5th Annual Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival

Cuisine and culture collide this August 27-30 as the Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival brings some of the most celebrated culinary talent in the country together for a four day, city-wide, epicurean extravaganza. The weekend’s festivities offer guests the chance to sample the cuisines and products from some of the most prominent epicurean influencers, while enjoying the sights and sounds of the entertainment industry’s brightest talents during live culinary demonstrations, world-class wine and spirit tastings, strolling marquee events, one-of-a-kind lunches, book signings, after parties and much more.

Smoked Magret Duck Breast with Black Pepper Spaetzle, Shaved Brussels, Roasted Pumpkin, Black Garlic Broth – #FoieTheWin – November 2015

SMOKED MAGRET DUCK BREAST with BLACK PEPPER SPAETZLE, SHAVED BRUSSELS, ROASTED PUMPKIN, BLACK GARLIC BROTH
by Chef Tony Adams

Purchase Applewood Smoked Magret Breast Online
– Tony Adams on Instagram @tonyy13
Boarding House of Nantucket Website
For more information on #FoieTheWin: Click Here.

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Tony Adams is currently the Chef de Cuisine under Chef Seth Raynor at The Boarding House on Nantucket, one of the signature spots on Nantucket Island. The Boarding House’s menu is usually seafood heavy, but look forward to the cooler times in the “shoulder seasons” when some dishes may be a bit more rich than the lighter fare of the warmer months. This dish is a perfect example of the dish Chef Tony waits for all summer. “This dish is a mashup of international influences that make a dish that will warm you up in the cooler months, especially when you are stuck on an island with little to no ethnic food available!”

Chef Tony Adams was awarded the Michael Ginor Hudson Valley Foie Gras Scholarship from The James Beard Foundation in 2001. Coincidence? Yes! Maybe? Who knows?!

SERVING SIZE: FOUR

INGREDIENTS

BROTH
Veal stock, defatted as best as possible, and 1 gallon when COLD
Ginger, 3” knob
Onion, halved
Star Anise x 5 cloves
Cinnamon sticks x 3 ea.
Black Garlic x 2 heads
Fish Sauce, Golden Boy Brand or similar x 1 cup + more to taste
Lime juice x 2 limes

SPAETZLE
Egg Whites, 12 ea.
Milk x 12 oz.
Flour, AP x 7 oz.
Black Pepper x 2 T. or 2 large pinches
Garlic cloves, microplaned into fine paste x 1 ea. large
Kosher salt as needed

APPLEWOOD SMOKED HUDSON VALLEY MAGRET DUCK BREAST – Purchase Applewood Smoked Magret Breast Online
Two magret breasts, sealed in small cryovac bags individually, held in immersion circulator at least 3 hours at 125° F.
Pumpkin, Long Island Cheese or Sugar variety, peeled, and cubed into 1” cubes
Brussels sprouts, shaved thin on mandolin x 1 cup
Canola oil, as needed
Watermelon Radish, julienne
Scallion, sliced thin for garnish

For the broth:
Char the ginger and onion on a grill or in a dry pan until blackened significantly on all sides. Place in pot. Use a torch to char toast the star anise and cinnamon sticks, and then add those to pot as well. Cut on head of black garlic and add to the pot with all of the stock, and the egg whites. Stir to incorporate well, and place pot on heat. Bring up slowly to a small simmer, stirring as you go until you start to see coagulated egg whites starting to float. Stop stirring, and keep at a very light simmer for 1 hour, until clarification is complete. (Clarification with egg whites is optional, but if you are taking the time to infuse the flavors, you might as well). Strain through a double layer of cheesecloth. Peel remaining black garlic, and add to broth. Blend with immersion blender, and reserve for later use.

For the Spaetzle:
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl with a stiff whisk. Let batter rest for 20 minutes. Bring several gallons of water to a stiff simmer. Using a perforated pan, pass the spaetzle batter through the holes of the pan into the simmering water below in batches of 1/3 of the batter each time. As the batter drips into the water, it will form dumpling pasta balls that will be fully cooked in as little as 90 seconds. Remove from the simmering water with a spider strainer, and place on a sheet pan, coating with oil to prevent sticking. Reserve for service.

