosy-pink face with no tears, streaks, or cavities.