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ByLindaZavoral SanJoseMercuryNews Many of Northern Cal- ifornia's finest chefs pride themselves on serving free-range meat, sustain- able seafood, cage-free eggs and organic vegetables and herbs grown or foraged just down the road. And now that foie gras is legal again in California, they're putting this delicacy — the unctuous, enlarged livers of force-fed geese and ducks — back on the menu. This raises a question: Does that centuries-old, contro- versial practice conflict with today's farm-to-table philosophy? How do fatty livers and fiddlehead ferns coexist in California's culi- nary world? Two years of foie-free menus have led to quiet dis- cussion of that very issue in food circles since U.S. Dis- trict Judge Stephen Wilson overturned the state's ban last week. "I think people can like and love both," said Tracy Lee, CEO of Dishcrawl, which arranges restaurant progressive dinners and chef events in cities across North America. "Farm to table is more about sus- tainability and the fresh- ness of ingredients. Foie gras is more about the dec- adence of it." For high-end chefs, foie gras is a star in the French gastronomic world in which many of them trained. For gastropub chefs, it's what's trending now. Whether foie gras pres- ents a culinary conundrum or not, all the chefs we con- tacted who served foie be- fore the ban will serve it again — even those who may be questioning their personal philosophies. And many expressed whole- hearted support for an in- dustry that they say has been singled out and un- fairly maligned. "Foie gras doesn't have a lobbyist," said Jarad Galla- gher, executive chef of the Michelin-starred Chez TJ in Mountain View. "This is an easy target" — and an insig- nificant one, he said, as 99 percent of Americans have never eaten foie gras. For those who do, his ad- vice is: "If you're going to eat meat, the responsible thing to do is understand it." And if you don't, trust that your high-end chefs do. "There's a level of respon- sibility we chefs have," said Gallagher, who is also a rancher. "Fine-dining chefs are as close to the farmers as we can get. I've watched the process. We're very close to what we serve." Michael Wild, co-owner of Bay Wolf in Oakland, noted that U.S. foie gras producers raise free-range -- not caged -- birds. "They're very fastidi- ous about the process," he said. "They can't afford not to be." Wild compared the fattening of ducks in the fi- nal days of their lives to the not-at-all-controversial fat- tening of farm-raised fish. At Oakland's Shakewell, chef-owner Jennifer Bi- esty said she understands the views of animal rights groups, but argues that foie gras has been sustainably raised for years. "They'd be better served by look- ing at the chicken or beef industries," where the ani- mals are treated "horribly" in USDA-approved environ- ments, rather than going af- ter small foie producers, she said. A top official with Farm Sanctuary, which co-spon- sored California's origi- nal legislation that called foie gras production inhu- mane, countered that "the vast majority of our time is spent on factory farm- ing." "But," said Bruce Fried- rich, senior advocacy and policy director, "we can't look the other way while the foie gras producers are in- flicting egregious abuse on animals." Some chefs who have long served foie gras are now waxing philosophic. Jeffrey Stout, chef-owner of Orchard City Kitchen in Campbell, said there "prob- ably" is a disconnect be- tween the type of restau- rant he has created and the serving of foie gras. But the strong customer desire is there: While executive chef for the Michelin-starred Al- exander's Steakhouses in Cupertino and San Fran- cisco, he typically served 40 to 50 pounds a week. And last Wednesday, just hours after the ban was lifted, 10 tables' worth of diners came in to Orchard City Kitchen specifically for foie gras. At San Jose's Hay Mar- ket, chef-owner Joe Cirone was quick to say that ducks will stuff themselves even without the help of feeding tubes, yet he is grappling with the ethical issue. "Can I violate my own playlist of rules because of this delicacy? I'm chewing on that," said Cirone, who serves grass-fed, pasture- raised meats. For now, he plans to put foie gras back on his menu and would like to serve a local product — but it re- mains illegal to produce foie in this state. California's only pro- ducer, Sonoma Artisan of Sonoma County, was forced out of business in 2012 after the state's prohibition went into effect. Going forward, chefs said, most foie served in California likely will come from New York state farms. The largest, Hudson Valley Foie Gras, aims for transparency, with videos of roaming and tube-feed- ing birds on its website. "We show people what we are doing," operations manager Marcus Henley said. "Cali- fornia chefs have been here to