Faux Gras – Vegetarian Foie Gras Recipes

 

Well, you all proved me wrong! Turns out foie gras is still pretty controversial despite my best efforts to explain why I keep it in my diet.

I’m grateful to have the debate and to be so heartily overruled by comments and social media – frankly, the possibility of igniting a real dialogue is one of the reasons why I started Goutaste! They say that a good conversation in France ends in more disagreement than it started with and it’s strong opinions that make this kind of conversation possible.

So whether you’re a vegetarian, still unsure about the whole deal, or just not a fan of the practice or taste, I have some alternatives for you (and maybe me, too – we’ll see). Here’s my round-up of completely vegetarian foie gras – or “faux gras,” if you will:

Mushroom Pâté
Mushrooms are in season in December and using wild mushrooms gives this Pâté a nice richness. Definitely a good choice as a veggie option for your holiday menu.

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Mushroom Mousse

This award-winning mousse looks so divine, it might actually convert me from the goose stuff on presentation alone. Instead of the traditional Champagne, I’d like to pair this mousse with something earthy, like a good Burgundy red.

Chickpea-based Faux-Gras
Not a fan of mushrooms? Try this chickpea-based Faux-Gras. Capers liven it up and bring it from hummus to French decadence.

 Gras Recipes

Tofu-based Misokuke
If you’re like me, you don’t like cooking or lots of prep work. So this Misokuke is for you. It’s actually a miso-cured tofu that you can buy from a specialty store and supposedly spreads on bread just as well as foie would. I wonder if we could even sear slices of this like real foie… (I’ll keep you posted).

Do you think you’ll go “faux” this year? Have a different meat-alternative recipe to share? Continue the foie gras debate? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!