Kitchen-ing

In my now month-plus I have been at home from Europe,  I have been experimenting with different recipes. I think while I was there I gained so much more knowledge about food and cooking. I learned that recipes can be altered, and often should to fit your everyday needs. I discovered that sometimes the most simple few ingredients can make the best meals. But most importantly, I think I gained confidence in myself, and in my cooking. I know that I do not want to be a chef. The hours are long, and its a brutal life. I look at most chefs in awe, how can they accomplish such food-feats five, six, seven nights a week is something that I never could do. However, I also know that I love to cook, it is a stress relief, it is comforting, it allows me to spend time with the ones I love.

So my time in my slightly-dysfunctional family kitchen, is time well spent. Though lacking in space, it does not lack in kitchen-utensils, as Dad is some sort of kitchen tool junkie. Food processors, knives of any kind, and enough tongs for each day of the week, I am never short handed. I spend spare time rummaging through dusty recipe books on the shelves and scouring sleek blogs on the computer. I believe I have enough recipes saved that I could cook three times a day and still not get through them all in a year. But the fun is comparing, seeking the similarities and adding my own spin on them to make them different.

Most recently, I took a simple staple-the Meatloaf-and transformed it to its more sophisticated, rich cousin. Meet the DuckLoaf.

 Ok, so its hard to make any sort of Meatloaf look great in a picture. But let me tell you, this was good, great even. I will admit, it is slightly easier to make duckloaf when duck is the family business, but, as I said before, I had been altering recipes to do my own thing.

I started with Saveur's Meat Loaf recipe and expanded from there, enjoying the use of a newly found again food processor. To try your own Duck Loaf, here's what you need:

1 lb Lean (or the fattiest you can find) Ground Chuck
Approx 1 lb duck breast (I used two skinless breast and one with the skin on)
1 and a half large red onions
5 (or so) garlic cloves
Olive Oil
1 Egg
1 Cup Bread Crumbs ( I started with a purposely stale loaf of Della Fattoria's fabulous bread, cut into pieces, toasted, then processed in the food processor to make  crumbs)
1 8-oz can of tomato sauce (perferably your own, or organic)
1 T each salt and pepper (more or less each, depending on your tastes)
Ketchup and BBQ sauce for the top

For the recipe:

1-Take the meat out of the fridge and let it warm up to about room temperature, so much easier to cook with
2-When the meat is warmed, heat the oven to 350 degrees
3-In a food processor, pulse the duck meat until it is coarse. It does not have to be as ground as the chuck, but should be in fairly small sizes. Put the duck meat and the ground chuck in a bowl.
4-Peel both the onion and the garlic, then using the food processor again, pulse into small pieces (smaller then diced, is what I did, but a "diced" size would be okay too)
5-Heat some olive oil in a pan, and add the onion and garlic, sauteing for about ten minutes or until the onions are translucent. Once it has cooled off to the point you could touch it, add to the meat in the bowl
6-Add the egg, bread crumbs, and can of tomato sauce to the bowl and mix it all well, and I think that works best with just your hands (why the onions/garlic should be cooled off enough)
7-Place the mixture into a loaf pan, with the top shaped in a crown
8-Spread enough Ketchup and BBQ sauce on the top. I used Bone Suckin' Sauce, a North Carolina-style BBQ Sauce

9-Cook the Duck Loaf for about 45 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees

10-Serve, and enjoy!!

I served it with a mashed potato. I cooked the potatoes in boiling water, then mashed with butter, sour cream, and heavy cream. I put them in another loaf pan (it was what I had handy), sprinkled the leftover bread crumbs I had made over the top, and placed them in the oven alongside the "loaf" for about 30 minutes.


