Duck Rillettes

White Pekin Duck

I am one lucky cook. I had a bowl of gorgeous slow cooked duck meat and another of beautifully scented duck fat from my New Jersey neighbors at D’Artagnan on my kitchen counter. Why was I so fortunate? Because I had made duck demi-glace to anoint beautiful little Scottish grouse that I’m doing next week and had these luxurious leftovers after slow cooking the stock for 10 hours. What did I do with it??? How about duck rillettes!

One of the most heartbreakingly delicious breakfasts of my life was an omelette filled with duck rillettes and crème fraiche that was served with bread fragranced by a wood fire toasting. The filling flowed from its egg envelope with a dark molten splendor as I sliced into it. I think my eyes rolled back in my head.

This is great duck. D’Artagnan’s meats and poultry are all raised organically and humanely which all good cooks know makes for better tasting food as well as a better stewardship of the land. Being NY based, I have used their products for 20 years and have never been disappointed (through the wonders of the internet… you can too!).

This is one of the easiest things in the world to make if you have the raw materials. Rillettes were first made with pork and are a specialty of Anjou and Le Mans in France, but are now done with game or fish as well. The meat is salted and scented with warm spices and fresh herbs. I warmed it up even further with cognac and Madeira and then brightened it with green peppercorns. I bet you could do it with leftover chicken thighs as well but you do need the fat to make it work. It is wicked and delicious….something all women aspire to, yes?

Duck Rillettes

Leftover duck meat

Leftover duck fat, melted

Salt to taste

1 clove garlic minced

pinch of coriander, nutmeg, pepper

& mace *

½ pinch of cinnamon

1 t fresh marjoram, chopped

1 T MAISON SURRENNE cognac **

1 T Boston Bual Madeira

1-2 T green peppercorns in brine

* The amounts of spice will depend on what you’re able to get off the duck. Assuming you get 1 c of meat and nearly the same of fat, the recommended spicing will work. If you did a few ducks and have a lot more meat and fat, expand the amounts accordingly. Taste and see what you think. This is not an exact science. This is a great dish for using what is left and not wasting any of your great duck.

Take all the leftover meat from the duck carcass you may have leftover from making a duck. Cook at a very low heat in the duck fat. When it is meltingly tender after an hour or so, remove it from the heat and shred the meat. Combine with the garlic and spices and liquor and green peppercorns. Put into a crock and try to have the fat cover the meat. Let it sit for a day or two to meld the flavors. Serve at room temperature on bread. You can also serve it with cornichons and mustard if you wish.

I made that omelette again. Although my rillettes aren’t as dark as the one I remember… the taste was there… to die for. I can also see this as a filling for ravioli with cream. It was great as a filling for lasagna (I put a little raclette in the béchamel and mmm it was good!).

** I want to recommend the cognac from Germain-Robin. I got their MAISON SURRENNE Ancienne Distillerie 100% Petite Champagne when I was working on the absinthe post and finally cracked it open… it is spectacular and a great buy for cognac.

Thanks to everyone who has been clicking on my Google Ads(anything that sells something) on the side and bottom of the page… I have almost made $10 this month which is 10 times better than usual… at this rate I might get a night’s stay in Oxford courtesy of LostPast… how great is that!!!

check out D'Artagnan's Facebook page... Lostpastremembered is there!!!

Thanks to Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday

Delmonico's 1888...

The Players Club of New York City was officially signed into being on January 6, 1888 at a luncheon given at Delmonico’s by Joseph Daly, one of the premier theatrical managers of the era. Among the signatories were Mark Twain, John Drew (much loved uncle of Lionel, Ethel and John Barrymore and a reigning matinee idol of the day), William Tecumseh Sherman and the great Shakespearean actor and Player’s Club founder Edwin Booth, who gave his home on Gramercy Park to become the clubhouse. As with many great occasions that were to come at the Players, flavors, colors and aromas of glorious food seared the moment in memory

