Creativity in the heart of Alsace! Meeting with Mr. Metzler, long-time customer of Maison Henras in an article that takes you on a journey to Alsace. Passionate, epicurean, talented creator, he presents his whole truffled foie gras. Warning, this article will make you hungry!
A LITTLE HISTORY…
Mr. Metzler is passionate , an incorrigible creator of excellence and above all an epicurean of taste . Established in the village of Gueberschwihr, in Alsace, he works tirelessly around foie gras, testing and trying new and original experiences . Thus he offers the famous "Canoie": a marvelous mille-feuille of goose and duck foie gras, which allows delicate palates to taste, in one bite, the subtlety of the two palmipeds...
For more than thirty years, we have accompanied him on his ideas for truffle creations around Foie gras . So I decided to meet him last year, before the fresh truffle season , to discuss with him how to offer him the best truffles ....
What was he waiting for? How did he experience the "crisis" of foie gras ? How can we help him? Did he want to continue with the first boil truffle ? Was he still interested in it?
But Mr. Metzler has been through a lot, crises, and this one was not going to compromise his creativity and his enthusiasm! He spoke to me at length about the report that TF1 had devoted to him, which followed him over a whole year, while he was working on a new project : goose foie gras without force-feeding . I admit that Mr. Metzler, a real well of knowledge on goose foie gras, completely amazed me. A love at first sight between craftsmen and creators, but above all it inspired me with deep respect.
A NEW CONSECRATION FOR THIS TIRELESS CREATOR
The whole team is really delighted to announce that this year again, it shone at the 2023 International Agricultural Show by winning not one, but two medals, including gold at the Concours Général Agricole , in particular with truffled whole goose foie gras . Attention, if it is mentioned "WHOLE goose foie gras flavored with truffles " , I confirm that it is indeed a truffled goose foie gras , without added aroma. The statement is misleading, but the regulations are strict: no flavoring is authorized in foie gras !
We invite you to discover this marvel on the Maison Metzler online store . We tasted it and were blown away. The talent of Mr. Metzler and our first boil truffle result in an incredibly fine product!
WHAT IS HIS SECRET?
I will only betray what I can testify to: patience , experience , perseverance , love and…. exceptional truffles ! The primary difficulty of canned foie gras (goose or duck) with truffles (including more than 3% winter truffle / tuber melanosporum) is related to the complexity of carrying out a heat sterilization treatment while preserving the subtlety of the Périgord black truffle taste . First of all, the craftsman must comply with good manufacturing practices, and pay particular attention to the compatibility of the heat treatment scales of his ingredients....
Let me explain: a raw truffle , a hypogeous tuber (which grows underground), must cook for 3 hours to be "sterilized", that is to say, no longer present any risk of development of bacteria , or agents pathogens. The heat treatment applied to foie gras to sterilize them is much shorter. As a result, it is important not to use fresh truffles to make a truffled foie gras ... Otherwise the artisan is exposed to great risks of bacterial development...
WE HAVE THE PERFECT TRUFFLE FOR THIS APPLICATION!
Canned truffles from the 1st boiling or 1st cooking take on their full dimension here . As a reminder, a 1st boil canned truffle is a truffle that has undergone only one heat treatment : the preserves were made in high season, from fully mature truffles , packed raw in cans. In contrast, "classic truffle preserves" (especially for broken pieces and juice) are made from truffles or pieces of truffles which have already undergone a first sterilization in "mother boxes" to allow their preservation....
One of the secrets of an excellent truffled foie gras lies, in addition to the quality of the lobes used and the skill of the artisan, in the type of black truffle chosen:
- Black Périgord truffle (it won't work with summer truffles, in case some think about it, above all, it's not allowed),
- At least 3% of this Tuber melanosporum
- Choose preserves from the 1st boil .
This is one of the secrets revealed to have an excellent truffled foie gras .
And if you don't have the time or if you don't feel like a gourmet creator, Mr. Metzler still has some stock on his online store .
We also have our own truffled duck foie gras (made in Montdoumerc by the excellent Maison Catusse), always with Henras truffles,
There you go, dear lovers of truffle gastronomy , I wish you a wonderful day, and don't forget: truffles are shared, truffles are umami, truffles are cooked, so get your aprons on!!