It was a super yummy and successful meal. The best part almost came two days later, when we made a ragu with the leftover meatloaf. I am ever so encouraged to keep on cooking in the kitchen, exploring new foods to try and new techniques to tackle. And sometimes, maybe a variation on a old staple,  just might become your new favorite dish.

dîner et un film

Last night, Caitlin and I ventured into Sarlat for un dîner et un film, a dinner and a movie. There was a sneak peak preview of the most critically acclaimed Des hommes et des dieux, "Of Gods and Men". This movie premiered at Cannes and won the Grand Prix award, which is the second most prestigious award of the festival. But more about the movie in a bit, let me tell you about dinner.

After wandering and eying menus for what my stomach felt like ages, we finally decided to settle into Le Bistrot, quaintly situated in front of the large Cathedral.

Part of the Cathedral dates back to the 9th century, but it wasn't until the 1600s till it was completed and you get to see what is in the picture in front of you. It is still used quite frequently for weddings and funerals in the area, sometimes causing a major traffic jam of people as you try to sneak your way by. Luckily for us, no such events were going on, and we were treated to some soft organ music echoing out from the hall.

We were promptly sat outside and told the waiter we had a movie to make. Often, it is really difficult, if not just short of impossible to have a quick meal here. Which, most of the time is much appreciated, as we never feel rushed to finish so they can turn the table for the next guest. But here, they were happy to comply with our quick request and we submitted our orders. I ordered the Parmentier de Confit de Canard, then ran quickly down to the movie theater to buy our tickets, since we were afraid it might be a sold out show. When I returned I was greeted by this:

A lot like a shepards pie, but much, much better. The duck confit was gently layered at the bottom of the pan, covered with potatoes, and a layer of cheese, that is so delicately browned as you see in the photo.  Served with a small side salad, and paired nicely with a glass of Malbec wine, it is another amazingly comforting, and overly delicious dish. You can find a recipe here but that does not call for the cheese layer on the top, which I think is a must! So I found a different recipe for those who want to try it out. I would suggest a combination of the two, just take a look and see what you like!

We finished our meal just minutes before the movie was supposed to open. Luckily, the theater was very close ( as I had learned when I ran to buy the tickets), and since we had pre-purchased, we zipped right in front of the massive line that had formed out front and found our seats.

It seemed very coincidental that we ate dinner in front of a Cathedral as the film is based on a true story of nine Trappist Monks that live in the monastery of Tibhirine, which is settled up in the Algerian mountains.All of the monks were French, but they had been living very peacefully with the Muslim villagers and the story follows their life while the Algerian Civil War starts to increase and evidently, they get caught up in the middle of it. The wikipedia article is very interesting and the French wikipedia article (translated!) is even better, but they both do tell you what happens. Though, as it is a true story, some of you may know what happens already.

Sadly for me, my French speaking skills get maxed out after I read a menu, and since I was seeing a French film in a French cinema, there was no English subtitles. But with some knowledge of what it was about beforehand, I was able to follow along and understand what was going on. But the beauty of this film, and why I think it won the award at Cannes, was the incredible cinematography-the still shots and the panoramic views. It was also very emotional without any words needing to be said. The monk's expressions, their actions, their prayers and hymns, were all so powerful and moving that words did not need to be spoken. 

 I wish I could tell to you all the release date for the movie in the United States, but I can't seem to find it anywhere I am looking online. But, remember the official movie poster I included above and go see it when it comes out. At best, rent it or find it on Netflix to see at home. It is a very compelling film, that is worth every penny to see.

Duck Thighs and Ambulance Rides...

Yesterday was a very exciting day here in Dordogne! I was given the lovely opportunity to go help with a cooking class, run by the fabulous Daniele Delpeuch. She is known for her amazing traditional French cooking, and has been inspired by and worked with Julia Child and her French cooking partner, Simone Beck. We were greeted by Daniele, fresh of a trip to Paris where she was meeting with people who are making a movie out of her life, with a delicious and simple lunch in her 700 year old farm house. Starting with ham and melon, moving on to a delicious terrine, and finishing with a lovely sheep cheese, made by her neighbors, it was so yummy and a perfect way to prepare ourselves for some hard work ahead of us!

