107. Grand Chef Korea - Foie Gras

1.

I headed straight to the pantry. It was to gather ingredients.

'The most important thing is the chestnut.'

At first, I thought what was spread at the bottom of the dish she made was chestnut soup. The texture visible on the outside looked exactly like that.

'But that wasn't it.'

To be precise, only half of it was right.

It was a type of sauce called a velouté. It's one of the mother sauces used as a base in French cuisine, and depending on the cooking method, it was possible to make it in the form of a soup.

What Chaeyoon made was the kind that frequently appears in the French autumn, especially during holidays like Christmas.

The chestnut's unique, subtle yet soft sweetness harmoniously wraps around the other ingredients while simultaneously acting as a sauce.

'Certainly, seeing things like this, Chaeyoon really does have more gastronomic experience than me.'

I first picked up a kitchen knife and made cross-shaped cuts on each chestnut. I had to do this to prevent the shells from bursting excessively during the steaming process.

I soaked the scored chestnuts in water to wash them. I picked out all the ones that floated to the top because they were worm-eaten. I neatly placed the cleanly washed chestnuts into the steamer.

'I'll leave this for now.'

The next thing I took out was the foie gras. It wasn't something to prepare right this second. It was still too cold, so attempting it in this state would be difficult.

I put the foie gras on a plate and set it aside. I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had to wait for it to slowly thaw at room temperature. It wouldn't take that long.

The next thing I took out was pork, specifically pork belly.

It might be a questionable combination, but if the velouté is completed properly, it will gently embrace even that greasiness.

'I have to do well.'

After scoring the skin of the pork belly, I cut it into cubes. Cutting it small meant the cooking time would be reduced by that much.

I seasoned it with salt and pepper and put it into the pressure cooker.

The most ideal cooking method was confit, cooking slowly for a long time in low-temperature oil. Meat cooked this way was much softer and moister, and the flavor seeped deep into the inside.

But that was impossible unless I had prepared it in advance.

'Because it takes at least a few hours.'

That's why I deliberately chose the pressure cooker. With this method, even if it wasn't perfect, I could produce a similar result within the time limit.

I poured water into the pot until the meat was submerged. I added green onions, onions, garlic, whole peppercorns, and bay leaves. This would remove the gamey smell and simultaneously bring out the flavor.

I closed the lid and turned the gas stove to high heat.

Chi-ik-

Soon after, when the weight on top started to shake, I turned it down to medium heat and moved the pressure cooker to the corner. Now, I had to boil it here for at least 30 minutes.

'It's so hectic.'

I had practiced several times in the kitchen already, but matching the timing was still not easy. If even one thing went wrong, it was a dish where everything would collapse like dominoes. Carelessness meant failure.

'Let's check. The chestnuts need to be steamed a little more. The pork belly has just started boiling. The foie gras is....'

I approached the foie gras and pressed it lightly with my fingertips. The outside was still cold, but seeing that the inside was slightly soft, it was suitable for trimming.

First, I gently held both ends of the foie gras and pulled them apart slowly. Since it usually had a structure attached in two lobes, one large and one ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠small, it was easy to separate by hand.

I stored the small chunk separately and put the large one on the cutting board.

Trimming foie gras absolutely required a long, thin knife. That's why I deliberately took out a fillet knife. It was sharp, as befitting a knife used for filleting fish or meat.

Hwareureuk-

I heated the fillet knife slightly with a torch. Doing this prevented the foie gras from sticking to the surface and allowed the cut surface to be sliced smoothly.

Now, I sliced the foie gras lengthwise. As the inside was revealed, the complexly intertwined blood vessels came into view at a glance.

I held tweezers in my hand and picked out the blood vessels one by one, starting with the thickest. I had to remove everything, down to the small capillaries, without leaving any behind.

'The moment it smells fishy, it's over.'

While removing the blood vessels, I also tore off all the unnecessary fat chunks and bloodstains that came out with them.

'Done.'

I put the trimmed foie gras back together, wrapped it tightly in plastic wrap, and put it in the refrigerator. I would take it out later before searing.

'Time is... still plenty.'

It was about time for the chestnuts to be fully cooked. I walked over to the steamer.

The sweet and nutty scent unique to chestnuts wafted from the steam rising through the gaps in the lid. When I carefully opened the lid, the parts where I had made cuts had risen slightly, coming into my view.

