Hello Ian,
Quite some time ago I was discussing drinking a Loire CabFr with cuisse de
canard confit, and, at the time, you made the observation that it was not
the choice you would have made, but then, why not?
Please tell me, what wine WOULD you choose with cuisse de canard confit?
Cheers
Nils

> Hey Nils, why ask the Comte de Corrèze alone, what are we, bloc de foie
> gras de canard reconstitué ? :-)))))

Indeed, why, oh good sir Michael? Because those who took an interest mostly
expressed their deep feelings concerning the right thing to drink, only, Ian
didn't. Also, I am building up to doing a confit de canard in the near
future because I wanna. So, what to drink, what to drink ... I don't think I
would like Cahors, those I ahve come across have lacked a certain acidity I
want with my confit (which is why sometimes drink an Alsace Riesling with
confit, provided it isn't too sweet).

BTW, what is your favorite poison with the dish in queston? Surely confit de
canard must qualify as slow food ...

And what are you doing around Easter? And do you have time to drop over to
our place, the two of you? Hopefully, self will not be as dog-tired this
time as I was in November ... also, I think I have found a new source for
souvas ...

Cheers

Nils

On Feb 23, 1:13�pm, Mike Tommasi > wrote:
> Hey Nils, why ask the Comte de Corr�ze alone, what are we, bloc de foie
> gras de canard reconstitu� ? :-)))))

My French is terrible, but wouldn't it be something like bloc de foie
de poulet reconstitu� Chopped liver ain't duck, buddy!

>My French is terrible, but wouldn't it be something like bloc de foie
>de poulet reconstitu? Chopped liver ain't duck, buddy!

I tink Mike refers to the various quality levels concerning foie gras de
canard - if it is a whole piece of liver or what. If I remeber correctly,
bloc de foie gras is various pieces of leftover duck liver pressed into a
block, or, more likely, can.

I may be wrong though, after the article in Decanter we no longer partake of
foie gras de canard.

Cheers

Nils

Nils Gustaf Lindgren wrote:
>> My French is terrible, but wouldn't it be something like bloc de foie
>> de poulet reconstitu? Chopped liver ain't duck, buddy!
>
> I tink Mike refers to the various quality levels concerning foie gras de
> canard - if it is a whole piece of liver or what. If I remeber correctly,
> bloc de foie gras is various pieces of leftover duck liver pressed into a
> block, or, more likely, can.
>

Your tripping over old American idiom: "It ain't chopped liver" meaning
it's nothing to be taken lightly. (I almost said trifled with, but
that's another food reference I guess!)

> I may be wrong though, after the article in Decanter we no longer partake of
> foie gras de canard.
>

OK, I'll bite, and on the foie gras too. Do you still partake of the
Goose version? What's the trouble with duck?

We buy only local foie gras (and not that often at that) as Normandie is
the second foie gras region of France. Although in general the quality
is perhaps not up to the south west, there are some good farms.
Occasionally we have a duck or goose from said farms, though our birds
for that sort of purpose usually come from different farmers.

-E

>> I may be wrong though, after the article in Decanter we no longer partake
>> of
>> foie gras de canard.
>>
>
> OK, I'll bite, and on the foie gras too. Do you still partake of the
> Goose version? What's the trouble with duck?

Never did appreciate the goose liver. THought more taste in the duck.
(RIght now I am considering the kind of really horrible pun containing, at a
guess, duck, bill, web ... that only a non-anglophone would dream of).

CHeers

Nils

"Mike Tommasi" > skrev i meddelandet
...
> Nils Gustaf Lindgren wrote:
>> I may be wrong though, after the article in Decanter we no longer partake
>> of foie gras de canard.
>
> Nils, what's wrong with duck FG?

The article sort of started out sympathetic, and they had found a producer
who was the least industry-like they could find, still, we (as did the
author, while still being largely sympathetic to the producer) found the
rearing of the duck slightly on the iffy side. This side, it was only our
private (and particularly Xina's AAMF) and higly subjective opinion, and not
that of our employer.

I mean, we are not likely to picket the duck farms or spraying ducks with
paint (no, that is fur, right?) nor, if we are treated to duck liver, spew
condemnation on the host.

And, obviously, we still eat canard confit, with, if possible, a good wine.

Cheers

Nils

Nils Gustaf Lindgren wrote:

> (RIght now I am considering the kind of really horrible pun containing, at a
> guess, duck, bill, web ... that only a non-anglophone would dream of).
>
>

One canardly imagine what sort of pun you may give birth to.....but
I'm willing to take a gander anwyay!

On Feb 24, 2:57*am, "Nils Gustaf Lindgren"
> wrote:
> >My French is terrible, but wouldn't it be something like bloc de foie
> >de poulet reconstitu? Chopped liver ain't duck, buddy!
>
> I tink Mike refers to the various quality levels concerning foie gras de
> canard - if it is a whole piece of liver or what. If I remeber correctly,
> bloc de foie gras is various pieces of leftover duck liver pressed into a
> block, or, more likely, can.
>
> I may be wrong though, after the article in Decanter we no longer partake of
> foie gras de canard.
>
> Cheers
>
> Nils

http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/...chopped_liver/

"Bill S." > skrev i melding
...
>
>
> Nils Gustaf Lindgren wrote:
>
>> (RIght now I am considering the kind of really horrible pun containing,
>> at a
>> guess, duck, bill, web ... that only a non-anglophone would dream of).
>>
>>
>
> One canardly imagine what sort of pun you may give birth to.....but
> I'm willing to take a gander anwyay!

Geeze Bill, you are always spot-on!
Anders

Hi Nils,

On Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:55:07 GMT, "Nils Gustaf Lindgren"
> wrote:

>Please tell me, what wine WOULD you choose with cuisse de canard confit?

