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Aux Champs d'Élisé rears mullard ducks, which is a hybrid between the Peking
and the Muscovy ducks, for the foie gras production. Only males are used
because they give a bigger and better quality product.
A total of 14 weeks are needed for the production of foie gras, from which the
last 2 weeks are devoted exclusively to the feeding process. This operation is
made in modern buildings with sophisticated equipment that are far from some
19th century methods that gave a bad reputation to feeding. As mentioned
earlier, feeding is only the re-enactment of a natural phenomenon, which is
the over-feeding of migratory birds before migration.
Even though Aux Champs d'Élisé produces foie gras on a large scale, some
aspects of production have been preserved over the years. Indeed, a group of
ducks is given to a feeder who will feed "his" ducks twice a day for 14 days.
The feeder will adjust the feeding process to the particularities of each
subject, which means that the feeder adapts himself to the ducks instead of
the other way around. Many little details like this make the foie gras of Aux
Champs d'Élisé very similar, taste-wise and texture-wise, to the foie gras
that is produced on a smaller scale on little farms in the French countryside.
Despite its size, Aux Champs d'Élisé still has a "terroir" aspect, which it is
very proud of.
All the ducks on Aux Champs d'Élisé’s farm are fed with a mix that is composed
exclusively of corn and hot water. They do not eat any animal fat or
by-products, and they do not absorb any antibiotics or hormones.
Product Description
Magret : The name “magret” is reserved for the breast that comes from a
duck that produced foie gras. The magret is a red meat that is usually cooked
whole. It is first seared in a pan and finished up in the oven. The magret can
also be hot smoked or dry cured and cold smoked to make an excellent duck
prosciutto.
Legs : The legs are usually served confit. This way of cooking the legs
gives them an extraordinary taste. The legs are covered with coarse salt and
spices for about 24 hours and then slowly cooked in duck fat for a few hours.
Rendered duck fat : Duck fat is renowned for its exceptional flavor and
also for its nutritional quality. Many great chefs do not hesitate to use duck
fat instead of butter or even olive oil. In fact, dieticians often compare
duck fat to olive oil for their nutritional value.
History The History of Foie Gras
We owe the discovery of foie gras to the Egyptians. Around 2500 B.C., the
Egyptian hunters along the Nile noticed that geese liver was bigger, paler,
and much tastier during the migration period than during the rest of the year.
They understood that this particular liver was the result of the overfeeding
process before migration. The migratory birds have the genetic capacity to
stock in their liver the surplus of food they eat. The liver then acts as a
fuel tank from which the bird draws the energy it needs for its long and
tiring journey.
The Egyptians particularly appreciated the taste of foie gras, but since it
was only available on a very short period of time, they decided to reproduce
that natural phenomenon themselves year round. In order to get a tasty foie
gras, they started feeding geese with figs and, later on, the geese were
replaced by ducks and the figs by corn.
The Jews were the first to develop the art of feeding ducks and geese. Between
the 13th and the 18th century, they were renowned throughout Central Europe
for the high quality and impressive size of the foie gras they produced. But
the ones who contributed the most to the growth of popularity of foie gras are
the French. They improved the feeding technique and also developed the
different ways of cooking foie gras that are known today. The foie gras
Torchon style, the Bloc of foie gras, and the mousse of foie gras are recipes
that have been developed by great French chefs. Over the years, the French
people developed a passion for foie gras that they communicated to everyone.
The History of Aux Champs D’Élisé
In 1988, Annette and Élisé François, former dairy producers, decided to begin
the great adventure of raising force-fed ducks. At first, they produced about
100 ducks a week with basic equipment. Gradually, the demand for foie gras
increased all over Canada, which motivated them to increase their production
and to eventually create the company Aux Champs d’Élisé in 1994.
Producing foie gras is far from being an easy task. It took several trips to
France to learn about the production of foie gras and there were huge
differences between the South of France and Quebec in terms of weather and
types of corn. Therefore, besides the French techniques, many years of hard
work as well as numerous hours of research were needed in order for Aux
Champs d'Élisé to improve its savoir-faire and to develop its own
expertise.
In 1998, Aux Champs d'Élisé was able to produce foie gras of high
quality on a regular basis, so the owners decided to increase their production
and to start exporting in the United States. From 100 ducks per week, the
production gradually increased up to 1000 ducks per week, which means around
20,000 kg of foie gras yearly. Because of the quality and superior taste of
its product, Aux Champs d'Élisé is now recognized by chefs from Canada
and the United States as a producer of foie gras of the highest quality.
The year 2001 was a milestone in the short history of Aux Champs d'Élisé.
First of all, Aux Champs d'Élisé doubled its production capacity by
building a new feeding facility. Aux Champs d'Élisé can now produce up
to 2000 ducks a week, which is about 40,000 kg of foie gras yearly. Also, the
holiday season of 2001 marked the launching of a new product line, comprising
a pâté of foie gras, a mousse of foie gras, and a dry-cured and smoked magret.
This new product line gave Aux Champs d'Élisé the opportunity to make
its debut in the retail business in the fine food stores of North America.
And, finally, it was also in 2001 that Aux Champs d'Élisé sent its
first shipment to Japan.
Aux Champs d'Élisé has now become the biggest Canadian-owned producer
of foie gras, but most of all, Aux Champs d'Élisé is now a synonym of
high quality products.
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