'Looks like it's done.'

I picked up one chestnut, soaked it in cold water for a moment, and took it out. I peeled the shell by hand and took a small bite.

"Mmm."

A subtle sweetness and nutty flavor. The tenderly cooked chestnut crumbled softly on my teeth.

'Good.'

This was enough. I turned off the steamer and took all the chestnuts out and put them in cold water.

While the chestnuts were cooling, I peeled the shallots and minced them finely. I took out a pot, added butter, and turned on the heat.

Chiiik-

As the temperature rose, I added the shallots and started to sauté them. Only until they turned translucent, just before they started to brown. Bringing out the aroma was important.

I dissolved vegetable stock powder in water and poured it into the pot. Into the boiling broth, I quickly peeled the chestnuts and popped the kernels in.

I let it boil slowly over medium-low heat until the chestnuts softened and spread within the pot.

At the right timing, I added heavy cream and milk, and ground the whole thing finely with a hand blender. As the chestnuts and broth mixed, the consistency gradually became thick.

Finally, I seasoned it with salt and pepper and added chopped celery. That was it. Now, I just had to let it simmer slowly over low heat.

'The basic base is finished with this.'

About 30 minutes had passed. I turned off the pressure cooker and waited until the steam had completely escaped.

Chi-ik-

The weight that had been spinning furiously gradually lost its strength and stopped completely.

When I opened the lid, the glossy flesh of the pork belly was revealed through the hot steam. When I lifted it with chopsticks, it was cooked so softly that the meat would fall apart with just a little force.

'Good.'

I took the meat out, removed the moisture with a paper towel, and placed it on parchment paper. I wrapped it tightly to shape it and placed it on a plate. I put something heavy on top to press it down and put it in the refrigerator to cool.

'With this, the pork belly is done too.'

Now, only two things remained. Foie gras and truffles. These were the most sensitive and tricky ingredients in this mission.

Of course, the cooking process itself wasn't difficult. The problem was delicacy, timing, and concentration.

'Now I just need to finish well.'

I sat in a chair and took a short break. I had to maximize my concentration before finishing the dish.

*

"20 ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠minutes left!"

At Chef Kang Tae-yeon's voice heard from afar, I opened my eyes.

'Let's finish it.'

I went to the refrigerator and took out the pork belly. The pork belly was cold, but thanks to being pressed firmly, it maintained a perfect shape.

After heating the pan over high heat, I added a little butter and placed it with the fat side down.

Chiiiik-

The sound of fat and meat meeting. To me, it sounded like an opening performance.

While the pork belly was slowly searing over medium-low heat, I also took out the foie gras.

After cutting the well-trimmed piece into bite-sized portions, I sprinkled plenty of salt and pepper on the surface. It had to be at least this much to be seasoned.

Chiiik-

No separate oil was needed. 70-80% of foie gras was fat, after all.

As soon as I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠put it in the pan, the fat started to melt out immediately. I scooped up that fat with a spoon and diligently basted the top of the foie gras.

Even while doing this, all my focus was directed at the bottom of the foie gras. I had to flip it at the right timing to bring out the best taste.

'Now.'

As soon as I felt the sound and scent change slightly, I flipped it immediately.

'Good.'

A golden-tinged cross-section was revealed. It was exactly the color I wanted.

I seared the other side the same way and took it out of the pan immediately. If I seared it for too long, it could melt away entirely.

I pressed it lightly with a spoon. The inside was soft, and the elasticity was still there.

'Done.'

I put the seared foie gras on a paper towel to drain the oil slightly.

I returned to the pan, flipped the pork belly, and seared the other side evenly. Since it had already been boiled until soft, I just needed to give it color.

'Now let's finish.'

I carefully poured the chestnut soup—no, the velouté—that I had been simmering in the pot onto the bottom of the plate. I placed the carefully seared foie gras on top, and the pork belly next to it.

The two well-seared ingredients and the velouté spread underneath were in perfect harmony.

And the last thing.

I held the truffle in my hand. I slowly pressed the black-hued mushroom against the grater.

Sasak-

With a light sound, thin, thin truffle shavings scattered and fell onto the foie gras, pork belly, and velouté.

I stepped back one step and looked at the dish.

"......Done."

This was the conclusion and the answer I had reached.