The liver is one of the tastiest parts of domesticated and wild birds. In smaller birds, the liver - mashed to a paste - makes a wonderfully rich natural thickener for the sauce served with the birds. Large birds such as geese and duck have predictably larger livers that are good for eating pan-fried or made into pate.
Pan-frying foie gras ('fat liver') can be like trying to pan-fry butter: it's close to being pure fat, and it can melt if cooked incorrectly. Coating duck or goose foie gras with medium-grained sea salt flavours it and gives it a good crust at the same time.
Foie gras is usually served with something acidic. That balsamic reduction or berry coulis may balance the richness of the liver, but it can completely destroy any wines served with it.
Sauternes - the sweet wine from Bordeaux - is the textbook-correct wine match, but experimenting outside the box will yield even more delicious surprises. The best match with foie gras should have plenty of texture, a definite flavour direction and plenty of depth.
Guinness Stout
This well travelled stout is stunning with seared slices of pan-fried goose foie gras. Guinness' heady aromas awaken the senses. The creamy mouthful caresses the palate and melts seamlessly into the butter-like texture of the liver. The grainy richness is extended further by the intense richness of the foie, but in the opposite direction. Finally, the goose liver's sweet succulence is harmonised by Guinness's trademark bitterness. The palate is left fresh and rendered clean.
Available for about HK$12 at supermarkets
