Tonight at Dai Due’s “Other Bits” class, I got a chance to peruse Au Pied de Cochon – The Album by Martin Picard. Picard is a nutbar Quebecois chef recently featured on Bourdain’s TV show No Reservations, in which he was notable for serving up a “reconstructed pig” (in which various cooked pig parts were served on a board in a configuration corresponding to more or less where they were on the critter) which was devoured by him and his shirtless staff.
It’s a remarkable book, well worth the effort to track down. It’s full of warped little drawings and extravagant photography, and more foie gras recipes than you’ll ever see anywhere.
Including a recipe for foie gras poutine.
Poutine is a classic Quebecois comfort food that I’ve never had the chance to try; it consists of french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. Picard, madman that he is, takes the fries and curds and tops them with—not just a sauce made from foie gras, but an enormous slab of the stuff as well.
To borrow a phrase: this is wrong and hurting people. In one of the best possible ways, perhaps, but oh. my. god.
The recipe, and a picture. May not be safe for small children or those with heart conditions.
