Michelin-star chef recreates a French staple in a vegan avatar

PARIS: As far as meat dishes go, few are as contentious as the classic French staple, foie gras, which is traditionally made from the liver of a duck or goose that has been force-fed and subsequently fattened for this very purpose. While PETA have previously lambasted this process as “cruel” it has even been banned in California, the animal welfare group has teamed up with French chef Alexis Gauthier to produce a vegan-friendly alternative. In collaboration with plant-based chefs BOSH!, the Michelin-star chef has produced a plant- based foie gras, aptly named “faux gras”. “In France, people love foie gras,” Gauthier says in a short clip which illustrates how he makes the dish. “So I’ve developed a recipe where I will have the same kind of texture, sensation, and deliciousness of foie gras without killing any animals, so no abuse involved.” The unique recipe consists of lentils, walnuts, shallots and mushrooms, which give the dish its meaty texture. After these ingredients are blended together in a food processor to produce the pâté texture, it’s topped with vegan butter.