Autumn Menu
When autumn approaches, it’s time to think about some more warming dishes, so Sonia
has come up with a delicious soup and a recipe for a traditional French duck breast
for which you are allowed to use an English duck! With it, one of the most moreish
ways of cooking a potato!
OLD STILTON, APPLE AND CELERY SOUP
The older the Stilton the better, and if you have some left over of other cheeses
you can add them as long as the weight does not exceed the Stilton
1 large peeled apple per 250 g. of cheese
Two large young sticks of celery, peeled
One medium size onion, chopped
A good pinch of fennel seeds
2 tablespoons of dried milk
Salt and pepper
Chop vegetables and fruit and sauté in a tablespoon of olive oil with fennel seeds.
Add 6 dl. of water and let cook until very soft. Dice the cheese and add, beating
all the time and put in blender with two tablespoons of dried milk. Serve immediately
with if you wish, croutons and/or diced cooked celery and apple garnish. It is also
delicious cold, served with diced raw apple and celery heart.
Magret de Canard (Gressingham or French)
The Marinade
Two generous tablespoons of red Port
Half a tablespoon of mild Dijon mustard
Half a tablespoon of Balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
(Marinade must cover the flesh but not the skin)
Score the skin quite heavily through the fat of the magret, criss-crossing(try not
to touch the flesh with the knife).
Put to marinate for a couple of hours flesh down (do not wet the skin with the marinade).
Take a non stick pan, heat it thoroughly and place the magret(s) skin down, flesh
up and cook covered for about six minutes (start on high for two mns. and the rest
on slow). Turn off the heat and let it stand covered for another three mins. Meanwhile
warm the marinade to body temperature and place the magret(s) flesh down on the warm
marinade, cover with foil and leave for ten minutes. Slice and serve with the marinade.
This is very traditionally served with cubed (dice size) roast potatoes in duck fat.
We have the duck fat from the cooking of previous magrets. (incidentally save all
the fat, it is excellent for cooking, a healthy fat to use because of its low cholesterol
content). Heat the duck fat as if you were making chips in a roasting pan, Put the
potatoes in and sautée them very quickly. Add a little salt. Put in the oven at 200˚C
for a good half hour shaking them from time to time, then bring temperature down
to 180˚ until they are golden and soft. Keep an eye on them. They are so yummy
you need to make double the quantity!
