Cooking Whole Raw Foie Gras

Hot foie gras is all the rage in fancy restaurants, and while I have nothing against it, its texture never satisfies me in the same way as that of cold foie gras baked in a terrine. If you like hot foie gras, just slice the whole liver crosswise, angling the slices according to how wide you want them to be (not any thinner than ½ inch or they’ll melt into nothing). Pick out any obvious pieces of vein. Preheat a sauté pan until it is very hot, and sauté the slices, without any added fat, for about 1 minute on each side. When cooked properly, the slices should be well caramelized on the outside but melting on the inside. I like to serve slices of sautéed foie gras with sautéed wild mushrooms (thick, meaty ones like cèpes or portobellos, chanterelles, morels, or the mushrooms with truffles), on top of other meats, or even atop a crispy fried croûton to provide a contrast to the slightly cloying texture of the hot foie gras.