There were about 18 of us in a room at the BCC, with presenters from a maker of duck products, and a Spanish winery. First, we learned a bit about the process of raising and preparing the ducks for making foie, along with a video that showed the process of dividing a duck for sale of its various parts. While that may sound daunting, it was very interesting and not bloody at all because the ducks are actually killed by stunning them and then draining their blood, making the division process quite clean. Then, it was time to taste.
We started with a plate of three types of cold foie with a taste of white tempranillo, which was new to us as tempranillo is usually a red grape and we did not know that a white version exists.
Not very pretty to look at, but extremely tasty with textures ranging from pate-like on the left, to more what we think of as foie on the right.
Next was a plate of cooked foie, which is often served in the Basque region as foie a la plancha, with a very nice red wine.
Third, and this was a surprise, was a duck breast with another red. We were surprised because we thought the event was only foie, and with the duck breast it was turning into a full meal:
Yes, the meat may look raw, but that is how they serve meat in Spain, whether it is beef or duck.
The coup-de-grace was another thing that we did not know existed -- foie bon-bons. Essentially they were foie covered with sweet things including chocolate. Paired with a Gran Reserva red, they were one of the best things I have ever eaten:
We definitely need to find more of those.
Finally, as if we had not had enough to eat already (spoiler alert: we had) there was a bit of duck ham to try:
Not surprisingly, we will continue to look for more fun events to try at the Basque Culinary Center.
Que tengais un buen nochevieja (have a happy new year)!
Jeff and Shana
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