To order:
Place pumpkin cubes on a sheet pan and season after coating lightly with oil. Roast in 400° convection oven or ten minutes. While pumpkin is roasting, bring broth to a simmer. Start two sauté pans over medium high heat. Remove duck breasts from cryovac bags, and place skin side down in one of the pans to crisp and render. In the other, sauté spaetzle dumpling pasta until lightly colored, adding shaved brussels sprouts and tossing to lightly wilt. Place brussels and spaetzle mixture into the bottom of the bowl. Add cubed roasted pumpkin around the bowl. Slice rendered crispy duck breast thinly, and place on pile of spaetzle. Ladle hot black garlic broth around. Garnish with sliced scallions and radishes.

Note: We served this dish with beluga lentils in place of the spaetzle a few times, and honestly I like it almost better! We’ve also done it with faro, and it always gets good reception from guests!

-Chef Tony Adams

For more information on #FoieTheWin. Click Here.

COUNTRY PATE of FOIE GRAS, PORK BELLY and PORK SHOULDER – #FoieTheWin – November 2015

COUNTRY PATE of FOIE GRAS, PORK BELLY and PORK SHOULDER

One of two #FoieTheWin winners for November comes from Chef Tomas Prado of Golden Fig Restaurant where they “proudly partner with local artisans and farmers to supply as many natural and organic products as are available, free of hormones, GMOs, pesticides and antibiotics. Our vision is to create a collaborative community around sustainable farming practices that translate into flavorful cooking.”

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INGREDIENTS – Purchase Fresh Foie Gras Online
1 Kg Pasture Raised Pork Belly diced 1/2″ and chilled
500g Pasture Raised Pork Shoulder diced 1/2″ and chilled
500g Hudson Valley Foie Gras chunks chilled
24g Kosher Salt
2g Sugar
6g Coarse Black Pepper
2g Quatre-epices (4 spice mix)
2g Piment Espelette
4g Pink Curing Salt
100ml Cognac
100g Panade (milk soaked bread)
1 egg
20 strips of high quality thick cut bacon

METHOD
Combine all ingredients except Panade, egg and bacon strips in a large non reactive bowl and mix together. Let sit in refrigerator for 6-8 hours.

Place all metal parts of the meat grinder in freezer for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Add the Panade and egg to your meat mixture and combine well. Set aside in refrigerator.

Set up your meat grinder with the 1/8″ die. Begin grinding meat mixture over a bowl set with ice. Once done remove a small amount and make a party and cook on stovetop to taste. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Place meat mixture in refrigerator.

Line your terrine mold with the bacon strips allowing for about 1 1/2″ to overlap on the sides. Place your meat mixture in terrine mold and smooth out evenly with a rubber spatula.

Boil 1 gallon of water and add to a hotel pan for your Bain Marie. Place terrine mold in Baine Marie and cook in 350f oven for 45 minutes. Rotate the pan and cook for another 30 minutes or until internal temperature has reached 155F.

Remove terrine from oven and cool down. Press terrine with 3-5# weights for 24 hours. Remove weights and let terrine sit for 3 days to ripen.

#FoieTheWin CHEF CHALLENGE

#FoieTheWin – HVFG Social Media Chef Challenge

Hudson Valley Foie Gras strives to serve chefs in everything that we do. Hudson Valley founder, Michael Ginor, has traveled the world promoting and collaborating with the best chefs working in diverse cities and culinary traditions for over 20 years. Without the creativity and persistence of chefs, we would not be the premiere producer of duck and foie gras products in the country.

We are pleased to continue this tradition with our new social media-based Chef Challenge: #FoieTheWin

We’ll regularly feature a new dish from a new chef across our social media platforms and in a blog post on our website. “Foie-the-win” winners will be selected from posts on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook by chefs using HVFG foie or duck products. In addition to being featured across Hudson Valley’s web presence, we’ll also provide a gift to the winning selection: a Hudson Valley torchon, ‘Foie Gras…A Passion’ cookbook, and rendered duck fat.