Delmonico’s 1888 Menu

Deciphering the menu for that auspicious day is a challenge. It was popular to personalize dishes to beguile or honor the host or guests. Sadly, we cannot recreate the ephemerally named “Brochette de Homard Elaine”, “Ris de Veau Julius Caesar” and “Sorbet au Cardinal”. We know that Julius Caesar and Cardinal Richelieu were great Booth successes on the stage, but how that translates to a recipe, we cannot know. Their formulas have evanesced into the mists of time like the sound of Booth’s exquisite voice. Also lost, the constituent parts of a dessert created especially for the meal: “Sweets al la Railroad of Love”, named in honor of Augustin Daly’s wildly popular play about the rapid pace of 1880’s courtship starring John Drew.

Scene from Railway of Love

One can only imagine the confections a chef might create to amuse favored patrons at a special luncheon. A whole nougat steam engine fantasy could be constructed, pulling nougat cars filled with sweet delights like Delmonico’s chef, Charles Ranhofer’s cart of confections made of nougat and marzipan and filled with candied fruits iced with caramel and angelica, adorned with fruits and flowers made of ice cream.

Some dishes on the handwritten card could easily be found on today’s hors d’oeuvre trays and menus. Oysters, canapés with anchovies, sardines and caviar, roasted potatoes, and buttered peas are common fare. However, it would be prudent to discourage a renewed enthusiasm for “Roasted Canvasback Duck”, a variety so favored it was nearly extinct by the end of the 19^th century, (no surprise since its flesh is irresistibly exquisite when it has been feeding on its favorite food, wild celery). Foie gras with aspic and lettuce salad are enduringly popular. “Chouffleur Villlaroi” and “Potatoes Sarah” are treasures waiting to be rediscovered. The charming desserts, “Gelée aux oranges” (jelly mold with orange slices) and “Briscelets a la crème” (pastry bracelets with cream) and “Caisses de fruits glacés” (boxes of sugar-glazed fruit) could appear on a modern dessert service

In honor of that wonderful winter day 120 odd years ago, here’s Chouffleaur Villaroi taken directly from Delmonico’s 1889 cookbook “The Epicurean”. The molten creaminess beneath the crisp crust is a delight!

I would recommend cutting the veloute recipe to 1 Qt stock for a small head of cauliflower. That still gives you veloute to spare.I used 8 Tb of butter, ½ c of flour and ½ c of cream. I used 2 egg yolks and came up with a breathtaking Allemande. To that I added 1 minced Portobello cap, sans gills and 2 T minced parsley as well as salt and pepper to taste. I added 1 tsp. fresh marjoram to the breadcrumbs but that was not authentic. The result was heavenly, even a cauliflower hater would swoon!

CAULIFLOWER A LA VILLEROI

This (the head of cauliflower) is to be cooked and drained, then covered with well-reduced Allemande Sauce* into which mingle chopped-up fresh
mushrooms and chopped parsley.

Allemande Sauce is made by reducing Veloute*, incorporating a little good raw cream slowly into it. When the sauce is succulent and creamy, thicken it with a thickening of several raw egg-yolks, then boil the sauce for one minute to cook the eggs, pressing against the bottom of the pan with a spatula, strain it through a tammy (fine strainer) into a vessel. Stir it from time to time until cold.

Veloute´ is made by melting three-fourths of a pound of butter in a small saucepan; stir into it three-fourths of a pound of good flour, and let the roux cook for a few minutes, then set the saucepan on a slower fire without letting it color; in order to obtain a well thickened sauce, the flour must be well cooked. When the roux is sufficiently done dilute it gradually with four quarts of good stock.

When (the Allemande Sauce is) thoroughly cold, immerse (flowerets) in beaten eggs, then in bread-crumbs, smooth the breading and fry it a golden color; drain, salt and dress on a folded napkin, laying a bunch of fried parsley on top.

If you are looking for some fine napkin folding ideas, try one of these to elevate your cauliflower presentation to new, 19^th c heights courtesy of Jessup Whitehead’s 1889 classic, The Steward’s Handbook.