Not quite sure what constitutes the south west of France and where the 'borders' may be but there is some consensus as to the food that emanates from there. I have just started to discover these amazingly rich foods and all very coincidentally.
One Friday, while out strolling in the city, we were on our way back home via the Ile St Louis when we spotted alot of commotion down on the quay. There was a produce market taking place! Not one to ever pass up a shopping and eating opportunity, I HAD to go down and check out all the fuss.
It turned out (I seem to like using that expression) it was a market from the south west! This in itself was a little coincidence since we had recently dined at a restaurant nearby called "La Bastide Odeon" which specialised in food of the south west. It leant perhaps a little more towards the mediterranean than (I have since concluded) is typical of this south western cuisine. Anyhow, another entry dedicated to this restaurant later!!
Bugger! Just lost a whole section accidentally!!! Here I go again.
The market consisted of several stalls manned by farmers essentially. They'd brought their wares from the country and were set up to sell. Many of the stalls were selling duck and goose produce. I purchased some foie gras de canard (duck) and d'oie (goose) and some confit de canard. We bought some pruneaux d'Agens (prunes basically) which are used to make a liqueur. Oh, almost forgot, I bought some magret de canard seche' (features in an earlier entry). Other stalls were selling take away goodies like snails. A curious feature of the market was the giving away of apples, garlic and grapes all grown in the region. Everyone was proffered a paper bag - if you accepted, it was filled with 2 gala apples, 2 heads of garlic and a bunch of grapes. They made it home ok but they were a hassle to carry about and prevent from bruising.
We had the foie gras de canard and the confit for dinner that evening as we were having friends over. Talk about fat overload!! I know I said I was cutting back on meat but this event (fortunately) took place BEFORE my resolution (which turns out not to be so resolute but that's another story!). The foie gras was amazing - but then I love foie gras. My friend Wanda had made some delicious mirabelle jam which she had served with foie gras (it goes so beautifully with sweet fruity chutney type things) so I did too since she had made a gift of a jarful to me. I also served mine with little toasts (Carton's yummy baguette thinly sliced and toasted!), fleur de sel de Guerande and 10 year old balsamic vinegar. The balsamic encompasses the characteristics that go so well with foie gras - a combo of mild acidity and sweetness. That was the starter. Oh and we served with lightly chilled Coteaux du Layon - a sweet wine from Anjou which our neighbours introduced us to and our local bottle shop stocks (read all about it - http://drvino.blogspot.com/2006/08/la-derniere-goutte-paris.html).
That should really have been enough for dinner - it was so rich. But, the confit was in the oven and so were the little waxy, yellow potatoes I was roasting so we just had to go on. The confit was bloody good! Large, meaty thighs which crisped up beautifully. Apparently duck and goose fat is good for you. At least that's what the French I know say. Well, it may be good for you but it's still fattening!!!!!!
Anyway, we ate it all and was a huge success. I went back to the market the next day and bought more confit de canard - you never know when friends are going to pop over. We also still have the foie gras d'oie and a bottle of Coteaux du Layon. Where are all my friends when I need them?
No comments:
Post a Comment