It's the only duck facility in the Middle East and it's proudly Lebanese. La Ferme St Jacques have been producing foie gras for more than 10 years now, supplying many famous restaurants around town and selling their products in their permanent shop on Monot Street. We eat their products but we rarely talk about them, now it's time.
Being Lebanese and a hard working company with ISO 22,000 certification, La Ferme St Jacques is one of those products that deserve support, so why buy European?
We called a couple of friends, opened a bottle of wine and sat around the living room table to enjoy a foie gras tasting. Duck breast Magret stuffed with duck liver foie gras, duck liver foie gras pâté, along with duck foie gras half cooked and sliced smoked duck breast with sea salt and beech wood.
Duck liver is a refined sensual delicacy that has traveled across the centuries before reaching Lebanon. Back in the old times, Egyptians relished the livers of ducks and geese that fed along the Nile River prior to their migration. Like all bird species, it is a natural instinct for ducks to over-feed themselves in order to prepare for a long cold winter or migration. Overfeeding causes fat build up and renders the birds more juicy and tender.
Described by food critics and connoisseurs as “a quintessence of aromas and flavors”, Foie Gras has acquired a reputation, it's a legend in itself through its unique, succulent taste.
Dinner is served:
- Sliced smoked duck breast (magret fumé tranché): A duck raised outdoors and fed cereals and corn. It's prepared and smoked to intensify its taste and flavors. That's a delicious creation. Smoky, tender, a hint of salt and a long lasting after note of enjoyment.
- Duck liver stuffed with duck liver (magret fourré au foie gras). That one is better served on lettuce or tomatoes in a salad. A rich, pink meat with a heart of tender, full-bodied foie gras that fits well with the surrounding meat. Fat surrounds it for more flavor.
- Duck liver paté (Pâté au foie gras): That's a good one as well. I loved the taste and spices and light sweetness at the end. Eat it with fig jam, a combination that rocks!
- The half-cooked whole duck liver (foie gras entier mi-cuit). Honestly, it never was a favorite and isn't yet, especially after I carefully tasted it tonight. It's a bit too gooey, too tender and lacking body and texture. Comparing it to many other foie gras I had in town, it's a very good quality, but it's not one I really like.
Les Fermes St Jacques offers more than just foie gras and now that Christmas season is near, you can consider some local products for your menu.
