Gavage...proceed with caution!

Gavage is defined as the practice of feeding a person or an animal against their will. Gavage is supplying a nutritional substance by means of a small plastic tube passed through the nose or mouth into the stomach, not explicitly 'forcibly'.

The ducks at Ferme Auberge are fed corn meal that is similar to a raw polenta. Due to the duck's natural metabolism, they must be fed twice a day and then be slaughtered shortly after their final feeding because they lose weight incredibly quickly. Whereas, new albums are released only on Tuesdays, these ducks are only slaughtered on Mondays...i'm sorry that was pretty tasteless.

You know what's not tasteless, these ducks' liver in my belly!

For those that want to see the actual feeding of the ducks...here you go:

After the ducks were fed, Pamela wanted a taste of gavage as well:

Lovely French Farm OR Torture Chamber?!?!?!?

From the exterior we see the gorgeous home of the Maudet-Cousin family and their duck farm, Ferme Auberge. Our eyes glance over the beautifully manicured lawn and a playful picture of an animated duck holding an umbrella and basket filled with adorable ducklings.

How delightful!

Do tell Chefonz, what is the nature of this visit?

GAVAGE!!! GAVAGE!!!

The act of force-feeding ducks in order to plump their livers full in preparation of their death and the distribution of foie-gras.

But guess what...foie is deeeelish!

In order for me to make an educated opinion on this hot-button issue, I felt it was my responsibility to understand the process, observe, and then make a judgement predicated on my findings.

The following is directly from a "statement" that the fine folks at the Foie Gras et Ferme Auberge provided to our group:

"The ducklings arrive at the farm when they are 3-4 weeks old. All the ducks are male because they do not make a noise!!! Male ducks also have bigger livers. For the next nine weeks, they will be left in fields to feel free to drink and eat whenever and whatever they want. At the end of their 13 weeks, they are taken from the field and they go into the gavage room where they are fed twice a day. After two weeks in the gavage room, they will be humanely killed to become delicious foie gras, various cuts of meat, and numerous pate conserves. We can not call our products organic because our ducks have been fed maize so we like to call them HAPPY DUCKS because they have been free to roam our fields and they have a carefree life."

I must say this...the married couple that own and run this farm love their livestock. They took great pride in the care of their ducks and they take equal pride in the quality of their final product. Their foie is sold throughout France to a number of Michelin rated restaurants...the foie dish that we made with Chef Eric a handful of days ago came from this exact farm.

The picture below is a painting of the original owner working with her ducks before the implementation of mechanical gavaging (i'm pretty sure that's not a real word).

Friday AM Cooking with Chef Pascal

Friday morning began bright and early with a stroll through the garden to pick fresh ingredients for our cooking lesson with Chef Pascal.

Chef Pascal is from an area in France called Perigord. The area is rich in culinary history and many of their dishes feature fresh truffles, duck, and geese. Aside from our beloved Chef Pascal, another famous Perigordian was Cyranno De Bergerec...that dude with the insanely long nose who helped his friend pick up chicks with his smooth talkin poetry. Who says I didn't pay attention in english class during high school?

Our lesson included a Creme de Chou-Fleur au Persil (cream of cauliflower soup with parsley) and a traditional Salade de Perigord which included fresh lettuce, tomato, mushroom, white asparagus, walnuts, smoked magret (duck breast), chicken gizzards (which Pascal kept calling chicken jizzards), and a fresh vinaigrette.

Another incredible Chef Pascal dinner!

After an action packed day full of goats, bread, wine, and tarts, Chef Pascal greeted us with his favorite selection of Edith Piaf classics and a remarkable dinner.

Here we go:

1. Green lentil salad with carrots and parsnip along with smoked pork belly and stuffed pigs feet
2. Duck Confit with bacon wrapped asparagus, potato mash, and a roasted tomato with garlic and parsley
3. Cheese course: morbier, pont l'evique, brebis cors herb, fresh goat
4. Fresh sweet and bitter strawberries in a simple syrup

Le Tasting Room

Welcome to Le Tasting Room, a wine/cave cellar that was built in 1869. The lovely owners, Cathy and Nigel (nigh, as his friends call him) are both British, expert oenologists and viticulturists.

There are over 33,000 people in the Loire Valley that employed in some fashion by the wine industry.

The Loire Valley is broken down into 4 main regions of wine production:

• Nantes: specializes in white muscadet
• Anger/Saumer: specializes cabernet franc and chinon
• Touraine: specializes in gamay
• Sancerre: specializes in pinot noir and Sauvignon blanc

Our wine tasting and lecture including a sampling of 6 different wines along with assorted canapes..."Nigh, where are those canapes!?"

La Maison du Pain

La Maison du Pain...or as I like to refer to it, The House of Pain.

Located in the city of Angers, Phillipe & Catherine Soulard are artisinal bakers that specialize in a wide variety of baked goods including 14 different types of baguette produced daily.

During our visit, Phillipe walked us through the entire preparation of his breads along with a lesson in proper dough rolling & braiding.

TEKIAH!!!!

Prepping for Rosh Hashanah 2010!

I'm pretty sure that this guy wasn't too happy with the fact that I was using his lost horn as my personal Shofar. But...it just so happens that this is the resident goat stud whose sole responsibility is to impregnate the rest of the herd...so, I think he'll get over it real quick!