Many Ways To Cook A Duck

If you were expecting this posting to be a profound philosophical proverb, look away now for you will be disappointed. Vous serez déçu for you fluent French speakers out there. Because after four days in France with my newly appointed French family, I am of course now fluent in The French. Ha!

Phrased as a question: How many ways are there to cook a duck? Really, how many? In four days, I ate duck in many many more than four different forms. I shall attempt a list:

1. Foie gras. You may gasp in horror, but it's true, I sampled the liver of the duck. The fat liver at that.

2. Duck pâté. "Is this not the commoner's version of foie gras?" I ask tres innocently. "Non!" my French family vigorously defended, en masse, the subtle difference. I never quite got to the bottom of what the difference is as I was too busy ducking (ha ha) the Viva le Frances being fired back and forth across the table.

3. Confit de Canard. That be Confit of Duck. Essentially McDuck is marinated in its own fat. For days. And then cooked. In its own fat. Delicious. Served with my new favourite: little bits of fried potatoes, name unknown. Not pomme frites, smart arse. I did ask. I forgot.

3. Margrets de Canard. I think. It's fried (of course) duck breast served with pepper sauce and the little fried potatoes of goodness. Very very good.

4. Gésier salad. Gizzards. Yes siree. Fried. I think I'm repeating myself. Yum.

5. Duck Proscuitto. I made that name up, but it was like proscuitto. Of duck.

Only five. It seemed like lots o' ducks. A raft of ducks. A team even.

Related posts: Fortnums, Stansted, Langoustine