On Food and Cooking

foie gras will give, retain the imprint, and feel
somewhat supple and unctuous, while an
under-fattened liver will feel elastic, hard, and
wet. An overfattened, weakened liver feels
soft and frankly oily.
Foie gras is at its best fresh out of the bird.
Apart from its use in pâtés, it is generally
prepared in two ways. One is to slice it fairly
thick, briefly saute in a hot, dry pan until the
surface is browned and the interior just
warmed through, and serve it immediately.
The sensation of warm, firm, flavorful flesh
melting away between tongue and palate is
unparalleled. Liver quality is especially
important in this preparation, since high pan
heat will release a flood of fat from an
overfattened or otherwise weakened organ,
and the texture is unpleasantly flabby.
A second preparation is to cook the liver
whole, chill it, and slice and serve it cool.
This is more forgiving of second-quality
livers, and offers its own kind of lusciousness.