Peter's Roasted Duck - Magret de Canard

In the Pyrenees Mountains duck is the poultry of choice: duck sausage, salami, confit, stews, cassoulet. The duck breast, or magret de canard, is simple to prepare and makes for an elegant dinner. I give all the credit to Peter, who has been cooking this dish for years in the family's home in SW France.

Duck breast is a great piece of meat: the meat is flavorful, best nearly raw, and kept moist by a thick layer of fat. David Lemasson is an excellent brand of local duck and geese products-- they also make fantastic foie gras.

Preparing the duck breast is simple:
1. Preheat the oven to 215° C or 420°F
2. Score the fat
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper

A trick I stole from Peter was to layer the duck breast on a bed of ginger, just for a delicate taste that won't over power neither the flavor of the meat nor any sauces you may wish to use. Fat side up.

Pop into the oven for 20 minutes. The key to making good magret de canard is to let it sit! Don't worry: when it comes out after 20 minutes it will very rare. After sitting for 10-15 minutes, the meat is ready to be thinly sliced and served.

Having heaps of extra plums from the neighbor at hand, I made a Chinese-inspired plum sauce with star anise, cinnamon, ginger, a dash of vinegar, and a splash of soysauce.  For the recipe, try the first one listed here.

August Cooking at Chateau de Bardies

August was a soft month in the town of Montesquieu-Avantès in the Pyrenees Mountains. Blessed with graceful sunny days that never scorched, and bursts of rainy grey days that never lingered too long, it was a lovely summer month to spend cooking in this big, rambling, curious house. Bardies puts on her best sunday dress when guests arrive and the many rooms that long sit dormant take on a new energy and buzz.  Alone, it's a home in which to reflect or to write; but once company piles in the walls cheer for another glass and the tables are more becoming with plates as multicolored as the surrounding gardens or the artwork on the walls. Ah, to dine in good company! And that we did.

Fennel, black olive, toasted pine nut and orange salad.

It's dusk and the table is set.

Grilled on the planca with nothing but a sprinkle of salt, these fresh zucchini were nutty and crisp. 

A lunch with Sylvie and Gil.

Left: a cold night calls for roasted chicken in a pot. Right: Phoebe's Pistachio Meringues

 

Lemon Syllabub. A freshly made lemon curd. Whipped marscarpone with white wine.

Grilled sardines and a squeeze of lemon.

And dinner begins: Agnes style!

I can be a bit of an old woman, but there is no better way to enjoy a whole fish than poached and served with a freshly made aioli. For Peter's birthday, the family selected a gorgeous salmon. Luckily there was a kettle large enough for this beauty. I nestled it in lemons, bay leaves, parsley and onions, covered it in salted water, brought it to a boil, and let it rest until just cooked through. Aioli is a treat and makes the most simply cooked vegetables served alongside the fish become vessels for the lemony, garlicky sauce.

Plums picked from the trees.

Breakfast at Bardies

Yogurt, beetroot soup.

No meal is complete without the cheese course.