This “Faux Gras” was the most exciting and delicious recipes I’ve ever attempted.

A dear friend of mine Chef Javier Juarez tagged me in a Facebook post for “Vegan Foie Gras” and told me “it’s time to elevate your skills!”

Javier is an amazing chef. Javier and I have been friends since middle school and he’s constantly encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone with cooking.

Javier sends me recipes and suggestions often but this one really sparked my interest.

You see, I’m on this “elevate yourself” kick.

I used to wait all week to go the local coffee shop and work on content. Coffee shops are all the same $8 coffee, views of the hustle and bustle and baristas shouting everyone’s name wrong.. I decided this year my time for creation is valuable. I may have a small “me time” budget but that doesn’t mean I have elevate my surroundings and view.

I’m trading up to $8 glasses of wine with a spectacular views at the local wineries in my town.

In other words this year I’m FANCY🧐 I’m branching out. Not only in my life but in my cooking as well.

I’m trying elevated Vegan dishes and I’m sharing them with you all!

I was so excited about cooking this recipe. I couldn’t function! I watched the YouTube video obsessively and finally I just had to cook it for myself!

Prior to begin Vegan I loved Froie gras.

What is froie gras?

Froie gras is a French term meaning “fattened duck liver” (or geese) the practice of force feeding geese and ducks to fatten their livers dates all the way back to 400 B.C

Chef Jean-Joseph Clause is credited with creating and popularizing Patè de froie gras in 1779. He served the dish to Louis XVI, King of France.

Froie gras is widely know as the ultimate culinary delicacy… however many do not agree with force feeding ducks and geese solely for devouring their livers.

It’s an awful practice that needs to end.

I have eaten froie gras and other patè prior to becoming Vegan about 2 years ago. Around the same time as Chef Alex Gauthier creator of the “Faux Gras” recipe became vegan and began to experiment with plant based ingredients for high end meals.

Chef Alex Gauthier has been a chef since 1991. He earned a Michelin Star in 2000 and in 2001. In 2010 Chef Gauthier opened Gauthier Soho which offers a wide variety of fine vegan cuisine.Chef Alex has been very well respected judge on the cooking competition show “Master Chef”

This picture of chef Gauthier’s “Faux Gras” inspired me to want to prepare the dish on my own! It’s mouth watering!

I was so excited to be attempting high end vegan cuisine I could wait to get this recipe a shot. I was very curious…

I looked at the ingredients and wondered

“How are these ingredients going to be Vegan Patè?”

Well take the journey and find out!

(You’ll need a food processor for this one 🤗)

Here’s what you need:

Faux gras ingredients

• 2 Table spoons Olive oil
• 1 shallot
• Pinch of salt
• 2 garlic cloves
• 18 button mushrooms
• 2 Teaspoon rosemary
• 2 Teaspoon Thyme
• 2 Teaspoon of sage
• 2 Teaspoon of cognac
• 1 1/2 cup of cooked lentils
• 2 Tablespoon of soy sauce

2 Tablespoon of beetroot purée

(You have to make your own beet purée.. it’s canned beets blended.. you need it for the color! You can also save it and make vegan burgers that look like they’re medium rare inside.. I’ll teach you that next time🤗)

• Vegan butter is optional to cover the top of the vegan Patè. I didn’t use it on my because I’m trying to eat healthy 🤷🏾‍♀️ next time I will top with butter.

I also purchased tiny mason jars to store the faux gras.

Ok let’s cook!

Preparing faux gras (Vegan Patè)

Heat oil in a large pan.

chop shallot add to the pan, add salt and cook until shallot is translucent. Roughly chop cloves the garlic and mushrooms add them to the pan.

Stir until everything is cooked evenly down.

Add rosemary, thyme, sage and cognac. Stir around until ingredients are evenly mixed.

(Taste your food.. these mushrooms, shallots and seasoning just burst with flavor in your mouth. It’s amazing!)

Next add the contents of the frying pan to the food processor, along with cooked lentils, soy sauce and walnuts. Pulse until ingredients are combined.

Next add your beetroot purée. This is the color of the dish. Taste the dish and add extra cognac if needed.

Transfer the mixture to a jar.

It looks so much like Foie Gras it’s insane!

Real Froie gras

Once you add the Faux Gras to the mason jar you have the option of topping it with vegan butter like Chef Alex Gauthier or you can leave it out. The faux gras needs to be refrigerated a couple hours prior to serving. Served chilled on good quality bread.I really enjoyed this recipe!

My family loved it! My fiancé is a chef.

He tasted the Faux gras and was really impressed with the texture and how the flavors combined to really mimic the taste of liver.

It’s BETTER than froie gras. It’s cruelty free. It’s healthy, earthy, hearty, robust and delicious. You can taste the rosemary, thyme and sage.

The walnuts give it that little grit and crunch of liver. This recipe is GENIUS and really opened me up to elevating my palate, tasting and experimenting. This was and fun and SO delicious 😋

It’s easy to prepare and whip out to make you look like vegan host of the year!

Let me if you try it in the comments! Trust me you won’t regret it.