The meal was complete with a white wine from Romania and a walnut wine, made by Daniele herself from her own walnut trees!

But the real part of the day was to cook, cook duck! But first, we had to go get the duck straight from the farm and when we arrived, they were all in a line waiting for us.

Did I mention that we had to completely cut up the duck before there was any cooking involved? Well, we did. We got a full, 6.6 kilogram, duck to do completely what we wanted with. These ducks were over three months old and for the last month were gavage feed, to make the foie gras. So we put the duck in the back of the trunk and heading back to the house. A warning for the next few photos, they are of the duck, I promise not too bad, but if you are weak of stomach, you are warned!

Daniele has created a large kitchen in one of the buildings next to the house to teach her cooking classes in. Because it is a thick walled stone building, it was relatively cold and perfect for learning how to properly 'dis-assemble' the duck.

We set up shop and got to business!

My duck!

We first cut off the head (hidden in the foil wrapping) and set aside. Then we cut all around the 'shoulder' and pulled off the neck skin on the bird to use later to stuff.

Next we cut down the middle, down the breastbone, to take off the manteau, literally the overcoat of the duck, meaning all of the breast meat and leg meat.

Daniele herself!

manteau

Me holding my 'undressed' duck

de-robed, looks like a guitar...kind of

After, we started the process to delicately extract the foie gras out of the duck. In the picture above, it is all the way to the right, the light brown/tan that is still under a thin membrane. We delicately pulled back the membrane with the tip of our knife, to expose, and remove the liver.

exposed!

larger then my hands!

After this important part was cut out, we spent the rest of the time breaking up our larger pieces of meat into smaller usable bits-like the breast and legs out of the manteau, the fat into smaller pieces, and the carcass itself into two parts. Naturally, there are lots of bits and pieces I am leaving out, as the whole process, took about two hours. It was a lot of listening, watching, and careful cutting to get through! We were separating the parts to make into duck confit, rilette, to cook the magret, etc etc. Really cool stuff that I was looking forward to cooking until....

Yup, that's me! Hospital gown, three IV's, looking good right?? After we were done cleaning the ducks we went inside to make dinner. Standing by the sink, I announced I was feeling faint and BOOM hit the floor. After the second time to see me, a doctor came out to check on me, after the third time (not good in the doctor's eyes) an ambulance was called, and by the sixth time I fainted, I was sitting here in the hospital post ambulance ride. SO miserable. It ended up being not serious at all, a bad case of acid reflux was the best they could give me. I had been having those pains for a few days and they said it could cause a 'turning of the head' weird I know. But I have been faint free for over a day! And have medications to help and I am totally ok now, just rested all day, but that meant I couldn't cook all the wonderful duck we had prepared the day before! Hopefully I will be able to get in there to cook again soon, or just spend more time talking with Daniele and learn about her life and all her amazing achievements.

I promise no more hospital visits for me, there is too much I still need to see!

Bodegas, Brocantes, Marchés OH MY!

Though the weather hasn't been too fair, we have managed to have some busy times this weekend! The month of August is very busy for people of the Dordogne region, with the marché nocturnal, marché, brocante, vide grenier, bodega and more all happening all the time. This weekend, we went to a marché, a vide grenier, a bodega, a brocante, and to cap it all off, a beautiful Sunday lunch. WHEW!


Saturday started with the marché and vide grenier in Belvès. A vide grenier is another sort of flea market type event. It means literally , "to empty your attic", and I happily helped someone out by purchasing a "new" purse to replace my falling apart one I have been using. And at 5 Euros, its nearly the same amount as the basket of strawberries we get every morning for the guests! Mixed in between the treasures waiting to be found, was the marché, full of yummy fruits, vegetables, meats, and cheeses. 

As large as your hand!

