thebigfatnoodle

A homage to all my French friends: rillettes de canard

Posted by thebigfatnoodle on August 6, 2011 · 3 Comments 

If you like confit de canard, you'll love this rillettes

One of the amuse bouches I served at my husband’s 40^th was rillettes on toast but the one for his party was unfortunately shop bought as I just didn’t have the time or know-how then to make it from scratch. I’ve always loved French food too but I’ve never really tried to make anything specifically French, ridiculous since more than half of my closest friends are french and I visit them often enough in Paris and Nice every year.

So when I came across a recipe for duck rillettes as I was reading the Evening Standard on the train home, I decided it was time to learn how.

This is the recipe that was featured in the paper and it’s by James Ramsden from his cookbook, Small Adventures in Cooking. I’ve halved the amounts in his recipe, which was enough to fill one of my old mayonnaise jars. My father-in-law is staying over this weekend and I’m using him as the guinea pig!

Rillettes de canard

Potted only yesterday

As I was able to prepare this on Friday, all I had to do today was toast some bread to have with the rillettes and serve it with a plate of cornichons or pickled onions. I didn’t mess with James Ramsden recipe, and it is really, really delicious but I think it actually needs some sharp pickled cherries or lemon mixed in with the duck to cut through the heaviness of the duck meat. But some chutney with the duck rillettes on toast did the trick equally well.

Now if only the sun and warmth would reappear so I can pretend I’m back in France with my mates washing this done with a lovely chilled Rose or Chablis. Viva la France!

Click here for the recipe.

Serve with a lovely chilled chablis or rose