observe how foie gras is made at our farm." Among those was Chez TJ's Gallagher, the third chef to phone Hudson Val- ley last week with his new order. Advance reservations filled his dining room for Friday and Saturday, with additional guests still try- ing to snag tables for his first plates of seared foie. In Oakland, Shakewell's Biesty was talking with sup- pliers, bracing for "a little craziness" and hoping that prices won't skyrocket. Bay Wolf's Wild was thinking about a themed "Foie Gras Redux" dinner for February. And at the Hay Market, Cirone was planning to dis- cuss foie gras at an upcom- ing summit with his staff. "Talk to me in a year," Cirone said. "I might be a vegan." RESTAURANTS Foodiesandthefoiegrasconundrum PATRICKTEHAN-BAYAREANEWSGROUP Chef Jarad Gallagher prepares a foie gras dish at Chez TJ in Mountain View. A er a recent court ruling overturning its ban, foie gras is now back on the menu at Chez TJ, a Michelin- starred restaurant. PATRICK TEHAN-BAY AREA NEWS GROUP A foie gras chocolate truffle dessert is photographed at Chez TJ in Mountain View. A er a recent court ruling overturning its ban, foie gras is now back on the menu at Chez TJ, a Michelin-starred restaurant. By LeeAnn Weintraub Special to the LA Daily News When striving to eat healthier, enjoying more homemade meals is an ob- vious first step. However, home-cooked food is only as healthy and balanced as the ingredients that go into it. It is not unusual to see celebrity chefs on televi- sion drizzling oil with a heavy hand or adding heaps of butter to the frying pan. While getting some healthy fats is beneficial, too much of it is not good for the waistline. Healthy cooking methods that limit excess fats and oil while boosting flavor can help keep calories under control. Keep in mind that a bal- anced diet consists of about 25 percent to 30 percent of calories from fat. That's about 500 or 600 calories from fat per day for a person on a 2,000-calorie diet. If you consider that a ta- blespoon of oil contains 120 calories and a 4-ounce piece of salmon has about 65 cal- ories from fat, you can see how fat in the diet can re- ally add up. Cooking methods that rely on cooking in oil, such as deep-frying, stir-frying and panfrying, lead to ex- cessively high-fat, high- calorie meals. We all know that baking and grilling are solid options for healthy cooking, but there are other less common techniques worth trying. Here are some fun and simple ways that you may not have thought of to pre- pare dinners that are both tasty and lower in calories. Move aside fried fish, en papillote, which means "in parchment paper," is an ideal cooking technique for fish and seafood, among other foods. Add ingredients like vegetables, fresh herbs and garlic to a protein like poultry or fish to make the dish aromatic and flavor- ful. Once you place all your ingredients on the paper, fold it up around the food and seal it to form a pocket, which is placed in a hot oven. The pocket holds in mois- ture, which steams the food. Liquids for steaming like wine, broth or water can be added to the pocket, but added fat is essentially un- necessary. Be careful when opening the paper pocket as a lot of hot steam will escape. Since this cooking method requires no dishes, cleanup is a breeze. Poaching is a moist- heat cooking method that involves submersion of a food in a hot liquid that is at a lower temperature than boiling or simmering liquid. While the first thing that comes to mind may be poached eggs in water, this is a very versatile cooking technique that can be used for so much more. Eggs poached in a tomato-based sauce, called shakshouka, can be served with a whole- grain toast for a hearty and balanced weekend brunch. Try poaching fish or chicken in broth or milk with fresh herbs for a deli- cate and flavorful dish. Not only does poaching not require added fat, but it preserves and retains the maximum nutritional value of the ingredients bring poached. Sous vide, which means "under vacuum," is the pro- cess of cooking foods like meat and poultry in an air- tight plastic bag immersed in hot water for long peri- ods of time. The even cooking tem- perature and slow pro- cess results in a very moist and tender piece of meat. Favorite seasonings and spices can be used to add flavor to the meat. However, you will need special equipment, includ- ing a sous vide water oven and meat thermometer, to try this method. NUTRITION He al th ie r me th od s: fi nd in g fla vo r in l ow -f at c oo ki ng COURTESY Poached eggs on whole grain bread toasts is a healthful option. COURTESY Sous-Vide cooking involves cooking food like meat and poultry in an airtight plastic bag. COURTESY Fish en papillote is a good way to cook fish and give it lots of flavor. FOOD » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, January 14, 2015 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B5