Foie Gras

Foie gras--extra-rich duck or goose liver--is one of the world’s great ingredients. How some area chefs are cooking it this season:

* Chez Gilles: At this pretty Beverly Hills restaurant, foie gras is served cold in a terrine with raisins and a core of goat cheese. (Terrine, $16.50.) Chez Gilles, 267 S. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, (310) 276-1558.

* Citrus: On the menu is a foie gras roulade--foie gras marinated in brown sugar and salt, cooked, then rolled and crusted with shiitake mushrooms. There is also sauteed foie gras with artichoke barigoule and a black bean sauce. (Roulade, $18; sauteed foie gras, $20.) Citrus, 6703 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 857-0034.

* Fenix: Chef Ken Frank declares foie gras his favorite ingredient. For two years, he’s been serving Sonoma-raised foie gras from Muscovy ducks seared with fresh corn polenta and sauteed chanterelle mushrooms. Now he also serves it seared with date juice, a thick honey-like ingredient from Jordan. His own favorite foie gras dish is the “pig sandwich,” two slices of sage-marinated pork tenderloin holding a slab of seared foie gras with a glaze. (Foie gras dishes, $18.) Fenix at the Argyle, Argyle Hotel, 8358 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, (213) 848-6677.

* Joe’s: Joe Miller makes a compelling study in texture by setting a piece of delicate, almost custard-like seared foie gras on a small slab of meaty grilled tuna--which, in turn, sits atop crunchy rosti potatoes with a red wine sauce. (Foie gras with grilled tuna, $14.) Joe’s, 1023 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, (310) 399-5811.

* Spago Beverly Hills: Chef Lee Hefter presents foie gras three ways (on request, five ways): sauteed with Bartlett pears and huckleberries in a Banyol reduction; in a terrine with quince chutney and sea salt; as a mousse with pan-roasted apples and black currants served with toasted walnut bread; in a warm confit with golden raisins, radicchio stewed in balsamic vinegar and roasted savoy cabbage; grilled with figs, arugula, prosciutto and preserved lemons. (Three ways, $18; five ways, $30.) Spago Beverly Hills, 176 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, (310) 385-0880.

* L’Orangerie: Ludovic LeFebvre makes a terrine of foie gras with four spices served with fresh fig puree and quince. He also sears foie gras and serves it with baby leeks and a fondant of caramelized apple with apple cider vinegar. (Terrine, $24; seared foie gras, $24.) L’Orangerie, 903 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, (310) 652-9770.