In this period of economic austerity there is little room for supermarket snobbery anymore, and more often than not, no matter what the expectations of our taste buds, sometimes it is our pocketbooks that determine where we will shop. Yes we may skip around the 'farmers' markets and the local small growers and producers but there comes a time when you just have to go to the supermarket.
As a single parent with 2 growing teenage children I am effectively supporting 3 adults on a single income, so how to eat well on limited funds yet support Irish producers is a weekly challenge you yourself may be familiar with.
I suggest you just get out there and investigate these 'outsiders' who have so successfully got a foothold in the Irish market, you might be surprised ! and if you are into supporting Irish sourced produce then you'll be delighted at what you'll find in these establishments along those lines.
But anyway, on to my recent find...beware I'm about to get poetic.....
Five little ducks came along one day..... one got confit'd....... the other 4 are in the freezer awaiting their fate!
I am a duck lover and I'm not ashamed to say it. I know there will be many out there who empathize with the poor little fluffy ducklings and shout from the heights...'how could you? how do you eat that?'...and my answer will be...'preferably confit'd... but I'm partial to a nice Cointreau sauce too!'
Duck is normally regarded as the preserve of the high class restaurant and only the very bravest of people dare take on the cooking of duck in their humble household, yet when it comes to the subject of duck....... Ireland has a secret weapon!
In the little village of Emyvale in county Monaghan lies a farm known as 'Silver Hill'....really it should be called 'golden hill' because this farm produces the finest duck I have ever had the pleasure of eating in my forty years on this planet.....and worth its weight in gold!Silver Hill have developed their own 'breed' of duck unavailable anywhere else, so don't think that if you see Barbarie or Gressingham duck on sale in the supermarket you will be getting a product similar to Silver Hill....you won't! and a word of warning...the result will be completely different!
you can find out more about the wonderful Silver Hill here!
I have memories going back decades of taking day trips where we drove all the way from Donegal to Emyvale, cooler boxes at the ready in the car, just to buy the 'Silver Hill' duck.
At that time there was just the little shop on the edge of the village where we would buy half ducks by the case, buying 2 or 3 or more cases at a time, filling our cooler boxes then turning right around and heading straight back to Donegal stopping only for a loo break at Aughnacloy. Upon reaching home our duck hoard would be divided among friends and family who we had generously let into our culinary 'secret'!
These days Silver Hill duck can be found in my local 'economy' supermarket, maybe not on a weekly basis but frequently enough that a drive south is no longer required, and surprisingly the price is cheaper per kilo than beef, making it a succulent yet economic treat!
I have been able to buy the Silver Hill duck as 'confit of duck leg', marinated duck breast, crisp half duck with those lovely Asian style pancakes and a delicious dipping sauce, and whole oven ready duck, but for convenience, ease of cooking and flavour I prefer the confit of duck leg.
To 'confit' something is the French method of preserving something in fat or even sugar.
The French do love to confit things, from goose breast to its actual liver, that expensive decadent delicacy known as 'foie gras', to pork joints and duck legs or even whole ducks, to lemons which are preserved in sweet sugar syrup with spices or liqueurs.
To confit something requires heat but not too hot and over long periods of a few hours or even overnight. Preserving something like duck legs in their own fat results in the most tender and succulent flesh where the meat will literally fall off the bone.
Although the duck is cooked in and may even be stored in the fat, you will be surprised how little fat is actually absorbed into the food. When it comes to reheating a confit'd item, the fat is scraped away and the food is then cooked in a very hot oven until thoroughly heated and the skin has attained an amazing crispness.....which is how duck should be...no pink duck for me thank you very much!...my fellow chefs may frown and say duck breast should be only be served pink, but although I do prefer my lamb and beef on the rarer side, it is crispy duck all the way for me!
Your Confit of duck will come in convenient individual portions and are perfect for freezing too! and if you do hoard and freeze them when you get them 'on offer', let them defrost in the fridge for a day or two before using.
Follow the heating instructions on the packaging but if you, like me, love your duck really crisp then you can give it a few moments longer in the oven until it has achieved your [referred crispiness, have no fear, the meat will not dry out! such is the beauty of confit.
Some things just go perfectly with duck like a nice sweet potato and garlic mash, green beans, garden peas with little baby onions and pancetta lardons, or a nice cheesy gratin of potatoes....see my recipe here!
If you are going to go to the bother of making your duck nice and crispy then don't drown it in a sauce....use a bowl (see picture above) and have your potatoes, veg and sauce on the bottom with your duck placed nicely on top, so as the French say....Bon Appetit!
Have you tried the Silver Hill duck? let me know how you got on!
No comments:
Post a Comment