Hunk of cheese

Chicken on a Spit, with potatoes cooking underneath with the rendering fat. YUM

The same stand that had the chicken and potatoes had a wonderful red sauce with sausages. The sauce, called Rougail is traditionally served over rice, had tomatoes, onions, garlic, olive oil, the sliced sausages, and ginger. It comes from the islands (who typically also include peppers in it to make it spicy),  and is a nice slow simmering dish.

Recipe!

The recipe is quick, easy,and can be used on rice (as we had), chicken, fish, vegetables, pasta, anything!



Saturday night we went to a bodega, which is essentially a street fair. This particular bodega was in Cenac, the same village where the wine fair was last weekend (see post on Cenac), apparently the people here like to have a party! The bodega was held to raise money for the Rugby team of Cenac, as they have their first match on August 29th against another local team from Saint Cyprien. Upon entry, one is greeted by the many scents of fish, beef & sausages on the bar-b-ques, as well as rugby players serving the beer. However, I think the players were drinking as much beer, if not more, then what they were serving! Similar to the wine tasting, we sat underneath a large tent and shared food with our friends. 

Festive, non?

fishy fishies

We had an assortment of food, with a plate of duck (of course), some sausages, and the above fish. Good, simple food that doesn't need any explanation, and brings the community together for a fun cause. After the food, a Basque-style Brass band played, along with Pom-Pom girls. If only my photos had turned out as they were all decked out in traditional Basque white and red and were really fun to watch. They, along with the DJ that came on when they were done, travel around to all the Bodegas, much like a traveling Circus. And speaking of the DJ, man oh man was he fun. We stayed for awhile dancing and humming along to the French tunes that I don't know any of the words to. However, when The Black Eyed Peas "Tonights Gunna be a Good Night" and a techno version of  Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" came on, I was happily singing along. We left at 12:30, far before the party had any sort of inkling to stop the music.  I tried to upload a video of all the music and lights but the connection just isn't strong enough. I will try to work on it, so you can see a lot of French people of all ages singing, dancing. There was even a couple trying to do some sort of French line dancing in the midst of the crowd. Below is just the best picture I could get from the event.

Sunday started slowly, and after the guests left breakfast, we headed off to another brocante. This was a little bit of a drive and unfortunately the whole time we were there it was POURING down rain, sadly ruining some antiques that couldn't get covered quick enough. We decided it was time to eat, and headed to a lovely restaurant, called Auberge Lou Peyrol. Off the beaten path, you can discover this wonderful place. For those from Sonoma County, it slightly resembles The Washoe House, as it was the old road for the travelers heading out to sea (Bordeaux), though obviously, it is MUCH more French and really maintained. It is run by a fabulous duo of a French chef, and his English wife in the front of the house. Not having too much time before some new guests were to arrive at the B&B, we only ordered a la carte, but it was utterly delicious.

Duck Confit with Stuffed & Grilled Veggies

Goat Cheese & Honey Salad

Naturally, there was some duck ordered, which was the best confit I have had here (out of three so far). The giant white circle in the plate? A whole head of garlic, cut in half and roasted, amazing spread on some bread. The vegetables were stuffed with herbs and cheese (a mild goat we think). I mean, how could you go wrong with anything on that plate? The cheese and honey salad was surrounded by fresh apple slices and baby tomatoes, as well as some local walnuts and the cured duck breast meat. YUMMY.


The meal was a perfect conclusion to a fun filled, fantastic weekend!

marché

Marché means market in French and in the last day, I have been to two markets in the area, one night market and one day market. But, it is not just one day a week that you can go to market. In just one week, there are 14 day markets and 9 night markets. That's 23 markets that one can attend in an area that is about the size of a medium county, like Sonoma County in California. What is so impressive about the marché, is the community aspect. I think the French, and probably other European countries, take pride in this. They know that they are bringing together neighboring villages to celebrate food and people. There are a few differences between a marché and a marché nocturne, the biggest is a marché is like a farmer's market we would see at home, with vegetables, fruits etc being sold, while a marché nocturne is more like a county fair, if you will. It has vendors selling prepared food from the area, with long picnic tables and live music, in our case three accordion players.