To be considered just tag us or post to our page on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram:
HVFG on Facebook: www.facebook.com/hudsonvalleyfoiegras
HVFG on Twitter: twitter.com/HudsonValleyFG / @hudsonvalleyfg / #hvfg
HVFG on Instagram: instagram.com/hudsonvalleyfoiegras / @hudsonvalleyfoiegras / #hudsonvalleyfoiegras

Previous #FoieTheWin Winners:

October 2015 – Foie Gras, Persimmon, Kumquat and Minus 8 by Chef Mei Lin
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November 2015 – Country Pate of Foie Gras, Pork Belly and Pork Shoulder by Chef Tomas Prado
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November 2015 – Smoked Magret Duck Breast with Black Pepper Spaetzle, Shaved Brussel Sproats, Roasted Pumpkin, and Black Garlic Browth by Chef Tony Adams
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FOIE GRAS, PERSIMMON, KUMQUAT and MINUS 8 – #FoieTheWin – October 2015

Foie Gras | Persimmon | Kumquat | Minus 8
by Mei Lin

Foie-the-win! – HVFG Chef Challenge – October 2015

Our very first ‘#FoieTheWin’ Chef Challenge selection is this elegant but approachable, high-class but impressively simple dish by Hudson Valley Instagram follower and chef, Mei Lin. On Twitter @meilin21 – On Instagram @meilin21

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Ingredients
1 lobe Hudson Valley Foie Gras (cut 2 large pieces and score)
3 Fuyu Persimmons (firm but ripe)
200g Rice Vinegar
200g Mirin
300g Minus 8 Vinegar
50g Toasted Hazelnuts
Pickled Kumquats, thinly sliced
EVOO
Chervil Sprigs

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, place hazelnuts on a sheet tray, toast until golden brown.

Slice Persimmon in pieces and punch out with small ring cutter

In a small sauce pot bring mirin up to a boil, turn off the burner then add thinly sliced kumquats.

Cut 2 large pieces of foie gras and score. In a hot pan, on med high heat, place the scored side down when searing. Make sure not to over sear and burn foie gras.

Take foie out of the pan, and let it rest.

Add persimmons to the pan and deglaze with the minus 8 vinegar.

Plate and serve!

Hudson Valley’s People, Products & Practices

Hudson Valley’s People, Products & Practices

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Three new short documentaries on Hudson Valley Foie Gras’ People, Products & Practices shine light into what makes Hudson Valley the premiere producer of foie gras, Moulard duck, and organic chicken in the United States.

Episode 1 – The People – https://vimeo.com/135243871

Episode 2 – Products – https://vimeo.com/135827596

Episode 3 – Practices – https://vimeo.com/135827595

Hudson Valley + Lazy Bear + Ken Frank = Many Chefs

Hudson Valley + Lazy Bear + Ken Frank = Many Chefs

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On May 12th Hudson Valley teamed-up with Lazy Bear and Chef David Barzelay to benefit CHEFS Legal Defense Fund, which is helping cover the costs of La Toque Chef Ken Frank’s legal defense.

Read more about the event.

Checkout this gorgeous and delicious Twitter feed from the event! #lazyfoie

Read more about the lawsuit.

Follow us on social media:

Twitter – @HudsonValleyFG

Facebook – facebook.com/hudsonvalleyfoiegras

Foie Gras Is, Once Again, On The Menu In California!

Los Angeles, CA – On January 7th, 2015, a Federal District Court judge in California overturned the two and a half year old ban on sales of foie gras in California. (Ruling attached) California chefs rushed to put foie gras back on their menus, to the delight of California diners.

Hudson Valley Foie Gras, with an association of Canadian foie gras farmers, including Rougié, and Hot’s Kitchen, a Hermosa Beach, California, restaurant, challenged the lawsuit the day after the law took effect in 2012.

The court ruled that federal law regulates the distribution and sale of all poultry products in the United States. California exceeded its authority in implementing the ban on foie gras sales.

Support for and understanding of foie gras farming has grown since the California law was originally passed in 2004. In documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (attached), it was found that even then, the California Department of Food and Agriculture stated that “foie gras production is…well established in conformity with humane animal management” and urged Governor Schwarzenegger to veto the bill. The governor eventually signed the bill at the urging of the California foie gras farm, Sonoma-Artisan Foie Gras, which received immunity from legal action, civil and criminal, until 2012. Several other states considered similar legislation after California and all rejected attempts to ban foie gras sales or farming.

As Sean Chaney of Hot’s Kitchen said, “Let the foie start flowing again!”

CLICK HERE to view the official judgment

CLICK HERE to view