First of all, my apologies for the delay. We're just back from a trip
to Brest, and have only just logged on again.

Well, I've said this before and Mike T has disagreed with me
vigorously - he's of course entitled to be as wrong as me! But I find
that a lot depends upon how you prepare your confit. If you do what
you should, and warm the tin/packet (I buy mine NOT canned but vav
packed) till the fat is very runny, and then drain it well, you've
started well.

The next stage in ending up with something edible is a tip I learned
from the great prophet of SW french cooking (turned PITA) André
Daguin, who points out that the twin problems of the meat of a confit
when made properly, is impregnated fat and impregnated salt. Although
there's a dreadful vogue of doing n'importe quoi and calling it confit
(thanks emeril) it's worth remembering that a confit is designed to
cosnerve duck without refrigeration - hence the high salt levels that
SHOULD be used.

Anyway, to deal with both salt and fat, he recommends putting the legs
on a grid and steaming it for 15 minutes. The steam disoolved both fat
AND excess salt, and you end up with meat that is digestible and not
too salty. Now all you have to do is to drisp up the skin, so 15 mins
or so, skins side up in a multifunction oven, alternating grill and
fan will ed up with the perfect confit ready to eat.

So IF that's the way you prepare your confit, then it will go
perfectly with a Bordeaux style wine. In fact I often use Bergerac, as
that's what I've got a good choice of.

If on the other hand you either don't defat properly or overgrill it
you get a load of (help me Mark... is it picrolines?)- bitter by
products and you need to make a much greater effort to get a match. A
young cahors will be fine, as Mike, teasingly, said as will a Madiran,
in my view. You NEED to tannins to rasp through the fat and salt.

As for getting away at Easter, unfortunately we can't as we have
guests all round that period. However, if you wanted to pass by here
on your way south and see what I mean about defatting confit, you
would be most welcome. We've still got some rooms free. I'd also be
more than happy to make an appointment for you to see Jacques and
Annie Fontaine's duck farm and see for yourselves whether it's
necessary to ill treat ducks to get foie gras.

I completely share the unease people have about cruel treatment of
animals. As long as it extends in equal measure to chickens, to pigs
and to cattle. I am sorry but I think it's the height of hypocrisy to
single out foie gras, which gives a product which is truly excellent,
while turning a blind eye to battery pork production (such as takes
place in Western France - Brittany and Normandy) and industrial
chicken farms (almost everywhere in the world) which produce
mediocrity if not worse.

I'm sure you're not in that position Nils, but many, many people in
the UK for example, think nothing of snapping up Tesco's two chickens
for a fiver offer, while pointing the finger at foie gras.

--
All the best
Fatty from Forges

"IanH" > wrote in message
...
I'd also be
> more than happy to make an appointment for you to see Jacques and
> Annie Fontaine's duck farm and see for yourselves whether it's
> necessary to ill treat ducks to get foie gras.
>
> I completely share the unease people have about cruel treatment of
> animals. As long as it extends in equal measure to chickens, to pigs
> and to cattle. I am sorry but I think it's the height of hypocrisy to
> single out foie gras, which gives a product which is truly excellent,
> while turning a blind eye to battery pork production (such as takes
> place in Western France - Brittany and Normandy) and industrial
> chicken farms (almost everywhere in the world) which produce
> mediocrity if not worse.
>
> I'm sure you're not in that position Nils, but many, many people in
> the UK for example, think nothing of snapping up Tesco's two chickens
> for a fiver offer, while pointing the finger at foie gras.
>
> --

Your comments echo those in the letter of an anonymous vet in the July 08
Decanter.
Graham

My dear Mike,
On Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:29:33 +0100, Mike Tommasi >
wrote:

>> Well, I've said this before and Mike T has disagreed with me
>> vigorously - he's of course entitled to be as wrong as me!

>Ah, but Ian, as you know my disagreement is only of a nature that
>demands a live demonstration, at the table, in Forges or Six Fours, to
>convince me of your point of view. :-)

Well, if you want to arrange to meet Nils here, my good friend, I can
kill several birds with one stone. Play with confit, and with the
wines that go with it. As it happens I've got some decent Cahors
(surprise) and Bergerac (astonishment) and even the odd drinkable
stuff from elsewhere. Then there's the old Cassoulet challenge, to see
whether a tannic wine goes better or not. Mind you, duck confit one
day and cassoulet the next - or vice versa, would be testing even for
a trencherman of Bill Spohn's standing.

Another interesting possibility might be to visit Brive Market and
bring back some goodies to see what could be made from them. Fresh FG
is always available, for example. And then there's the ultra rare Vin
Paillé sec, with which I make "poulet" grand'mere (actually poule) I
must stop and talk shopping for tomrrow with Jacquie.
--
All the best
Fatty from Forges

Hello Ian
Obviously, after your exposé I realise that what I make is not confit de
cuisse de canard but something completely different, even if it involves a
duck's leg ...
As for cruel treatmen tof animals, yes, when at home we avoid pork (pigs are
treated disgracefully, apart from tasting of nothing), beef, chicken (with
few exceptions), tending to prefer lamb and game of which we have an ample
supply. Also we do eat fish - but that is dicey to say the least. I would
like to believe that we do the best we can.
As for coming over to your place - it has been on my mind, but I do believe
that it would be difficult (I am not certain where it is, to start with) as
we have already programmed two nights in the Beaune area (including supper
at Ma Cuisine with good friend Jim Tanner) and time is of a certain
tightness.
I will have to think of a new name for whatever it is I do with duck's leg
and serve with lentille and a Cabernet Franc.

Cheers

Nils