Our marché  was in San Pompon, about a fifteen minutes drive. A small market, it had one produce stand, one olive vendor, a cheese guy, some olive oil and honey. But, that is all the people of this village need. Not set up for the tourists of the area, this market focused on the needs of the community, bringing in all the produce and goods they could need for the week, as in this particular village, there isn't a supermarket. They had a butcher (charcuterie) and a bakery (boulangerie) but nothing more than that. They are focused on being sustainable, living on what they can that they produce themselves, or buy once a week in the market. I know that many if not all of the inhabitants get food elsewhere, but it is nice to know that they know what they need, and aren't being overindulgent in their food shopping habits, as many people are, with our Costcos and Supercenters. Plus, all their food was beautiful, and made a nice meal of ratatouille later for us, and fresh berries and melons for the guests of the B&B in the morning

...to ratatouille, YUM

From Tomatoes...

Every week, when a town has a night market, they set up banquet tables, food vendors, music stands, and even bounce-houses for the little kids so the community can get together. Friends come and sit together and meet other friends of friends, or a casual stranger who just happens to be sitting next to them. You can buy beer and wine at the event and the whole idea is that you share your meal. The one I attended was in San Cyprien.

one of the four banquet tables

You share your moules frites (mussels and french fries) or your assiette de confits (duck confit) with your friends, they give you some wine, they go get the dessert, an apricot tart, and the whole while you are just sitting there enjoying the conversation, the friends, and the community atmosphere (for us, the accordion players were at a ear-shattering level, which made it difficult to talk over). 

duck confit

moules frite

apricot tart

Why don't these events happen more frequently in the US? Of course we have our own night markets, with street vendors and tables, but there is hardly an emphasis on mingling with, GASP, strangers! Perhaps something I may bring back? Either way, I know that I enjoy them. The food was good, people friendly, and a great evening to remember.

Volailles

Volailles means poultry in French. The region that I am spending time in, the Dordogne Region is known for foie gras, with signs leading to farms on every other turn. Here, all parts of the duck and geese get used, not just the one special piece.  I have not had foie gras from the region yet, but I have had my fair share of poultry, mostly duck.


Most know, my family has been in the duck business for many generations, so I have a particular interest and taste for it. Fresh off the airplane, my first dinner included duck. But not a traditional magret (the duck breast from a fattened Moulard), or even a duck confit (a duck leg cooked in fat and salt) but a duck burger. Yes, I said it, a duck burger. Here I am, thousands of miles from America and I am having the quintessential American food, a burger. But, don't get me wrong, it was so so delicious, and made at the B&B, so I was feeling quite at home. This particular duck burger included about half hamburger and half aiguillette, which is the small little fillet on the back of the duck breast, typically cut off before the preparation of the duck breast. Finding the aiguillette was a feat, as two butchers were out of the actual magret we were looking for. Shows how popular this meat really is! Also in the burger was sauteed shallots and duck fat. The duck fat was necessary to keep the burger together and juicy. Cooked medium rare, it was like I had never left home in Sonoma County right down to the sauteed green beans with bacon, just like my dad would have served!


This region has been a poultry area for hundreds of years. But back in the day, it was so sophisticated and posh. The bed & breakfast La Tour De Cause, was built sometime in the mid-1700s. Above the house is a Pigeon Tower  or Pigeonnier in french which was also built sometime right before the house was built. These towers were used to provide a shelter for the pigeons, and to supply the people with some tasty protein. Pigeon is still served on some menus today. This particular pigeon tower is a simple, yet beautiful structure, that is standing so remarkably well after all these years.  Even driving through the valley, you can see these cylindrical structures poking out of the trees all over the place. Some have been converted to homes, or vacation rentals, while others have been lost and have deteriorated over the years. After cleaning the rooms, my job for the next two months, Caitlin and I went to clean the path so all their guests could go up and appreciate the splendor of the tower!