A great many readers have written to reflect their "fear" that there must be something very difficult about preparing goose livers in their own homes. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, even though goose livers have been regarded as one of the greatest culinary delicacies since the time of the Romans, they are not difficult to prepare in the kitchen so long as one follows a few simple rules.

First, when buying goose livers, often known by their French name of foie gras, be sure that they are creamy-white in color, barely tinged with pink and firm to the touch.

Second, to show how very simple goose liver preparations can be, keep in mind that one of the finest and simplest ways to treat a goose liver is to slice it and then saute it in butter. Remember that while the outside of the liver should be nicely browned, the inside should remain pink. After the livers have been cooked, remove them from the skillet. To the butter in the skillet add a bit each of Marsala wine or other heavy wine and a small amount of veal or beef stock. Over a low flame, scraping the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon, cook this mixture until it is slightly reduced and then pour this sauce over the livers to serve.

To make such a dish even more celebratory, place the foie grasb slices on artichoke hearts that have been cooked in butter and filled with a mixture of mushrooms in cream sauce. Sauteed like this and placed on tournedo steaks or fillet steaks with a rich brown sauce spooned over yields the famous dish tournedos a la Rossini. It is also appropriate to garnish sauteed liver slices with strawberries or peeled green grapes.

Third, do not ignore the possibility of cooking goose liver over open charcoals. When this method, which has its roots in the inexpensive restaurants of the "HaTikva Quarter" in Tel Aviv, first started, great chefs scoffed but today grilled goose liver appear on the menus of some of the best and most exciting restaurants of Europe and North America. Even the Japanese have found (in their most sophisticated restaurants) that grilled cubes of goose liver on skewers with a well made teriyaki sauce can be exceptionally good.

Fourth, to cook a goose liver whole, simply brown it in very hot butter, transfer the liver to an ovenproof casserole dish and pour over a mixture of butter, Marsala wine and thickened veal or beef stock. Cover and seal the casserole and bake until the liver is done.

Fifth, a confession - there is one goose liver dish that even I will not attempt at home. Pate de foie gras (or, if you prefer, goose liver pate) is a dish that takes so many hours to prepare that I recommend it only to the most devoted at-home cooks. As to the rest of us, let us thank heaven that pate de foie gras appears on a regular basis on the menus of many of the world's fine restaurants.

Finally, those devoted to goose liver or to truly excellent cookbooks will do well to purchase a copy of Michael Ginor's truly excellent "Foie Gras - A Passion". Ginor, co-founder and co-owner of Hudson Valley Foie Gras in New York State is probably the man who has done more than anyone else in the world to make fresh goose liver broadly available in North America. With an excellent history of the habits and joys of dining on goose liver and with more than 80 intelligently written recipes, many from renowned chefs including Emeril Lagasse, Jacques Pepin, Charlie Trotter, Israel Aharoni, Jean-Louis Palladin, and Pierre Gagnaire, this could well be the par-excellence guide to the joys of foie gras. "Foie Gras - A Passion" is published by John Wiley and Sons. (For those caring to order via internet or otherwise, the ISBNnumber is 0-471-29318-0).

Those who want to prepare the goose liver dishes of three famous chef-restaurateurs need only click on here to find the recipes.

© Daniel Rogov