From Mostly Martha · 2001 · Reconstructed
Poached Foie Gras
Serve when
The dish gets sent back to the pass with 'your foie gras is undercooked!' — Martha's answer, verbatim, is the poaching temperature and time.
In the movie
Theatrical
- ~00:11:40 A dining-room complaint comes back to the kitchen: the foie gras is 'undercooked.' Martha snaps back the exact numbers — poached at 140°F in an 80°C water bath for 25 minutes — and refuses to change a thing.
The complaint scene is a two-second argument, but it tells you everything about Martha: she doesn't apologize, she doesn't re-cook it, she just recites the exact temperature and time like it's an alibi. The dish was never wrong. The customer's palate was.
Ingredients
Method
- Bring the foie gras to room temperature, then season it all over with salt, white pepper, and the brandy or Sauternes if using.
- Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or cheesecloth, rolling it into a compact log and tying off both ends.
- Set a water bath to a steady 80°C (176°F) — an immersion circulator makes this exact, which is Martha's whole point.
- Poach the wrapped lobe until it reaches an internal temperature of 140°F, about 25 minutes, then lift it straight into an ice bath to stop the cooking.
- Chill thoroughly, then unwrap and slice into thick rounds. Serve cold or just barely warmed through, with toasted brioche and a pinch of flaky salt.
Beyond the recipe
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