Two Little Ducks
We were in Dublin yesterday and on the way down passing through the village of Emyvale in County Monaghan I noticed the duck farm there has not opened a farm shop in the village. So on the way home in the afternoon, we pulled into their carpark and went into the shop to have a look around.
My husband loves duck and we both love confit of duck (confit de canard) so were delighted to find this shop. Inside, there was an array of fresh duck available from boneless whole duck with seasonal stuffing, to duck thighs/legs, to spiced duck, to duck flavoured with herbs. They even offer their own confit of duck.
We bought the boneless whole duck with seasonal stuffing (apricot) and the uncooked duck thighs/legs for me to make my own confit ~ a very simple though lengthy process. Leave the duck thighs/legs in rock salt and bay leaves overnight, rinse thoroughly the next day and pat dry with kitchen roll, slow cook in a pan of duck or goose fat for approximately one hour. Remove and drain off excess fat on kitchen roll and when ready to serve simply pop them in a very hot oven to heat and crisp up the fat. That is the 'quick' method. The traditional French method is the same but for cooking them on the same day. What they do is, after the slow cook in duck or goose fat, remove from the fat and allow the fat to cool slightly. Put the cooked thighs/legs into a stone crock and cover with the cooled fat. Keep in a cool place for up to 3 months to get the most intense flavour.
So tonight we will dine on duck. Lots of duck!
The reason for this post is that guests travelling to Daisy Cottage from the Dublin area might like to stop off in Emyvale and buy some lovely fresh duck to cook whilst in Daisy Cottage.
The shop also sells home made produce from nearby Castle Leslie, the cutest little gift packs for new born babies from local firm, Bonnie Baby Cakes, duck down/feather duvets and pillows presumably from the Silver Hill ducks, and various other bits and pieces. Our bill for the stuffed duck and two duck thighs/legs came to €13.75 ~ that is €10 for the 1kg of stuffed duck and €3.75 for the duck thighs/legs.
LINKS:
Silver Hill Foods
Castle Leslie
Bonnie Baby Cakes Gifts
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