Vichy Encore

So it being finals week, and my last week before parting on my European Adventure, we all went to Vichy to take our fluency tests in French. It was boring for the most part, but there was a long break in the middle of the day to wander around the very cold city and get lunch somewhere. The majority of the group decided to eat lunch in an brasserie (kind of like a cafe), and we also decided to all order basically the same thing. The Plat Du Jour. When the waiter did not hand us menu's it was then assumed that we would all be having the chef's creations, and as I looked around the restaurant, no one was having anything different. So we were served a duck's leg on top of mashed potatoes with a salad on the side. The salad was heavily drenched in dressing, but the lettuce was fresh none the less. The bread was not the best I have ever eaten (was comparable to Meijer's baguettes). But the duck and the mashed potatoes made up for all of it! The duck was deliciously tender once the skin was removed and was extremely flavorful without being very greasy which was a plus. Then the mashed potatoes really helped on such a cold day, they were more smashed than mashed, but mixed with cheese and it seemed baked because some parts had a slight crust where the cheese was cooked instead of only melted. It was delicious and everyone cleaned their plates, but no in France this is not the end of the meal! We then were given the choice for dessert between apple pie, fromage blanc and ice cream. Everyone chose the apple pie except for me, I chose the fromage blanc because I love it! This is something that we cannot get in the States (at least to my knowledge) It's the consistency of Greek yogurt, but with a sweeter taste and without the tang. Today it was served with a caramel sauce on top. To die for! Then after a cafe, some more discussion, we all wandered back to the testing site to finish our exams for the day.
Then when I walked in the door my host mom greets me with "oh you're just in time!" She had just started to make the fois gras that my host family will have for Christmas. So I got to see how to make fois gras from scratch, and she let me help. Then tonight we're all making crepes together so that I can learn the proper French techniques for making crepes, I'm quite excited!
To make French Fois Gras:
Start with a ducks liver, separate the two lopes of the liver and remove the center vein. Put them into a dish with a cover (you want a tight fit though, so nothing too big). In a separate bowl, you will mix a little more than a glass full of sweet white wine, a tea spoon of salt, and a teaspoon of pepper. Crush the salt and the pepper into the wine so it's not big particles. Finally use this wine mixture to cover the liver and place the covered dish into a water bath in the oven at 175 degrees Celsius for 8 hours. After 8 hours, take out the liver and drain off the fat into a sauce pan. then put a piece of cardboard (covered in aluminum) that has been cut to fit exactly the side of the dish that the liver is in, put a weight on top of the cardboard and let the liver cool completely (over night). With the fat in the sauce pan, you will quickly boil it for a minute or so on the oven. Once the liver is cooled, you pour the fat over top of the liver to help preserve it, and put it in the fridge for up to 15 days.
Peace, Love, and Knowing Where Your Food Comes From!!